The Washington herald., 1912-04-07
"a Letter from Miss Myrtilla harrington to He
Father)

"a Letter from Miss Myrtilla harrington to Her
Father)
The SEA View, CAPE MoUsAM July "A, l9-.
My DEAREST DADDY:
Don't you worry about having poet in the family.
YOU WON'T-not IL | can help it. believe It is
womans privilege to change her mind, and | have
changed mine in respect to the "onnesS OF MT Puney
He is in many respects charming man, but during the
past week has been borne in me that poets are
peasante abstract propositions than they are as con-
crete entities. / may be wrong, but il poet
think would hold myself aoof from the rest of the
world for the purpose of retaining my glamour. AS
theories they lovely but practical propositions
they puncture too readily admit that at our first
meeting as believe ntimated to you in my last let
ter Mr. Puney made deep impression upon my girlish
suscepbilites, and cannot deny that for awhile l
thought could day to like him very much,
and in sense do but there is permanent salts
faction in companionshp with a man completely
obsessed by the thought that he is the only individual
in the world he is. got after awhile that be-
gan to hate the inhuman perfection of his English and
found myself fleeing for relief to number of college
boys who camping near here Tor the mere pleasure
OF hearing somebody express himself in good healthy
New York Mr. Putney has come to remind me OF a
butterfly perfect JOY at first sight, but when caught
and pinned to a cork apt to lose great deal OF its
elusive charm
For every touch that wooed Its stay
Has brushed its brightest hues away
as he himself remarked about something else the other
night. When go off on picnic with person like
to see him down off his high pegasus for awhile,
and be natural like the rest of mankind, but when he
lies down under a tree and scratches off sonnets on
THE lustrous glow Of the perfect emon-pe and be-
gins to aposrophize the fabricated CLINT of the car
minated ant" while other people washing dishes
and gathering up hardboed eggshells, il makes your
little Myrtila tired. Moreover, Daddy dear, the
special appeal of the poet beautiful it is to the
sophisticated mind sinks into insgnifcance when there
dawns upon the horizon of ones life the vision of
real man, a who has lived and suffered and who
presents to the world splendid picture OF fortitude
in the face of trial. After ALL we women were de-
signed for comforers rather than for anything else.
We have the gift of quckenng sympathy, and it is
our second nature at least to attempt to relieve the
troubles of the distressed. There is Mr. Roblington
here-a fine. dignfed man. under forty, and wild
over with three of the loveiest little children you
saw two boys, twins about six years old apiece, and
the darlingest little fairy of girl of four that ever
saw. She is almost edible in her beauty never saw
such pathetic in all my life. He is lonely
manor he until he met me-and there is nobody
to look after his kiddies but frivolous maden-aunt,
who spends most of her time prinkng and playing
bridge leaving the youngsters to the care OF red
haired impossiblity named Bridget ! met them down
on the beach about week ago, and we had such
romp and right in the midst Of Mr.. Roblngton him
self came along and would you believe it, that mis-
chievous little imp of girl introduced me to him as
her new Mamma" She added that she wasn't never
goin to be anybodys little girl but his and mine 1t
was a most embarrassing situation for moment and
my face got terribly red; but il you had seen the
splendid way in which Mr.. Roblington took it your
heart would have gone straight out to him in an in
stant just mine did. The sad look in his eyes
faded away into a sweet smiling glance, and he made
the most courtly bow to me he assured the little
kddie that that would be very nice indeed" It was
all done with such perfection of tact and dignity of
poise that It swept over me with all the force OF
revelation that last the long awaited moment OF my
life had come, and that the little child had in
timated in her baby-ke prattle this was indeed my
mission.
quainance informally brought about, but that very
evening secured introduction to mother, who, of
course formally presented him to me-and, O Daddy,
what relief he was from the other men in the house!
The great range of his information his keen Observa