The herald. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1905-1953, 1913-07-03
Their Love
Letters
By EDITH V. ROSS

tile q sensation as love can settle into
So humdrum an affair as married life
Nevertheless the two conditions are
very different. and there is no doubt
that love before marriage Is like the
wind playing upon the strings OF
harp, now bringing forth low. sweet
sounds and now the widest strains.
1t is not only the greatness of these
changes, but the suddenness. Take the
case OF Gus Pickering and Sara Trav-
ers' for instance. They met at barn
dance and flew at each other as If
drawn together by a pair of thousand
volt magnets. Two days later they did
not speak to each other when they met
In three more days they were engaged.
Then they, living in different towns,
began that yoluminOus letter writing
which never has been and never can be
equaled by any other correspondents
than lovers. The letters that passed
between them varied daily from one
to five, the one representing ordinary
conditions, the five when Gus wrote
something Sara did not understand.
Alas, the day came when Gus per
petrated a joke in one of his letters
that Sara did not understand. and she
slapped his letter right back at him.
| Had he not been proud Of his joke the
affair might have passed like their
thousand and one other spats. AS it
was, Gus wrote that since Sara had
thought proper to return one of his
letters she might return them all.
To this Sara replied that she was
not so silly as to leave him in pos
session of her letters and If he wished
his own the first thing for him to do
was send every scrap she had ever
written him. To this Gus replied that.
since a great deal of gush had been
written by both, perhaps it would he
we'll for them to make an exchange.
| To this Sara agreed and said she
awaited the return Of his 'gush" and
would thereafter be careful how she
wrote any more of it to any man.
A number of very short and pointed
notes passed between them as to which
should first return the others letters,
and no Roadway was made. Then Gus
proposed that they should compromise
the matter. Certainly" was the re-
ply. I'm ready for compromise"
"Well," Gus answered, what shall the
compromise be?" why, you send
back my letters, of course; then I'll
send back yours"
About this time an acquaintance of
Gus was sued for breach Of promise.
This put an idea into his head. He
had been making love to girl he
didn't know much about and he would
not be surprised if she should sue him
for breach of promise. If she did all
that "gush" he had written would be
read in open court. He fancied the
outlaws of the lawyers, the jury and
the spectators. 1t is very easy for a
man to work himself into a panic, es
pecially if he feels that he is in the
hands of a woman who is ready to
turn upon him. Gus climbed from one
improbability to another till he fan
cied the girl he had thought he loved
wouldn't scruple to do anything for re-
venge. And how could any one take a
greater revenge than by giving up to
be read to the world such expressions
as my own sweetest, dearest, darling
Pussr' Ugh! How could he have been
guilty Of such folly anyway?
He thought Of q great many ways
to get his letters into his own posses
sion, but there was a weak spot in all
Of them. Finally he proposed an ex-
change through mutual friend.
"very WELL" was the reply. "We'll
both give them to Madge Walker.
She'll give you yours and me mine"
'I'm no such fool" he wrote, "as to
place any confidence in one of the fe-
male sex. The go,between must be a
man." This brought another check to
the proceedings.
Finally it occurred to Gus that he
might take Sara's letters to her and
get his own in exchange. Singular.
wasn't it, that he had not thought of
this before? He wrote the girl he had
wildly loved that he would take her
letters to her and secure his own, after
which there would be a parting be-
tween them that would last forever.
The spring was coming on, and the
leaves were beginning to bud. The
crocuses had already come up. The
birds had begun to build their nests
These two haters who had been lovers
agreed to meet in wood back Of the
girls home. Each appeared, bringing
huge bundle Of letters. They met on
a stile.
"Don't you think you owe me an
apologyT said Sara.
"What for?'
"Why, that horrid thing you wrote
me that caused all the trouble"
what did say?"
"Why, you said-you said that-I
can't remember what you said"
Gus thought he saw a tear standing |
in her eye. Dropping his bundle, he |
went to her, put his arms about her |
and kissed her.
But the letters. So engrossed were |
they with their makeup that they |
went away and forgot both bundles. |
Then along came uncouth boys, who, |
seeing the packages, took out and read |
a few Of the letters. Not finding them
interesting, they played football with |
the packages for awhile, then left |
them On tha pr0upd That lob