Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1917-11-17
TEE CHICAGO EAGLE
INSPIRED LETTER
BY w. kENN EDY.

serious upon his mind than the writ
Ing of two letters. 1t was clear,
cold winter evening, with just bit too
much of n whipping wind to be COM
Portable, and It was with sense of
relief that he entered his comfortable
| apartments and found cheerful fire
blazing In the crate in his sitting room.
Saintsbury was one of those young fell
| lows who may be described as nicely
| fixed" His apartments were not "toO
much" but just right. He dropped
into an easy chair and ran his eye
casually over the evening paper. Then
came a parenthetical smoke, and he
sat down to his desk to write his let.
| tiers.
Saintsbury's two letters were as dis
similar as II Is possible to imagine. One
was merely note to Edith Crawford
asking her to go with him to see ICY
rano de Bergerac" the latter part Of
the week. Yet how fondly he wrote
It. He began the note "Dear Edith"
writing the words with a caress, and
he sat admiring his own rashness,
though he knew he was merely writing
for his own ediflcation and that the ar.
istocratic Miss Crawford would never
see what he had there written. He
scribbled the name all over the page
and then, with n sigh, laid the sheet
aside and began to write the formal
note vhich he always sent to Miss
Crawford. Saintsbury was so deeply
In love with this lady that 1t actually
scared him.
The second letter which he had to
write was for friend who was In
love and wished to send a beautiful
letter announcing this fact to the wOm-
an he adored, but did not know how
to do 1t. write me letter, John"
said Dick, "as II you were writing to
your own girl" John endeavOred to
follow out these instructions. He did
not know the name Of Dicks sweet
henrt, and In order to do his best he
addressed the letter to Edith Crawford,
intending to leave her name out when
he copied the letter. He found II easy
to write under these circumstances,
And when 1t was concluded he read It
over and glowed with the beauty of 1t.
He could find no fault with 1t, and he
felt that he could not improve upon It
by rewriting It. So what was the use
Of rewriting it2 Dick had to copy II
anyway In his own nervy hand. So
he took out n couple of envelopes and
addressed them and enclosed the let.
tiers, having forgotten all about leav.
Ing Edith CrawfOrd's name In his
friends letter.
The next day ut the bank he was
rung up by his friend Daniels. II say"
said Dick over the telephone, 'you
didn't know that you sent me letter
addressed to Il friend of yours, did
you? What's up, anyway, old boy?"
John remembered then that he had
forgotten to erase Miss Crawford's
name, and he blushed through the
phone as he replied: "Oh, that's all
right. Just scratch her name out and
I think IL will do
"YOu haven't given yourself away
a-plenty, have you?" said Dick.
Could 1t be that he snapped the let.
tiers and sent Edith's to Dick and
Dicks to Edith? The idea was quite
Edith's name was In the beautiful love
letter. 1t was impossible that he could
have made such n mistake, but he was
vaguely uneasy about 1t, and that eve.
ming he fastened ont to Miss Craw.
fOrd's to set the matter at rest.
He found her In the drawing room
alone, and looking pensively into the
fire. How beautiful, how tender, how
dainty she was In the freight glow!
He broke 1t awkwardly: did you
get letter from me?
"Yes," she answered with adorable
softness.
swell, did did yOu-can you tell
me what wrote-I mean did l say-Y
II do not understand you, Mr.,
Salisbury" said Miss Crawford, rath.
err distantly.
you in the letter you received whether
you cared"
rs II possible you do not remember
what you wrote me?" she inquired,
with beautiful iciness.
"Why of course; but l fear there
has been some mistake"
Miss Crawford was not only amazed,
but she was apparently quite angry.
As for him, he was In agony of doubt.
pardon my awkwardness," he said
with n smile, "and will explain. Last
night / had to write two letters. One
asked you to go with me to see 'Cy.
ranO de Bergerac.' The other was writ.
ten for friend, who asked me to write
1t as If ! were addressing the woman |
/ loved"
"Then,' said Edith, with n sort of
sweet dismay, "this letter was not for
me?"
"Oh, yes 1t was. 1t went straight |
by mistake, That was ALL" said John. |
"But what becomes of the invitation |
to see 'CyranoT" asked Edith.
Bother Cyrano!" cried John, now
grown entirely brave. "What l want |
to know is whether you accept the in.
vitatiOn to become Edith Santsbury?' |
II suppose l will have to, for am
dying to see 'CyranO.'"
And that Is how 1t came about
Copyright. 1917, by the Mcclure Newspa-
per Syndicate)