The Hattiesburg news. (Hattiesburg, Miss.) 1908-1917, 1908-09-08
The Fortune Hunters.

most of whom. having worn themselves
out during the gay social season in
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-
adjustment"
Raymond Riggs was a key to the
wealth he possessed. All a girl had to
do to unlock the door to it was to snare
him. He had fought off a regiment of
them during the previous season, and
had hoped for a 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 a bar
and slid up on the sand with an effer-
vescing sound. The sky was blue and
cloudless. The ships out at sea sailed
on as silently as if they were painted
Instead of real. 1t was all very restful
and in marked contrast with being
hunxed down by a flock of-women, be
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 it, took out the cork and
with the blade of his knife managed
10 extricate through the narrow neck
card. On it was written in pale ink.
"Aline Eliot" The address was given
at town a hundred miles down the
coast. then followed, Dear finder.
am lonely"
For heavens sake" exclaimed Ray
mond. "are all the women in the world
hunting lovers? escape from a flock
Of them back on the shore only to be
met by an advance from the ocean"
But as he gazed at this singular con-
trivance. for mating, as he regarded 1t,
1t seemed far different to him from
the advances be had received from the
fortune hunters. He fancied the
writer to be some innocent girl who
craved only to obey the instincts
mother nature had planted in her pure
bosom. Perhaps she had sat alone by
the ocean as he was sitting. yielding
10 a natural inclination to mate,
and had sent out her message with
blind confidence that II would fall
into the hands Of the man who was
destined to be all in all to her. Was
this fhn -la
hunting for a fortune? He would open
correspondence wifi her. In this
way he could find out what he wished
to know.
He inclosed the card with his own
name and address and the words. 81,
too, am lonely" In a few days be re-
ceived letter. There was nothing in
1t about love or marriage. 1t was an
unsophisticated eplstle from a young
girl about nothing. Raymond read be-
tween the lines, Perhaps you are he
for whom | intended my message"
But 1t 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.
II he could see her likeness he could
judge of her motive with more GER
tainty.
He thought he would send d picture
of some man about his own age and
ask hers in return, but the girls guile
lessness had affected him, and he shrank
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 a fool. The danger
of society fortune hunter was moth
Ing beside one he had never seen pos
sessing letters from him and his photo
graph.
However in exchange came a like
ness. 1t was the likeness of one q
painter would seize upon as a model
for a Madonna. There was innocence
personifed. A pair of soft eyes looked
out from an oval face. The lips were
sensitive. and Raymond considered
them especially kissable. He thought
Of the faces of the fortune hunters.
restored to their natural appearance
by cosmetics. There was none of
them who would not consider herself
f1agrantly immodest to thus advertise
for a husband. Yet here was the
Madonna-like face looking at him with
modesty that none of these could
have assumed
One day Raymond was missed at the
seashore. There was a futter among
the fortune hunters for. though none
Of them had secured a foothold. every
one hoped for herself not for the 9TH
ers. Had he returned to the city? No.
Inquiries elected the fact that his bag
gage. like our flag. was "still there"
So they waited and watched and
hoped. But RAYMOND did NOT return