Los Angeles herald., 1906-12-02

ooh y know what to think, Joseph ] SAID
at last. you have amazed me-"
Yes, ees eet not? But zere ees more. Leesten.
'nere ees one sing which you can see for your
SIT, my brother goes on, a sing which may
say much to you, and which your knowledge will
help you TO verify at once Mr.. Dunn has till
now always been the soberest and most abste
mous Of men. OF late am told zat e drinks
like fish, but e does not drink what ze fishes
drink. Look at him well next time you see i'm
NOW zat ees re strange letter from my brother,
and zat ees why ask you whether you ave been
speculating"
II have not lately, Joseph" / replied "Mr
Dunn did invest some money for me once and
ne almost doubled il before he returned it, but
OF late ] have done nothing of that kind. In
deed, have not been on sufficiently good terms
with him to think of it,"
AT that moment patient announced, and
Joseph folded the letter up and put il carefully
In his pocket you win not mention zis to
anyone" he said, quickly. Il ave told you,
but we are friends you and l."
gave him the assurance, and thanking him
tor his confidence made my way out with a
thoughtful brow. And wonder, for he had
gwen me something to think about.
We have two deliveries of letters day from
wimbledon, at nine o'clock in the morning
and another at seven in the evening. / was ex-
pecting rather an important letter in reference
to manuscript. which after many voyages seem
an obliging publisher; and having nothing better
to do, decided to go for an evening stroll aud
meet the postman his rounds There was
another reason that decided me, too, and that
was the mans route, rather a circuitous one,
! led him through the little wood where Elsie and
had often walked and ridden together.
/ Deep in my thoughts, sweet in spite Of their
Sadness ] soon forgot the first object of INV
walk, and it was with a start that | heard a
voice calling to me- and, turning, saw the post
mn with letter in his hand held out to me.
l thanked him, and took the packet carelessly
enough, though | fully expected it to be the
letter ! awaited; but moment after the man
had gone his way / gave an exclamation of sur
prise and pleasure. For a glance told me that
the letter from Elsie
| Yet even as my fingers flew to open the en-.
velope, something made me arrest their action,
some vague feeling of doubt and mistrust pass
ing from the letter through the envelope to my
brain and making me hesitate to break the seal
and read. For the packet was sealed and heav-
lily sealed; by the weight Of it there were sew
eral sheets inside.
What could Elsie have to write me a long
letter about, why was it sealed, and why sent bv
post when we were hardly hundred yard.
from house to house? Yet it was not these
things alone which made me hesitate | know
it was some instinct, some consciousness deep
down in my heart that we were at crisis in
our lives she and |. and that this letter once
again.
There was little rustic seat not far from
where l stood, and going to it / sat down. and
arousing my will 1 opened the letter
! Arthur, 1 never meant to write this letter
| to you; never meant to tell you the terrible
terrible secret it contains. / never meant to-
and l was wrong Oh half doubted when |
made the determination, when the feeling was
strongest that ] never could tell you
never could speak the words looking into your
face never could write them down on paper
for your eyes to read
Eyes now I know that ] was wrong: | have
known it since l you again yesterday, since
you held me IN your dear arms and looked at
me with your dark, handsome eyes, so full of
love and trust. yet with such sad appealing
question in them. How nobly you kept your
word dearest; how good and brave Won are how
you love me, and how proud [ am Of that love,
dearest, dearest, how proud ! am! Oh let me
call you dearest for this once; let me tell YOU
how proud / am to be loved by you, and how
return your love hundredfold, how / shall
love you till die. let me tell you, dearest, for
| it is for the last time. / never say the words
again; you-you would not let me when YOU have
read this letter; when you have heard my story
| you will not want my love; there will be bar
rier deeper than the deepest sea between us,
higher than the highest mountain
! told you what you wanted could never, new
| er be- but womanike, / would not tell you why
would rather you had doubted my constancy.
my faith, than let you know the truth. Since
the other morning, since looked into your dear
| ewes and saw their trouble, since you held me
! in your arms close, close, see how selfish nv
thoughts were how little I considered Won
And since it is my love for you that has made
me see the right path and take it, will not
let that love be degraded in your eyes. Though
this letter will cost me your love forever, dear
est, you shall not at least doubt mine
arthur, do you remember when l wrote to
YOU to tell you first that could never be your
wife; told you how, broken hearted, bewilder.
ed girl, felt as If all the world knew and loved
had crumbled TO dust beneath my feet! / had
heard then, Arthur, the story ! am going 10
tell you now, heard it and knew that it must
separate us forever Yet, though that was nv
first thoughta darling, it was not all Of misery
that my knowledge brought to me. The earth
quake seemed to shatter not alone my future
but my past. Not only the bright vista of life
with her lover which fills the thoughts Of every
girl who loves was blotted out forever. but even
my calm, happy childhood and youth seemed to
have become dark and terrible to look back
upon, though this know can be but fancy
arthur, when | was harassed and over.
wrought yesterday, and you We're so good TO
me, l told you how ! longed sometimes for
mothers love and care; | told you how often Of
late / have dreamed of her. Arthur, was de.
ceving you even then. All, how can ever tell
you do sometimes long for a mothers love
and never more than now, but not for the love
Of my mother ! do dream Of her constantly
but. Arthur those dreams are nightmares that
/ chill me to the heart and from which / wake
| trembling and terrified
"Wege my mother to appear TO me today in
life as she appears 10 me in dreams l should
fly from her, trembling and Mortified as ! have
done a hundred times in sleep. 1 should: