Greene County herald. (Leakesville, Miss.) 1898-current, 1905-02-10
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"A LETTER.
AND ITS {
RESULT. :

The sensitive face under the big,
role-lined sunhat was very white. Her
lips quivered, little. The hands that
held the vagrant sheet trembled.
Il though" said the girl to herself,
Il thought" said the girl to herself,
was only ecoming-attracted. But
the shock-the disillusion-"
When she had started out an hour
ago for her usual brisk morning walk
along the crisp, shelving sands, she
had been one of the most Indifferent,
| light-hearted of girls. She was done
with college and the two years of for
eign travel that had succeeded school
as a sort of polishing process She
had perfect health, and misty dreams
of all the yelled future held in it's
keeping. She had aesthetic tastes, and
her skill in athletic sports was the
admiration of her less vigorous girl
| friends. She had been having a beau
tisul time down at this gay, unconven-
ti0nal resort on the Michigan coast.
And now-well, temporarily 1t seemed
that her pleasure was spoiled.
And in her heart she knew that she
must have been beginning to think
tcs, much of the man whose attentions
to her had been SO marked, or else
this discovery would not SO affect her.
Sitting to rest and watch the white
crested waves come curling up to
break on the border of the lake like
threads of rarest lace, her attention
had been caught by small, white,
wniTling object that at first sight she
had taken for bird. 1t had whisked
lower and nearer. Then it floated so
close she could put out her hand and
grasp it, and she found it was sheet
of note paper covered with diminutive
chirqgraphy. 1t was written on the
stationery of the fashionable hotel
looming up on the dunes behind her.
AZ fist she had been about to crumple
tt UP and cast it aside. But in the
very act of doing so a name-her own
name met her eye.
Eyea then she hesftated But the
shr4e words were so significant she
Ing. she page was the continuation
If a LITTER. And the first three words
at t&e top of the page we're love Ivy
LyL!" Impulsively. giving herself no
eh'.nco to weigh the niceties of honor
L. the balance, she scanned the page.
"-lsve Ivy Lyle I've fought
against it-for l can't afford to marry
her, All you know But she has rather
swept me off my feet, old chap At
first ! was taken with her innocent
beauty. There was no one at this big
hostel.y to compare with her for good
looks. So let myself drift. l thought
Ehe WIS just a dear little country girl,
and taat it would be easy to say a
sentimental farewell when the summer
was oTer. You know what these warm
weather. fiirtations amount to. So I've
been going to see her steadily and
taking her everywhere. We've gone
dancing and swimming aad boating
and all the rest of it. And--my Jove!
fox all She's mighty quiet, I've come
to ma out she's not the typical little
c1lntry girl at all. She's well read
aud Travelled, though she seemed rather
aghast when she let that fact out
A nd she looks at q fellow in cool,
apprising sort of way that makes
Him feel pretty cheap-if his spoken
thoughts are not quite up to her white
standard. But she's not really in the
social swim. She's native, l take it.
It's been hard to pin her down to any
confidence about herself. She lives
with a very dragon of an aunt at
farmhouse on the edge of town. She
wears her cotton dresses and shade
hats in way that takes the shine out
of women up at the hotel. but I've
never seen her sport any of the swell
clothes they wear to the hops here
Oh. conf6und it! What's the use of
my incoming away to you at this rate?
I've got to go away and try to forget
her before it's too late.
"Damaris Chase and her father are
to be here this week, they tell me.
And she's the girl the heads of both
our houses expect me to marry She
may have the good taste to refuse me
land I almost hope she will. She's
. great heiress, and the consolidation
Of the business interests would be a
oapitas thing; but, oh, hang me if
thought it would be so hard to get
that little girls sweet face out of my
heart / must do the sensible thing,
and GO in for the twenty thousand a
year. Lord! but I'm sorry for those
poor devils of kings who have to wed
ly like one of them. I'm sleepy. Good
night-I'll finish this in the morning.
Ten to one I dream of Ivy Lyle!'
1t needed no signature The writer
was easily recognized She crumpled
the paper tightly in her hand and
thrust it into the blouse of her gown
as rapid heavy step came crunching
down the beach. That step had be-
come too pleasantly familiar Could
he have known the sheet had been
whisked out of his room? Had he
seen it blown down to the beach?
Good morning, Miss Lyle!" He
flung himself down beside her His
handsome; boyish face looked strained
and set, as though insomnia had
claimed him. You're out early. Will
you go rowing with me today up to
Clear Springs?"
81 can't" she faltered
And Won't you come up Black River
today?" entreatingly, almost tenderly
1T may be the last time.v
He was planning planning. Oh,
that cruel letter. But-the last time.
he had said
: She flung up her head and smiled
at him. Yes. i will go. she said
They were very gay that afternoon.
almost recklessly 90 They had lnnch-
con 1t the inn near the springs. and