The Newport miner. [volume] (Newport, Wash.) 1899-current, 1908-08-20
The Fortune Hunters.
(Original.]

concluded to run down to the SeaShOre.
He found there bevy of girls, the
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-
tablishment."
Raymond Riggs was key to the
wealth he possessed. All girl had to
do to unlock the door to it was to snare
him. He had fought off 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 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 restfui
and in marked contrast with being
hunted down by-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
d. +hox -
He seized it, took out the cork and
with the blade of his knife managed
to extricate through the narrow neck a
card. On 1t was written in pale ink.
"Alfne Eliot" The address was given
at town 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 it,
it seemed far different to him from
the advances he 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
| to 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
destined to be all in all to her. Was
| this the explanation, or was she, too,
| hunting for fortune? He would open
| correspondence with her. In this
| TO know.
| He inclosed the card with his own
| name and address and the words. Il,
| too, am lonely" In few days be re-
| ceived letter. There was nothing in
| 1t about love or marriage. 1t was an
unsophisticated epistle from young
| girl about nothing. Raymond read be-
tween the lines, perhaps you are he
| for whom | intended my message"
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
| tainty.
He thought he would send 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 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 like
ness. 1t was the likeness of one a
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
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
flagrantly immodest to thus advertise
for a husband. Yet here was the
Madonna-like face looking at him with
a 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.
In time he directed that his baggage