Middletown transcript., 1908-01-18
MIRIAM LESLIE'S PROPOSAL
BY HARRY IRVING HORTON

although many times when in
your presence / have tried to
say certain words, courage has
always failed me. Resolutions
made when alone have not been
kept when | found myself by
your side.
| think you know what ha 5
been ia my heart for a long time,
aud | have occasionally felt that
you cared for ne; but if you
have, you have never made
the least attemIt to help
me out. I should have for
given you if you had made
it easier for me, aud should have
blessed you for having done so,
and yet, after all, dear, | love
you more for your womanly
reserve, and have always con-
trasted it with the actions OF
your sex, who seem ever ready
to say: This is so sudden! l
hope, dear, that you do care
enough for me, or feel that you
can care enough some day, to
make me the lappiest man on
earth. ! know they all say that;
but forgive my lack Of original
ity. and remember that there is
something original about my
statement, as / really mean that
on the day you say you will be my
wife | shall be happier than any
body in this or any other neigh
borhood.
Don't answer this letter in a
hurry, unless you can at once re-
ply to my question: Will you be
my wife? by saying: Yes. Ii
you can send that answer l shall
have nocause to complain OF yor r
h4ste. But feel that must
have the right answer to my
question, and If you cannot give
it at once, want you to take all
the time that you need in order
that you may arrive at the favor
orable verdict SO necessary to
happiness.
It's hardly necessaryEto say
that I shall not call again before
receiving your reply; but when
you say the word Come! it will
not take any great length of time
for ma to accept the welcome in
yitation. l hope that you will be
able to say that word. Yours
with love,
FRANK.
Miss Leslie's mingled feel
.ings of misery and JOY when
she read the letter may be
imagined. Why Why did write
that miserable letter? Why
didn't I give him one more
day after all these years ? Oh,
why wasn't too sick to get up
this morning? were some of the
questions that the poor girl ask
ed herself, when the feelings Of
misery were in control, as they
were during nearly all the rest
of the afternoon, the happiness
which she had felt for a short
time given way under the intiu-
ence Of the thought that she
might have been happy with
out the loss of her selfre-
spect.
But perhaps there is yet a
chance to save it, thought Mir
lam as once more came to her
mind that friend Of mankind and
womankind, the much abused and
misunderstood telephone. She
would try to get, Frank at lis
Office and if by any chance be
had not received the letter, or had
not read il if he had received it,
she would make him promise 10,
return it without reading. But
she realized that the hope was a
faint one, as there was almost no
chance that the letter had not
been received, and if he had re-.
ceived it-well, she would like to
see him leave a letter of hers un-
opened for more than q minute.I
And so this contradictory
woman went to the telephone
with weak voice and a faint
heart, hoping against hope that
Frank had been away from the
office, and that the letter had ar
rived in his absence. The reply
other inquiry for Mr.. Webster
gave her momentary comfort, as
he was ont, but when she
asked further questions she learn
ed that he had been at the Office
until a few minutes before the
time of her telephone call.
As she hung up the receiver
Miriam said to herself with a sad
smile, that she wished she could
hang herself as easily.
The next half llonr was one Of |
ff,a vr1ocf r,nicnro E.lo that tho rr;,.l