The Caucasian., 1913-07-24
NELLIE BLAkE's
COuRTSHIP
it Brought a Result She
Least Expected.

Nellie Blake was very nice girl.
The only trouble with her, trouble
common with most girls whose parents
are abundantly able TO support them.
was that she hadn't enough to do to
keep her out of mischief Having fin
ished her education, there seemed moth
ing more for aRer to do but to wait for
her affinity ana be married. This was
not to her taste, and she proposed to
her father to study-well, something,
ANYTHING, SO that if she should be left
without
s.Nonsense!' said the father. fSl'll
not permit anything Of the kind
Then Nellie considered matrimony.
The only man who wanted her, so Tar
as she knew, was Fred Langley. But
Fred was too matter Of fact. He was
plodder. He had plodded at college,
at the law school and was now plod-
ding in his profession. She thought
over number of others, but they all
had something about them unsuited to
her taste She gave up the matrimo-
NAL problem, but one day, on reading
matrimonial advertisement, just for
fun she thought she would advertise
for husband and see what kind OF
answers one receives in such cases.
Sitting down at the desk in the IL
brary, she wrote in large hand (her
own was very delicate) with stub
pen and very black ink a communica-
ton in the usual form. Then lest
some one should find out that she was
so absurdly engaged. she took It to the
newspaper Office herself.
A correspondence sprang up between
Nellie and an unknown gentleman who
called himself Alonzo Courtney Nellie
writing as Clarissa Varian. the letters
growing in length till near the end an
average letter covered twenty-four
pages. Nellie had expected to have
good laugh at her replies. She was
mistaken. The first was so delicate
and deferential that no one but thor
oughbred could have written it. All
denoted extreme refinement. Then the
original and attractive ideas the man
had! And how those ideas appealed to
her! It was marvellous that one who
had never seen her should have such
an insight into her most hidden feel
| ings. His letters became more and
more impassioned till at last he begged
for meeting.
| Had not Nellie Blake fallen in love
| with soul she had seen expressed on
e,f,< nf 1,nV ryTRv
an Interview. AS it was, taking ad-
| yanuage Of an evening when her par
| ents would be out, she wrote Mr.. Court
| ney that she would receive him at 8
/ o'clock When the hour arrived, she
was in the drawing room in her most
becoming costume. When the doorbell
sounded. her heart went up IN her
throat. Then came the card of Mr..
Alonzo Courtney, and while he was
getting of his coat and hat in the hall
she thought she should faint. The
i drawing room door was pushed open,
and in walked the matter Of fact Fred
Langley.
4 To say that Nellie was angry gives
no idea Of her condition. She was too
enraged to say anything for few mo.
! ments. Then she hissed:
"Impostor!''
/ "Is it an imposture for man to
/ ttranseribe his inner self in words to
one he loves p
How did you know that adyertis-
ed?"
"One morning, doubtless soon after
you wrote your advertisement. Icalled
on you when you were not at home
The maid, who did not know that you
were out. showed me into the. library
and went upstairs to deliver mes
sage from me- While waiting for bel
return noticed some large black let.
tiers in reverse on the biotter on the
desk. | amused myself decipherine
what made an excellent puzzle and had
nearly finished before It occurred to
me that was reading secret. For
this must apologize. Will you for
give me?'
"And them
.tIt occurred to me that you had writ
ten the duplicate. wanted to discov-
II VE uGutsE #(0fVI WA0G u 6LAS4A61h "
weakness, good or evil, there might be
in you. I watched for your advertise.
ment and answered It. =
''Had you right to do so?"
mo. One has never the right to lie
In concealment for friend. Yet had
j / not been your friend s.-ould have
had perfect right. A girl who adver-
tises for a husband IS open to all the
world Would you deny me the right
you had given millions OF strangersg'
Nellie WINGED.
Nevertheless" he went on, sthe in.
discretion has brought revelation to
me. had no idea of the depth Of feel
ing there is In your nature, your noble
conceptions and especially your desire
to be something more than drone.
He could have said nothing that
would have so well pleased her. She
turned away to harmonize her con.
i flicting emotions. The Alonzo Court.
ney she had pictured in her imagina.