The Meeker herald., 1911-09-02

Wurueu, ana tne ute SNlHipeu Oh ~
was just twelve years before. 1t had
been addressed to me Mt the college
and forwarded. The handwriting was
that OF n lady. but unfamiliar to me.
opened 1t without any thought
whatever as to who had written it:
but. looking first at the signature. saw
| 1t was Leoua Whitney. 1t was reply
| to my proposal of marriage.
| II is singular TO be transported by
some incident backward in time. Hold
Ing that letter in my hand. was again
youngster of twenty, in love with
woman considered far above me.
| Then it occurred to me that Miss
| Whitney must now be within q few
years of forty. while l was thtrty-two,
and old ut that.
| While these thoughts were flashing
| through me began to read the letter.
1t told me that the lady had been
touched Mt the expression of the ten
der feelings / had avowed for her and
considered my proposal, TO say the
| least, an honor. But there were rea-
| sons why she should hesitate. While
| / was far more matured than most
men of my age. 1t must be remembered
that in ten or u dozen years l would
| still be a young man, while she would
| be past middle age. She confessed
that this was her only reason for not
returning favorable reply to my pro-
posal She suggested that | was just
| at the beginning of my career and il
as time passed I felt the same she
would be pleased to hear from me
again.
| While was reading this letter was
sensible u having passed from my
youth to that period where n man be-
gins to feel that young girls consider
him old. | had been much flattered
| that my recent attentions to a girl of
eighteen had been looked upon with
favor. ! had taken her out Il number
of times and persuaded myself that
the tender passion WAS stealing into
my aging breast. But | was not md
! never had been anything of n butter
| fly. l was and always had been a
serious man. found 1t somewhat
irlssome to go about rs an escort to a
young girl TO amusements in which
took no interest. The very night be-
1 fore received the epistle from
distant past l had attended my little
| girl to ball where she had kept me
for "just on more dance" till 3 o'clock
In the morning.
1t is not strange that was affected
by Miss whitneys reply to a PROPOSE
ton made twelve years before. The
dozen years she had spoken of had
| passed and while / was still on the
lower side OF middle age she had pass
ed beyond it. Nevertheless my interest
IN bachelor life-lf ever had any
had died down until its pleasures had
| turned to gall. My recent attendance
upon society bud during the small
hours of the morning was still fresh In
| my memory. while the insipid nothings
| had been obliged to say and listen to
nauseatcd me.
wrote ut once to n relative of Miss
/ Whitney asking what had become OF
her, and received reply that she lived
in the house In which she had always
! lived, and In which I had so often
called upon her while 1 was student.
She was beloved and respected by all
who knew her and my correspondent
wondered that though she had receiv-
E. ed many offers she had accepted none.
| A few days after the receipt of this
information was in Miss Whtney's
home and sent up my card with the
letter had so recently received. hnv-
ing UNDERSIGNED on the envelope the
postnlark showing the day ii was mail
ed and another giving the day it was
received.
When Miss Whitney came down to
receive me, with considerable embar-
rassment in her manner and telltale
blush on her cheek, was surprised
that she did not show her years by
half dozen, and there was not Il gray
hair i'm her head. She looked much
younger for woman than | for a
man.
However, l had not come to see her
for beauty but in the hope of re-
newal of that companionship | had
enjoyed decade before. She told me
that she had been Mt a loss to under
stand my silence, for since her letter
had not been returned to her through
the dead letter office she could not
doubt that had received it.
During an hours conversation with
her the fact became impressed upon
my mind that was not the man to
marry chit of girl and that
would find the companionship needed
In Miss Whitney. i received promise
that she would correspond with me,
and since my home was net long
journey from hers I made her num-
Der of visits. But my own mind was
made up nj our reunion, and Fortunate
ly had only to wait for the lady to
be satisfied that would not he likely
to regret the step 1 was bent upon
taking.
That regretting is one of the most
improbable things in the world Is
manifest in the fact that we have been