The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1919-07-31
By Telephone
-
By
OTILLIA FRANCES PFElFFER

IN Il species OK keu ulcuIu tOTluIN
Robert Glenn paced q dozen squares
nervously until he came to 1.-The
street. "The'' street was the one HI
lad aimed at for half an hour preced
ing and could not summon the courags
to traverse-AvOn street, where Mis-!
Althea Forsyth resided. - ~a.
She was fair and thirty; he was
handsome and forty. She had indie
pendent means; he than a sur
plus. She vas lonely and lOnged fol
conpanionship; he was joval by. ma
t,re and tired Of q bachelor life. He
had dust retired from business-why
not a new and better partnership, that
of love?
"Why not, indeed?1 he reflected. She
had been gracious to him when they
met socially. Yet every time he had
called at her home he had become
dreadfully shy and clustered. He felt
himself unworthy Of condescension on
the part Of this high-born lady; he
feared rejection. zs2sEEss:t!tgN t'x"~"
Anyway, III pass her house. May"
be ri meet hei. # not-heigho! Cali
fornia and exile ....l' :as;' n r. raas:11effssrss'
So he entered the street. His
pulses were beating nightly US ne
neared the Forsyth home He walked
slowly. His heart sank. There was 10
one visible about the grounds The
shades were down. the place looked
uninviting. He felt his spirits sink to
zero as his final step took him past
and beyond the house. Then a low,
willing sound attracted his attention
and, looking ahead, he made out an
urchin of about seven crawling out OF
the gutter into which he had slipped
from the walk. Upon the sidewalk
were half a dozen letters. The lad
was covered with mud on one side.
whats the matter, little man? in
CURED Glenn
The explanation came forth sobblng-
| ", He was the nephew of the house
maid at the Forsyth home He had
been sent to mail some letters He
had slipped. the letters scattered far
and vide He had gone into the gut
ter. His plight at once interested Mr..
Glenn. The fact that the boy had even
O remote connection with the Forsyth
home recommended him to dnsidera-
ton
"T1l gather up your letters and mail
! tnem.- said Mr.. Glenn as he placed
them in a side coat pocket "Now, let
us see If we can't make you a little
more wesentable," and he spoiled q
handkerchief getting the worst Of the
| mud off from the victim OF the mishap,
! gave him a quarter, sent him on his
way and pursued his own At the first
mail box he took the letters from his
pocket and posted them.
1t was a sighful ordeal going to his
hotel. taking his suitcase and starting
for the train. At the hotel there were
two letters for him, but he simply
glanced at the envelopes, saw they
were from friends he was not thinking
of, for his mind was fixed solely on
Althea. With his through ticket to the
coast in his possession, Mr.. Glenn
watched the pretty village fade from
view and felt like q mnishedODe going
into exile
He had not slept much the night
previous and dozed the first fifty miles
of travel. 1t was just after noon when
he reused up. He took the unopened
letters from his pocket to read, slit
the ends of the envelopes, perused the
contents of two OF them and then,
Before he realized it Robert Glenn
was reading a brief Letter from Althea
Forsyth to her sister. It must be that
in posting the letters the boy had drop
ped Glenn had missed one in his peck
ct. He stared, he thrilled, he vas
electrified.
"Dear sister," it read the gentle
man 1 wrote you about IS going away
and I am very much depressed. fear
my happy hopes were decisions. l
longed to know him better, to show
how I. cherished bis manly excellence,
to call him Robert I can write no
more just now"
The train stopped Just there With
a radiant face, disdainful of his
through ticket, Robert Glenn dashed
for the platform, into the first tele-
phone exchange and called up long
distance. His eagerness and excite
ment made him tremble- His voice
was gasping and unsteady. A respond
ing one sounded sweetest music to his
furnished soul.
"Althea!" he uttered.
who are you, sr?'.
Il am Robert"
"Oh, that's different! Yes, Mr..
Glenn, what is II, please?
II have just Left the train headed for
I quite unintentionally
opened a letter you had written to
your sister. Can It be possible that
you arr enough for me to ask me to
defer my journeyY
n should miss you, MI. Glenn"
"Say Robert and I will be back on
the first train"
"RObert!"
Mr.. Glenn went back 10 Hampton by
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