The Washburn leader. [volume] (Washburn, McLean County, N.D.) 1890-1986, 1914-01-30
A Story Of
A Mystery
By MARTHA v. MONROE

At nineteen 1 lost my father. and since
he left bis affairs In a very bad state
it was absolutely necessary that i
get married. 1 lived in a suburban
town not far from a city. and the
boys as o o as they had received an
education left it for parts that fur
nished better opportunities for max
ing a living. Consequently there was
no one for me to marry. Ned Freeman
remained on the place. but he had no
means and was not engaged in any
business. l wished he would do some
thing to get ahead, for l liked him
very much, and l fancied that If he
could support a wife he would ask me
to marry him.
The idea Of advertising for a hus-
band occurred to me. I was young
and unsophisticated and did not real
ize that matrimonial advertisements
are not likely to bring satisfactory re-
suits. wrote out what l wished to
communicate and started out with it
to do some shopping. intending to
mail my letter addressed to a news
paper in the city at the same time.
I did not take a bag with me, and
having no pocket l carried the letter
in my hand. l was so undetermined
about posting it that l carried it about
with me while / made my purchases.
Then I missed it. Whether I had laid
it on a counter or dropped it l couldn't
tell. But my losing it decided the
question as to what l should do about
it, for, being addressed and stamped.
the finder would drop it in the mail.
The next day l looked in the news
paper for my advertisement. and, sure
enough. there it a thanked heav-
en- that whoever had found it could
not know from anything on the envel-
ope that l had advertised for a hus-
band. In a few days l went to the
city and called for any replies there
might be for me. l was handed sew
eral. all Of which. except one. l tore
into bits as 500 as ] had read them.
The exception was apparently genu-
inc. It was couched in respectful Ian
guage, seemed to indicate that the
writer really wished a wife and was
quite practical. He proposed that we
correspond till we should get some
knowledge of each other by that means.
then meet.
All this led me to place confidence
in him, and l replied to his letter CIV
ing him a fictitious name and the
number Of a box I had rented for the
purpose ut the p%ostofice.
We correspondent for several months.
That he was an educated man there
iwas-no doubt. 1 asked for his occu-
patton, but he declined to give 1t. This
aroused a slight suspicion, which ! in.
dicated in my next letter. Then he con-
fessed that he was trying to do some
thing in a literary way. He had writ
ten some short stories which had been
published in obscure periodicals. He
was now finishing a novel and would
noon have 1t ready to offer to pub
fishers.
This announcement cast a danlper
on the affair. had had several girl
friends who had tried to make money
BY writing. and they had all failed.
felt that since had fallen into the
hands of one who was down with the
literary fever nothing would ever
come Of it all. I did not reply to his
letter making the announcement for
some time; then / received q letter
from him which was Il tribe reproach-
full. w%hereupon | wrote him that ]
feared he was impractical.
received no reply to this for some
time; then lie wrote that he had Sc
cured a publisher for his novel and.
it would be issued the next spring.
He added that if it were a success he
would take steps to make my further
acquaintance: If not. the matter be-
tween lis would better be dropped.
Since no reply seemed to be required
lEsent none
One mornin. while looking over q
newspaper I saw an advertisement Of
Al Forthcoming novel by Edward Free
man. How singular that the only two
men l had ever thought Of marrying
should both be novelists. was sur
prised. for l did not know that Ned
had any ambition to be q scribbler.
The advertisement described his novel
as a detective story Of marvellous in
genuity. 1t seemed to me that If any
story would be profitable It would be
one Of the detective kind. ! wrote to
my correspondent to ask what kind
Of a novel he was about to publish
and he replied that his motif in the
story was q mystery. This did not
aniighten me.
Several months passed and ! heard
nothing from my correspondent. Then
one day he wrote that he: would call
upon me the next evening. Thisquite
took away my breath. At the appoint
ed hour Ned Freeman came in as 1
was expecting my unknown friend. u
must have shown my embarrassment
for he said at once: y
,..I'm not going to interfere with any
body or anybody with me. know all.
about your correspondent, for I'm. the
man himself. ~