The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1905-06-30

rescued the bundle from the japanese
wastebasket. She recalled VIII as
fine. broad shouldered young Fellow
who up 20 the time that he had ceased
visiting her chum. few months De
fore had paid no attention whatever 10
the large mouthed. small nosed. intel
lectual Girl who always made point or
having an engagement somewhere with
in ten minutes OF the hour OF his ar
rival. Anne had never been noticed
and she didn't expect IL. She prompt
~ forgot being snubbed and remem-
bered only that once VIII had pressed
her hand quite tightly while he said,
Little woman. | think you understand
what this means 10 me"
Recollecting this, Anne had adopted
the letters. At first she had enjoyed
them only as love letters-letters which
were real and which said just what
she had been making her people say
for ever so long. Then, as the deSer-
ton OF the bright little creature came
10 be realized as an endless desertion
and as she made no new friends, those
ardent notes had commenced 10 seem
her very own. Their author was her
lover She read them over and over
and over, making them more personal
with each reading. For three years
she fed her hungry soul with them.
and then. being temporarily destitute
OF ideas for stories. il had occurred 10
her that they were the clew TO one
ready made-a story OF which she was
the heroine.
~ Taker OF Crumbs" was duly fin
ished that very night and dispatched TO
the mail box in charge Of the young
woman in the room adjoining, who was
going out 10 buy ice cream. Anne
thought about it a great deal in the
DAYS that followed \ dozen times she
would have given the world to have
had 1t back. IL only long enough TO
have substituted fanciful terms for the
ones she had taken from the letters.
Dear Lady o. Mine" Twice at night
she dreamed that Will had come out
of the west to rebuke her for stealing
his love words and 10 take the packet
out OF her keeping. At the end OF
month she got n check from the maya
zine 10 which the manuscript had been
sent, and after that she merely waited
for the appearance OF the story in
type When il did appear illustrated
with picture OF a very tall girl hold
ing two extremely long arms toward an
astonshingly low door in the middle
distance. she was surprised that no one
seemed 10 take the least notice OF the
tale
Anne went back 10 her work and
wrote other stories. By grace Of these
and a kindly providence she was able
TO pay 81 TO her landlady regularly on
Saturday evening and 10 take three
car rides a week. Every Wednesday
morning she walked uptown and drew
a little money from a newspaper for
which She wrote column called Hints
f3y Home Makers" She dined at g.
revised manuscripts until 10 and cried
awhile over the bundle OF letters before
going TO bed. Now and then she stood
at the window. looking out upon the
hurrying thrOng and remembering that
not one person in all that throng cared
whether she lived or died
Three weeks after the publication OF
- TaEer of Crumbs" she found lying
on the table in the lower hall an en-
velope without the name of a newspa-
per on it. The postmark was New
York. She climbed the steps leading
70 her room and sat down on her
couch % read the letter. Dear Lady
o Mine"-yes, it was addressed 10 her.
who would have believed that there
was SO loving a little woman in the
world? May I call tonight? That's
rather soon, | admit. but-well. / am
very lonely too. Will"
Anne Stacey got up and dropped
the packet Of letters in the japanese
wastebasket. She locked the one let
ter just received, envelope and all. in
her bureau drawer in a place left for
Ii.