Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1907-10-02
PEACH.


cold weather of the season having
set In. got out my winter overcoat
Ihrusting my hand Into the pockets
l struck small bundle. nm par
tcuiar about my clothes. always put
ting them away carefully when tbs
season changes and taking everything;
out OF the pockets. was therefore
surprised ut finding anything and
drawing forth the bundle. quickly and
curiously unwrsppcd II. found u
package OF lette-s. On the top was q
photograph OF girl with the lowell
est face and the sweetest smile l ever
beheld. 1 took her right into my
heart
Pretty enough to kiss" remarked
to myself. ana kissed the card
Looking ut til, tallor's name sewn
Oh TO the inside of the collar of thu
ovcrcoat, It was unfamiliar to me.
Then examined the coat critically. |
had never owned II. must have
changed coats ut tn. end of the previ
GUS spring with sane man In some
public place. slipped couple OF
elastic bands Off tn, letters, hoping to
find n Glow to the ,wncr OF the coat
The envelopes were not there. Each
letter, written In voman's hand, he.
gan Dear Ralph" and was signed
Peach" They ware usually dated
merely with the d,r they were writ
ten. viz-"rucsday eeihng," "Wedncs.
day afternoon" Some gave the
month, day and year but none the city
from which they wee written though
few, evidently Written while the
writer was visiting. mentioned differ.
ent plnces In the tex. In hunting for
clew l unwittlnglygot Interested in
them. l couldn't heb It. 1t was evi.
IDENTIFY case of n lonly woman writ.
Ing to lover who dR not understand
or appreciate her.
Since the exchange had been made
some eight months hforc there was
no great hope of fndhg the owner. II
wrote the tailor whit had made the
coat asking II any we'd had been lcf,
with him about II AL received n re
ply that there had nc.
This was all coul do in the mat
ter. for l could not cmember so fan
back any place whec might prob
ably have taken the oat in exchange
All that winter usd to read the let
tiers and look at thephotograph till II
came to fancy that Twas the lover to
whom they had beer written.
But no man can dissatisfied with en- |
dearmcnts that nrr PISSED Besides. ii
was constantly REMEMBERING that the |
possess such noble girl had finally
become aware of his nworthiness and !
her superiority and nd made sufii. |
GENTLY respectable GLOW OF himself
to warrant unionIbetwecn them. II
became DESTROYS ID finding out whit,
had been the rcsult,bit there was mol
the slightest means u iolng so. ncv.
or went anywhere Nitlput hoping that
would see the fare OF; he photograph
which l always carried in my pocket
book.
One afternoon, whlltI was looking
over the pictures In apublc gallery,
In passing from one ION to another
/ came face To face 18th one | wa
sure was the orlglnaso f the photo /
graph. My heart stoG still 1t was
fortunate that she didiot look Mt me
for she would surely lave been cm.
barrassed Mt seeing strange mani
stare Mt her. She p6ed on, nnd I'll
turned and followed ID
Later she was stanlg before n pic.
turc, with her eyes ixs on 1t intently
There was no one ee I'm the room
Standing In the mex room whore /
could get out of the r1gc of her view
before she could turn said aloud:
"Peach!"
She started and tuIed, but not In
time to see me. a Ihnent later she
entered the room Wild / was. TO find
mo studying n statue | turned and
gave her view of mtace. This evil
IDENTIFY satisfied her at could motif
have been the person no had called
but did not proposthat she should
get away from me. liver did detcc |
tive do better job ofhadowing than
and from q greater stance. l saw
her ut Inst go into yelling house.
and while waiting for n to come out
saw her. Invested chat and coat,
ct an upper window. hen knew / ,
had tracked her to heroine.
l was not long in scovering her
name, with other infdation, includ
Ing the fact that she hs unmarried.
Then l used to Natcfor her TO 70 lie
out. with view TO dpverIng IL she
would stumble on anyhe knew. liz
spent long while Mt 8 with no re.
suit, but one day n her on the
street with n lady who'll counted one
Of my best friends. fck as flash
I invented an excuse stop and nd 4
dress my friend and surcd casual I
introduction. wall with them
several blocks. when EFT them. feel s
Ing that my hunt ar my detective 4