The Green Forest tribune., 1916-07-07
ALL ABOUT A LETTER
By MARIE GOLDEN.

What the answer would have been if Charlie Sidcot had proposed in per son is doubtful. It is tolerably certain that he would not have been so elo- quent as he was in his letter lie would never have had the face to say what he did about Miss Durys counte- nance and graces of person.
 The letter was tender yet digni- fled, hopeful but not self-assured, poet ical almost but free of anything like maudlin sentimentality. His course was justified to an extent by the let ter that Miss Dury wrote in reply. She did not adopt a light and friv- olous one at least. Here is what she wrote:
 My Dear MT Sidcot-Your letter was a surprise to me for I had no idea that the feeling you entertained for me was of the nature % which h it expresses % Wlir ;o you lor, en not insensble to the honor you have paid me; prize your friendship highly ana ana trust that l may retain 1t ln spite or the fact that I cannot become your Wife. You will thank me for 1t some day-When you have found some girl more worthy of you for I am by no means the perfect crea- tufe you seem to imagine me. pe dSSui ei my dear MT Sidcot, that I have not made this decision without reflection and that having made it nothing can alter it. Your s.s e'''O 9'''Ne'e ERNEsTINE DURY.
 Having concluded this epistle, Miss Dury read it over two or three times, pensively chewing the end of the fate ful pen. Then she said: "Tll go out f off y,oxy
 She put on her hat and jacket, walked briskly to the mail box at the corner of the street dropped the let ter therein and closed the slot with a resounding slam.
 "There," she said.
 Why she said it in that vindictive way is just as much of mystery as her bursting into tears when she regained her room. Her sister heard her sobbing five minutes later and threatened to kick in a panel of the door and rouse the household if she were not admitted.
 Well" asked the sister when Er- nestine unlocked the door, ''what's all this abOut?"
 Charlie wrote me proposal and I've just written refusing him-and mailed the letter." the girl gurgled be- tween sobs.
 'NVhat are you boo-hooing about, then, if you didn't want him?" in- quired the sister. q thought you liked him. though"
 q do-oo-Oo."
 "Then why did you refuse him?"
 q don't know. Oh, what shall do?"
 The sister looked at her with con- tempt "Stop the letter, silly"
 Ernestine jumped from the bed, her eyes shining. "Can F" she cried.
 "Why, of course you can," replied the sister. Here, you just bathe your eyes and I'll speak down to the tele phone and call 'rn ae post office. Let me go. l don went you weeping all over my stock
 She came fa15 h I few minutes. ..rs.z 4s.zs =, Gh Z, "0nly yop.I.l ] have to \ sd he post office $ ad} si5 application. It's in room tNelye.
 Miss Dury made her record time dressing for a downtown trip. In room 12 of the post office building she found a nice, benevolent-looking old gentle man, who asked her why she wanted to stop the letter and then. pitying her confusion, gave her a blank to e,;f fn1 {n hnr r,oin6 easy-that the letter would be stopped. She could call him up by telephone during the evening if she pleased and he could tell her If it had been found.
 Miss Dury departed greatly comfort ed and on the way home began to out line another letter of a different tenor. After dinner she called up the post office on the telephone and was in- formed that the letter was stopped.
 The next morning she awaited the arrival of the postman with more than ordinary eagerness and her heart sank when she found that her letter was not returned to her. Still, it might come at noon. It did not, nor did it come on the four o'clock delivery. She was naturally worried, but after all the great thing was that the letter was stopped That was what she said to her sister.
 "Why. they won't return it to you, you big goose" said the sister. You have to call for 1t. He told me that"
 So early in the morning Miss Dury made another trip to the post office. Her benevolent friend was not there. A young and businesslike official list ened to what she had to say, then went away and returned with the in- formation that the letter had been for warded on to it's address.
 'I thought it was stopped" she cried.
 'It was stopped" said the young man. crisply; stepped, held for twen- tT-four hours, uncalled for, and for Warded. That's the rule. You should have called for it."
 This time Miss Dury went home with dull despair at her heart. She remained in her room all day on the plea of headache. A hundred times she said to herself, "Oh, why did tell him my decision was unalterable?'
 At about eight o'clock the maid rapped at her door, "Mr. Sidcot is downstairs, miss," she said.
 Miss Dury got down somehow. Somehow it happened that without anything being said by either person she found herself unresistingly in MT.