The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1910-02-17
The TOR. UNE HUNTERS.

finding the weather oppressive in the
city, concluded TO run down to the
seashore. He found there beyy of
girls, the most OF whom, having
worn themselves our during the gay
social season in town. were endeav-
oring to put the roses back into their
cheeks under The influence of ocean
breezes.
Raymond Riggs was key to the.
wealth he possessed All the girl had
to do to unlock the door to it was
TO snare him. He had fought off
regiment OF them during the pre-
yious season and had hoped for a.
rest al the seashore. He was doom
ed to disappointment. they attack
ed him by platooRs 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 sounds The sky was blue
and elor dless. The ships out at
sea sailed an as silently as ii they
We're painted instead of real 1t was
all very res'ful and in mar led con-
trast with being hunted do vn by
flock of--women, he should have
said, but he preferred the word har-
pies.
glass bottle was thrown up by
the waves. rolled about on the sand
and carried out. When ii came up
again RAYMOND noticed that II was
corked. de seized It, took out the
cork and with the blade Of his knife
managed to eXtricate through the
narrow neck a card. On it was
written In pale ink, "Aline Eliot
The address was given at town
hundred miles down the coast, then
followed, Dear finder, am lonely"
For heavens sake" exclaimed
Raymond, are all the women in the
world hunting lovers? ! escape
from flock of them back on the
shore only to be met by an advance
from the ocean"
But as he gaZed at this singular
contrivance for mating, as he regard
ed II, ii seemed far different to him
from the advances he had received
cied the writer to be some innocent
girl who crayed only to ODE. the in
stincts mother nature had planted
in her pure bosom Perhaps she had
sat alone by the ocean as he was
sitting, yielding to a natural Incl
nation to mate, and had semi out her
message with blind confidence that
il would fall into the hands of the
man who was destined 10 be I'll in
all to he". Was th,s the explanation,
OF was she, TOO. hunting for for
tune? He would open correspond
ence with her. In this way he COULD
find out what he wished TO know,
He inclosed the card with his own
name and address aud the words. II
too, am lonely In a few days he
received letter There was moth
ing in it about love or marriage, It
was an unsophisticated epistle from
a young girl about nothing Ray
mond read between the lines. PER
haps you are he for whom intend
ed my message" But it did not-say,
You may be some rascal who will
take a mean advantage of what
have done" What refreshing limo
cence! Fancy one of the fortune
hunters reposing such confidence in
the average man.
He thought he would send PFC
ture Of some man about his own age
and ask hers in return, but the CIR. g
guilelessness had affected him. and
he shrank from such deception. Then
confident that he could not be mis-
taken, he inclosed his photograph
AS soon as he bad done so the
thought occurred 10 him that he was
a fool The danger of society for
tune uuhlCi Wao hOtHih6 bGnlut uhh
he had never seen possessing letters
from him and his photograph
However, in exchange came like
ness, 1t was the likeness of one
painter would seize upon as mode
for Madonna. There was inno-
cence personified A pair of soft
eyes looked out from an oval face.
The lips we're sensitive, and Ray
mond 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 flagrartly i'm
modest to thus advertise for hus-
band. Yet here was the Madonna
like face looking at him with mod
esty that none of these could have
assumed.
One day Raymond was missed al
the seashore. There was iutter
among the fortune hunters, for,
though none of them had secured a
foothold, every one hoped for her
self, not for the others. Had he re-
turned to the city? No. enquiries