The Lake County times., 1908-12-01
The Fortune Hunters.
fOriginal.1

q
ing the weather oppressive in the city.
concluded to run down to the seashore.
He found there bevy of girls, the
most Of whom, having worn themselves
town, were endeavoring to put the
roses back into their cheeks under the
influence of ocean breezes. Neverthe-
less there was not one of them but
could spare the time to secure IAN es-
tablishment."
Raymond Riggs was key to the
wealth be possessed. All girl had to
do to unlock the door to 1t was to snare
him. He had fought off regiment Of
them during the previous season and
had hoped for rest at the seashore.
He was doomed to disappointment
They attacked him by platoons and
companies. To get rid Of them he
went off one day several miles up the
beach and sat down on the sand. The
waves rolled lazily In, broke on bar
and slid up on the sand with an effer-
vescing sound. The sky was blue and
cloudless. The ships out at sea sailed
| instead sf real. 1t was all very restful
and in marked contrast with being
hunted down ty a flock of-women, he
should have said, but he preferred the
word harpies.
A glass bottle was thrown up by the
waves, rolled about on the sand and
| carried out When it came up again
Raymond noticed that it was corked.
He seized 1t, took out the cork and
with the blade of his knife managed
to extricate through the narrow neck a
card On it was written in pale ink.
"Aline Eliot" The address was given
at a town hu ndred miles down the
coast, then followed, Dear finder, 7
am lonely"
"For heavens ,ake," exclaimed Ray
mond, "are all The. women in the world
hunting lovers? = escape from flock
of them back on he shore only to be
met by an advance from the ocean"
But as he gazed 1T this singular con-
trivance for mating, as he regarded 1t.
it seemed far different to him from
the advances he had received from the
fortune hunters. He fancied the
craved only to obe.' the instincts
mother nature had plaT ted in her pure
bosom. Perhaps she had sat alone by
the ocean as he was sitting, yielding
to a natural inclination to mate,
and had sent out her message with
blind confidence that it would fall
, into the hands Of the man who was
t destined to be all in all to her. Was
this the explanation, or was she,. too.
t hunting for fortune? He would open
correspondence with her. In this
way he could find out what he wishet |
to know.
He inclosed the card with his own
name and address and the words, 81,
too, am lonely" In few days he re-
ceived a letter. There was nothing in
1t about love or marriage. It was an
unsophisticated epistle from a young
girl about nothing. Raymond read be-
$ tween the lines, Perhaps you are he
: for whom I intended my message"
d But it did not say, you may be some
: rascal who will take a mean advan-
tage Of what have done" What re-
freshing innocence! Fancy one of the
: fortune hunters reposing such conf
dence In the average man. Raymond
was an imaginative fellow and would
sit long on the dunes or on the beach
mentally contemplating this innocence
If he could see her likeness he could
: judge Of her motive with more GER
e tainty.
# He thought he would send a picture
n Of some man about his own age and
s ask hers in return, but the girls guile
: lessness had affected him, and he shranlz
u from such deception. Then, confident
that he could not be mistaken, he in
closed his photograph. AS soon as he
had done so the thought occurred TO
: him that he was fool The danger
Of society fortune hunter was moth
,r ing beside one he had never seen pos
: sessing letters from him and his photo
n graph.
lie However, In exchange came a like.
"a ness. 1t was the likeness of one q
II painter would seize upon as a model
- :. for Madonna. There was innocence
personifed. A pair of soft eyes looked
out from an oval face. The lips were
6 sensitive, and Raymond considered
Luem especially klSSdDle. he IlOugQl
it Of the faces of the fortune hunters
e. restored to their natural appearance
o, by cosmetics. There was none OF
in them who would not consider herseli
IN fagrantly immodest to thus advertise
ne for a husband. Yet here was the
'n Madonna-like face looking at him witt
modesty that none of these coult
=. have assumed.
an One day Raymond was missed at th'
is seashore. There was a fiutter among
he the fortune hunters, for, though nom
n Of them had secured a foothold. ever.
one hoped for herself. not for the 9th
= ers. Had he returned to the city? No
Is, Inquiries elected the fact that his bag
gage. like our flag. was "still there
SO they waited and watched an,
hoped. But Raymond did not return
In time he directed that his baggag
be sent to the city, and neither tn
II. waves nor the gulls nor the ships no
the fortune hunters saw him more-a