Middletown transcript., 1908-01-11

year for IL 1t isn't TO give glrls
an opportunity to help out those
Of the other sex who don't know
how TO help them selves: 50
here goes! He can't more than
refuse, and he won't do that; but
whatever the verdict, ] know
that he ID too honorable ever to
breath d word OF the affair. !
When Miriam Leslie hed con
cluded the delivery OF thissp eca,
which had only Miriam for IN
attentive audience, she sat down
at her desk at once and began
to write the letter which she bad
planned the night before, after
Frank Webster had left the
house. She had parted from
him with a smile on her lips, but
the smile had lasted only long !
enough for the door to close upon ,
him, and as Miriam had entered
her room she had looked far
from happy.
She had enjoyed Franks cali;
but it had ended as unsatisfactor-
ilv as had all the others, in that
words which would have made
her happy, aud. which she
believed had been almost
upon his lips many times. had
again remained unspoken. II
the man she loved wouldn't take
a hint, he must be given some.
thing br. adsr than q hint, and
when Miriam went to sleep lt
was with the determination 20
write q letter on the morrow that
even stulii man might under
stand. Strangely enough as
she admitted to herself, the
morning found mind unchanged
with determination fixed to I; BE
advantage of her leapsyear pre-
negatives.
The writer Of the letter had
gone over in her mind its pro-
spec.iye contents a numbr OF
times, and as o result her edit
rial revision hid boil it down un-
til ii was brief and to the point.
II ran as follows:
Dear Frank -Yon have Teen
coming to see me for several
years, and the evenings spent to-
pether have made me think how
pleasant it would be II We could
90 on spending them together
the rest Of our lives Has the
idea ever occurred to yous
MIRIAM.
Miss Leslie heard her Brother
pass her door, preparatory 70
starting for business, and she no
longer waited for the ink to dry
but grabbed q piece Of blotting
paper, and the letter was soon IN
~. a
the hands of her brother, who
was told that it must be mailed
by=him when on the way TO bis
Office. The brothers departure
was timely, as Miriam had begun
to weaken in her determination,
and as she gave him the letter
she said herself: Here's
where I don't get q cha,sct 10
change my mind. She did, how
ever have many changes Of
mind through the day, which
seemed to her one Of unusual
length. Soon after her brother
had left she was tempted TO tele-
phone to him 70 Try to get the
letter back from The post.ofice.
but she didn't know if that would
be possible, and besides the re-
Quest would cause her brother
to ask good many questions
which it would be awkward for
her to answer, and so the request
was not made.
By the afternoon mail Miriam
received letter addressed in
the welI.known handwriting of
the young man to whom she had
proposed. Is it possible that he
has answered 90 quickly ? she
asked herself, as she held tile en-
velop ia her hand, fearing 10
open Ii. She had had a little ex.
perience as writer, and knew
that quick returns usually meant
no sales, and her first thought
was that Frank had declined the
honor of being her husband.
That was o mortifying thought
in itself, and the continuation OF
the train OF thought suggested
By the comparison Of her offer
with the manuscript was not .
comforting one.
She had offered herself, even
as she had been wont to submit
q story or poem to an edit.r,
The only consolation she could
get out Of tile comparison was
found ia the thought that she
wasn't exactly placing herself ou
-.