Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1919-06-20
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W N ROBERT " SFtAMBER5 III w
0Confinuation of Chapter KID

hearted young man might take time
to write to a bereaved friend. He
was genuinely grieved and sorry for
her, but he was glad when his let
ter was finished and mailed, and he
could turn his thoughts into other
and gayer channels.
To this letter she replied, thank
ing him for what he had written and
for what he had done to make the
plot in the local. cemetery pretty.
She asked him to keep the keys to
the house in Brookhollow. Then
followed a simple report of her
and studioUs daily life in the home
of the Princess Mistchenka; of her
progress in her studies; of her
hopes that in due time she might
care Of herself.
most emotionless letter. Always
willing to shirk correspondence, he
peEsuaded himself that the letter
called for no immediate answer.
After all, it was not to be expected
that a very young girl whom a. man
hold his interest very long, when alb
seat. However. he meant to write
her again; thought of doing so sew
efA times during the next twelve
Saohths.
It was a year before anothsr let
he was a little surprised to discover
how rapidly inmaturity can mature
upaer the shock of circumstances
and exotic conditions which tend to-
w$SA forced growth.
lEan Cher Ami:
I Yves Silly enough to hope you
20 have far more interesting and
Important matters to occupy you.
@tsll, aon't you sometimes remem-
bef the airl you drove home with In
q Aleigh one winter night, ages ago?
pSmf you sometimes think Of the
E1sH who came creeping upstairs,
E6zf dead, to your studio door? And
deTt you sometimes wonder what
has become of her?
Why Is it that girl is always
Gses than a man ever ts4 Don't an
swsr that 1t is because she has Less
to OCCUPY her than man has. You
htaRs no idea how busy 1 have been
dwf8ng this long year IN which you
h~ee forgotten me.
Among other things have been
busy growing. am taller by two
inches than when I saw you. Please
10 impressed by my five feet eight
Nsehes.
Also, I am happy. The greatest
happiness in the World is to have
She opportunity to learn about that
RaSne world.
am happy because I now have
that opportunity. During these many
months since wrote to you I have
Earned a little French; read some,
WEabe some, understand pretty we'll,
and speak little. What a pleasure,
EiEno and vocal music, too, &C.
cupy me; I love both, and 1 am
EM encouraging things. But best
and most delightful of all I am
1easning to draw and compose and
Sulian! Think of it! It is difficult,
It is absorbing, it requires energy,
persistence, seTf-denial; but 1t is fas-
cinating, satisfying, glorious.
Also. it Is very trying, mon ami;
and descend into depths Of despair
and presently soar up out of those
depressing depths atpto intoxicating
attitudes of aspiration and self-con-
fidence.
You yourself know how it is, OF
course At the criticism today I
was lifted to the seventh heaven.
''Pas NAL he said; "continuez, mad
emoise1le." Which is wonderful for
him. Also my weekly sketch was
chosen from among all the others,
anu L was S1NOu OAAOs A4o I
means my choice of tabourets on
Monday morning, voyez vous? So
do you wonder that came home
with Suzanne, walking on air, and
.aat, as soon as dejeuner was fin
'ished : Sew in here to write to you
about it?
Suzanne is our maid-the maid of
to and from school with me.
didn't wish her to follow me about
at first, Sut the princess insisted,
and I'm res1sSed to 1t now.
The Princess Mistchenka is such
a darling! I owe her more than
I owe anybody except mother and
father. She simply took me as I
was, young, stupid, Ignorant, awk-
ward country girl with no expert
ence, no savoir-faire, no clothes, and
evn no knowledge Of how to wear
them; and she is trying to make out
of me a fairly intelligent and pre-
Sentable human being who will not
offend her by gaucheries when with
her, and who will not disgrace her
when in the circle of her friends.
Of, of course I still make q faux
pas now and then, mon ami; there
are dreadful pitfalls in the French
language into which I have fallen
more than once. And at times I have
almost died of modification. But
everybody is so amiable and patient,
80 polite, so gay about my mistakes.
7 am beginning to love the French.
And I am learning so much! I had
no idea what a capacity I had for
learning things. But then, with Prin-
cess Naia, and with my kind and
patient teachers and my golden op-
portunitfes, even very stupid girl
must learn something. And l. am
not really very stupid; I've discov-
A., -. 49,. r IL.
seem to learn quite rapidly; and all
that annoys me is that there is so
much to learn and the days are not
long enough, so anxious am /, so
ambitious, 80 determined to get out
Of this wonderful opportunity every
thing possibly can extract.
have lived in these few months
more years than my own age adds
up! I am growing old and wise very
fkst. Please hasten to write to me
before I have grown so old that you
would not recognize me If you met
me. Your friend,
RUHANNAH.
S >fEhe letter f1attered him. He was
rabzder glad he had once kissd the
girl Who could write such a letter.
He happened to be engaged, at
that time, in drawing several illus
tfations for a paper called the Mid
week Magazine. There was a hero
inc, of course, in the story he was
illustrating. And, from memory, and
In spite Of the model posing for him
he made the face like the face OF
Ruhannah Carew.
But the days passed, and he did
not reply to her letter. Then there
came still another letter from her:
Why don't you write me just one
line? Have you really forgotten me?
You'd like me If you knew me now
I think. I am really quite grown up
And I am SO happy!
The princess is simply adorable
Always we are busy, Princess Naia
and I; and now, since I have laid
aside mourning, we go to concerts
we go to plays; we have been six
times to the opera, and as many
more to the Theater Francois; we
have been to the Louvre and the
Luxembourg many times; to ST
Cloud, Versailles, Fontainebleau.
Always, when my studies are over