Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1914-12-16
Evening Star S
Daily Story
LILY'S LETTER
BY DOROTHY DOUGLAS.

The first week of Lily's vacation
had been most disappointing. She
had not met a single, attractive man
during her seven days at Sea Cliff,
and SO dull did it seem that she was
thinking seriously of returning to the
city. At home, she at least had the
society of the boarders who shared
her mothers comfortable hospitality.
However, on the eighth day Of her
vacation Lily saw a young man, the
very sight of whom sent a wave of
color into her checks Lily was
young
1T is positively wicked to be so
good looking she told herself, as she
watched the young man dive from
the springboard at the end of the pier
Now, why can't a man like that
elect to stop at the same hotel l do
there would be a ghost of a chance
of becoming acquainted them Lily
smiled ruefully. mo such luck for
me-" she added, and watched the UNI
conscious swimmer with admiring
eyes.
When another day OF two had
passed Lily began to give up hope.
Certainly her vacation was the dull
est she had ever spent her hard
earned salary on. There seemed no
one at the hotel or the beach who
appealed to her as a possible friend
save the young man whom she
watched daily at his morning swim.
She never admitted, even to herself
that she had deliberately let fall the
letter that she had received from her
mother that morning. However,
Lily did drop the letter and walked
swiftly on without daring to look
back to ascertain Just who had
picked 1t up.
Fortunately ii was the wickedly
handsome young man who saw the
letter fall, and it was he who picked
it up. He did not run after the fast
vanishing figure of Lily in order to
restore the property. Instead, with
masculine intrigue working, he took
careful note of the name on the en-
velope and also the address of the
sender, which was written in the
upper corner.
When he had put both name and
address i'll his notebook for further
reference, Jack Bassington enclosed
the letter in another envelope and
sent it to Lily Brayton at the Sea
Cliff address.
If the girl was disappointed that
her letter was returned by maui
:, rather than by male she did not
show it, Somehow she had fancied
it would be brought back in person,
but it had not been, and her vacation
was nearing an end, so it mattered
little now whether she met new
acquaintance or not. She signed
wistfully, and when Lily sighed 1t
was a more or less serious emotion
that had moved her, for she was not
prone to moping.
f6a ocf ttVa days of hpr
vacation she watched in vain for him
who had excited her heart beats to 50
alarming an extent. That he had left
the resort seemed a most doietul
fact. Lily rejoiced that she would
not be remaining in the place that
had been robbed of his presence.
In the meantime Jack Washington
vacation had come to an end ana ne
had returned to the city.
Being without q family and home
III the city itself he was free to live
where fancy and pocketbook die
tated He went directly from the
station to the address he had seen in
the corner of the envelope addressed
10 Lily Brayton He felt reasonably
certain that he could find a boarding
house near that address and, perhaps.
!. some wild chance would throw her
across his path during the winter
months 1t would do no harm to live
near TO her home since he would at
least see her from time to time II
only in passing. Bassingtons chin
suggested that he went straight for
= the things he most desired in life.
Lily Brayton, unknown to herself,
had been the recipient of many long
ing glances from young Bassingtons
blue eyes.
When he caught sight of the brown
stone front house that bore the num-
Der he had put carefully down in his
notebook Bassington whistled softly
and delightedly
Just under the number a small
brass plate informed passersby that
there were vacant apartments with
in.
Bassington bounded up the steps
two at time with his heavy suit
case and rang the bell. The maid
who answered his ring led him into
the little office and there he made
arrangements to occupy the daintily
furnished room on the third floor.
Mrs Brayton smiled when Bassing-
ton went up the stairs. She did not
know why she had taken in stran-
ger without any kind of reference,
but she realized that her new board
err was the kind of man whom one
instinctively trusts She hoped Lily,
too would have the same feeling re-
SarulIlg MIN.
When Lily returned two days later
Mrs. Brayton sighed. Her daughter s
eyes were Swallowed and her smile
seemed less frequent than of yore.
perhaps our new boarder VIII
cheer her up" the fond mother rea-
soned. THE sight of his cookbook
ing face is sufficient to chase smiles
into any girls lips"
Mrs. Brayton was not prepared,
however, for the vivid rush of color
into Lily's cheeks when at the din
ner table Mr.. Bsssington was intro
duced to her. The girl stammered
"a greeting and sat swiftly down to
cover her embarrassment She hoped
that no one had witnessed her start
of surprise and the annoying color
that had famed into her cheeks.
Bassington was even more nervous
inwardly, but outwardly he was cool
ness itself 1t was not often that he
was so completely mastered by a girls
personality. His dinner was eaten
mechanically, while all the time he
listened to every word that fell from
the lips of Lily Brayton. She, having
recovered herself, realized that great
good luck had presented itself to her
and she was happy accordingly. She
laughed and joked and was the Lily
that her mother had sighed for. There
was no shadow in her eyes now and
Mrs. Brayton rejoiced.
1t was not until after dinner and
the guests went up on the roof with
steamer chairs and rugs to enjoy
starry sky that Bassington confessed.
He and Lily found themselves sepa-
H.. 4 -.