The Waxahachie daily light. [volume] (Waxahachie, Tex.) 1894-current, 1906-03-29
A DELAYED LETTER

Icata NIseisrer Bed ssTT@g @ i
bot " dreary "a 1anasa CHnere is
forr The bli-tving lBs az WIS
drawsag 10 elose
she was isp~snlztress sal STORE clerk
Of the CORNERS T,ay after 'lay foe
years size had -ortcsl ever the stage
mails. ihe county papers apd ne Iet
tiers The ,iat had been busy oae -
the stare. aud 70 add "a Inc epnfEnion
Lydia had recently bought new set Of
boxes "a tale the place ~ the dingy IiE
tie portfolios which Tor twenty i've
years had ,taae continuous %ervire IN
der different po@tmas'efS
4 carpenter had worked that after
noon tearing away the oSd case ans
gencrally overhanlmg the po~tsf'ice end |
OF the store
Lydia was hetweeu foriy and FIFTY
"Nigh on TO forty Eve bcin' two years
oldern MY boy Jerry. old Airs la
vldge said 10 her friends when Lydla's
age was discussed But, law. she
don't look il an she don't oct it, Them
tow headed girls never look en- old ez
they really he"
The carpenter stopped hammering
aud came where The postmIstress
was tanning herself He was shut
ding awkwar,liy half dozen letters,
yellow with age aud somewhat rat
eaten
see here. Tyddy, are these any
good" asked he, holding ont the let
tiers. Il found EN- down behind the
wainseotIug'
The postmlstress Of Canaan Corners
took the letters with but little interest
Twenty five years. Yes. it had been
just that long since she had seen John
Butterworth- since he gave her low
er's look and then. cheerily assuring her
that they would soon meet again, had
gone TO New York
Their letters had been earnest and
fun of feeling. and finally he wrote
asking her if she would marry him
telling her that he had not been sue
cessfui In business as yet, but that IL
she said Yes he would come back to
Canaan Corners and they would go TO
Chicago
Brayely had she penned favorable
answer, and then she waited All, the
dying of great hope
How tenaciously it clings 10 life.
no n
from John Butterworth. But none
came The summers came and went
/ Twenty five years ago, and she had
been thinking of John Butterworth that
4 day,
'LeJks Ell If rats had chawed EN-
some, don't it," asked the carpenter as
Lydia stepped closer to the window to
inspect the musty letters. The very
first one of the lot gave her senses a
stockholm Butterworth, Bulls Head
Hotel. Bowery, y. Y City"
The red sun turned back The Ca
naan Corners postoff1ce began spinning
around and bobbjng up and down. A
hurricane seemed to catch her and
dash her head against a distant cliff.
There. there, Miss Lyddy," said the
big carpenter, tanning her with his
straw hat The heats been too much
fur We, | guess"
Trembling like child, she once more
looked at the letter-her own letter of
MISUNDERSTANDING her troth
1t seemed to her as If her heart
would hurst in agony She knew now
why John Butterworth had never come
back She had appeared to him as un-
willing to share his fortunes
Lydia Spencer was a firm woman.
In justice to herself she determined TO
make AN effort TO reach John Butter |
worth with The belated letter.
1t had no postmark. Taking the 4
marker, She removed the figures 90" !
and substituted "69"
Then. writing note TO the proprietor
of the Bulls Head hotel New York 1
city she told him to forward the let
ter 60 Chicago. Neryously she let Il .
fall into the gaping mouth of the mail .
bag. The stage took II on its way that .
night
Two weeks later gray haired man.
one of Chicago's leading capitalists.
was one morning opening his mail
lie came to a ycllowed envelope which
mad been forwarded from New York.
lt bore several rubber stamp marks
md a Chicago postoffice clerk had
Written ON IL.
Try 1871 Dearborn
Send Jack Ia. said John Butter
worth to his head clerk
jack. my boy" said the father ia a
.ow voice and nrrvousiy read this old
letter which has been twenty -nve years
iu reaching ms
Jack. continued The elder after his
request had been complied with. ''you
viii have to pos ,ponv your vacatian
im going Co take na~ zoo canaan COR
hers y aever expected Co marry
nzaiu after your dear mothers death
fffH F4aH f.trg .