The Prescott daily news., 1908-10-01
Love In a Dictionary

lOrginal.]
 Not long after my being graduated as a civil engineer I was placed in charge of a section of a railroad running through a large tract composing the hacienda of Don Jose Miranda. On the evening of my arrival on the ground I received an invitation from him to make his house my headquarters. Had I been older I might have declined to place myself under obligation, but in youth one is not so likely to refuse favors.
 Nor is one at that age overscrupulous in love. Don Jose had pretty daugh- ter. Dona Ysabel, who was heir to a considerable portion of his estate. I, who had nothing but my profession and not much income even In that, should not have listened a moment to the temptation to make love to this heiress When a youngster wishes to do the right thing in such a case he is apt to beat the devil about the stump by showing his heart to the girl in some covert way. l beat the devil around the stump not only as a salve to my conscience, but because l was not afforded an opportunity to make love openly. Resides. l had no reason to suppose that the young lady would respond, and to think of receiving a snub from her for proffered love quite took my breath away. Prudence dic- tated plan that was noncommittal.
 1 never saw Dona Ysabel alone but passed many evenings at the house in company with the family One even ing took dictionary from the library on pretense of looking for the Spanish for word I wished to use. Don Jose was in the room with others. and Dona Hsabel was looking over my shoulder, There is story that courier who aspred to the favor of Queen Eliza beth of England wrote his aspiration and his fears on a window pane with a diamond and received his reply in the same way The message and re- ply constitute rhyme and are famil- far to most people who have received a finished education. Whether Dona Ysabel had ever met with them 1 did not know. While turning over the leaves of the dictionary l stopped and held my thumb for awhile on the word ''fain." Then, carelessly turning over the leaves. I suffered it to remain on the word would" In this way l indicated the line:
 Fain would climb. but fear to fall.
 I had reached the word "climb" and
 
 Ysabe walked away from me. in- ferred that she had not seen through my device, for if she had a natural feminine curiosity would have led her 10 remain where she was till l had finished Replacing the dictionary In the library, l began a conversatiop with her father about the location of the railroad through his hacienda, a subject in which he was interested.
 The next morning I arose and break lasted. as was my custom, long before the family were downstairs and was going to my work when, passing through the library, l was surprised 10 see the dictionary lying open on table. Going to it, my eye rested or the pages before me, which included words beginning with the letter "l.' Under the word "if'' l noticed ligh' pencil mark.
 My heart jumped. "If" was the be ginning of Queen Elizabeth's reply tc the aspiring courier. Rapidly turning over the leaves to words beginning with "lf" I looked for "you." There was pencil mark under 1t. Are was the next word In the queens reply and this, too found underscored. had seen all required to convince mt that not only had reply to my mes sage, but the reply l desired It was this:
 If you're afraid, climb not at all.
 completing the famous rhyme:
 Fain would l climb, but fear to fall
 If you're afraid, climb not at all.
 It was so well known to Dona Ysabe that she did not need to see 1t com pleted after the word ''climb."
 On the surface, from this time till had finished my work, Dona Isabe and were merely acquaintances. W' did not even use the dictionary or any other means of communication, bu the night before I was to take my de