The daily Alaskan., 1909-06-28
The Misdirected Letter.
By TIMOTHY c. DICK.

ness. sighed, sat down in an easy chair and felt very lonely. Presently he looked up ut the mantek and there stood letter. It was addressed In woman's hand to Mrs. Abucr simmons.
 To MT. Simmons this address was mockery. It suggested home, a pleasant looking woman tripping down stairs at hearing her husbands latch key in the door, followed by troop of girls and boys; q connubia. kiss and several pairs of little arms around papa's neck.
 All thIs Mir. Simmons saw in the ob- long letter addressed to her who was not. Of course there was n Mrs. Sim mons for some man of the same nauNe as himself; but. alas, there was no such person for him. What should ae do with 1t? He took 1t down from the mantel and examined 1t closely. A hand was stamped on 1t with It's fore finger pointing to "Try thls' and Try that" There were so many of these suggestions ito try" that MT. Sim mons believed the letter had been the rounds and no Mrs. Simmons found. How could she be found since she did not exist? He determined to make a dead letter office of himself open 1t and return 1t to the writer.
 Mir. Simmons took out letter and card photograph. The photograph was that of Il woman from thirty to thirty five years old, and as he looked 1t seemed to be the face of her whose re- ceptIon of him had tilled his fancy. The letter was signed, Your loving sister," The address was given, and MT. Simmons put 1t in another envelope, with brief note stating his motives in opening 1t and asking for informa- ton of Mrs. Abner Simmons and how she happened to exist without his be- Ing any better for her existence. He wished to keep the photograph, but did not feel authorized to do so. He addressed 1t to the street and number given in the letter.
 In about a week q reply came. The writer said the name on the letter was not Simmons, but Timmens. (After all, there was no Mrs. Simmons0 The pho- tograph was likeness of Miss Marga- ret Butterworth. The writer, Miss Cornella Boyd, was transmitting 1t to Mrs. Timmens. The letter concluded with thanks for the favor MT. Sim mons had done the writer.
 Just what Mir. Simmons had said In his note about the photograph does not appear, but Miss Boyd must have no- ticcd something of admiration and been ready, as most women are, to help out q romance, for she was not called upon to mention the picture, as she did. Mir. Simmons wrote again, asking If Miss Butterworth were re- lated to James Butterworth, an emi- nent divine and an uncle of the writer. A reply came that Miss Boyd could not answer the question and gave Miss Butterworth's address.
 Mir. Simmons cooked up quite an h. genious letter to Miss Butterworth. After mentioning that he had seen her picture and how he came to sec It he said that the features were remarka- bly, like those of the Rev. James But terworth, hlS esteemed uncle, and he was sure that he (Simmons) could claim her for q relative, probably first cousin. He received a polite reply that the lady had no such relative and had never heard of any such person. This was not surprising to Mir. Sim mons, whose knowledge of the reyer- end gentleman was precisely that of Miss Butterworth. The clergyman was an invention.
 The genealogical plan having failed, Mir Simmons wrote again to Miss Boyd, frankly stating that he would be interested to meet the original of the photograph and asking if in the kindness of her heart she would sug- geSt method for the purpose. All the world loves lover, and Miss Boyd gave him list ofhalf dozen friends of Miss Buttcrworth, any of whom might introduce him provided they knew him to be a gentleman.
 Meanwhile Miss Boyd had put her friend on to the fact that she had an unknown admirer, and 1t was Miss Butterworth who suggested the names of the possible lntroducers. One, and only one, of the names was known to MT. Simmons, and he was member of Simmons club. The attentions Mir. Simmons suddenly began to shower upon this man were only understood when request came for the introduc- ton.
 It was an advantage to Mir. Sim mons cause that for several months Miss Butterworth was cognizant of the fact that she had an unknown admir- CT. Her fancy during this time was feeding on MT. Simmons personnel. Miss Boyd, whose misdirected letter had led to this possible romance, made inquiries about MT. Simmons, found friends who knew him and pronounced him a good man. This Miss Boyd eI- aggerated into "a noble, good man." Miss Butterworth, too, was on the shady side of thirty and not unwilling to meet her fate. Before the introduc-