The weekly times-record. (Valley City, N.D.) 1912-1922, 1921-12-01
The Missing
Letter
BY HAROLD SINCLAlRE.

Copyright 1921, Western Newspaper Union
We all looked upon Libby Arliss as
an old maid, absurdly old, although
her age could not have been more
than thirty-five. But after her mother
died she ceased to go about much III
our village society; and by the time
she was out of mourning she had set
tied down into q lcnely life in her lit
tie home. She had fine garden, and
we boys and girls used to steal her
pears and mock at her when she came
out and threatened us.
I'D like to get even with Miss Lib
by for being so mad about our taking
her wormy old pears" said Steve
Marks, the bad boy of the village.
None of us liked Libby. That was
how we came to concoct the love let
| ter.
Why we hit upon William Tabor l
! can't quite remember. The TabOrs
| had once been the most respected
family in our village, but William was
wild when he was a young man and
went West, returning broken down in
health, year or two before.
Three of the high school scholars
| cOncocted the letter 1t ran like this:
My Dearest William:
May l-dare one whom the world
calls a sour old maid, avoW to you
something against which have fought
for 1llany months in vain? William, |
love you! There, l have avowed it,
and you cannot guess how shrinking
ly l write down these words which
my hand is powerless to stay. l love
yor--and now I have told you all. The
rest is with you.
LIBBY ARLISS."
Why not send Libby letter by the
same post? asked. No sooner thought
Of than acted upon. Williams letter
ran in this way:
My Dearest Libby Arliss:
because my tongue is weak and
falters in your presence, would fain
write down the words long to say to
you. Libby, l love you. May l call
to see you and tell you of the fatal
passion which You inspire in my
heart? WILLIAM TABOR"
We dropped these epistes into the
letter box and waited with bated
breath, metaphorically speaking. We
saw Mr. Tabor's buggy coming al
breukneck speed down the road
in cloud Of dust. He pulled in the
horse outside. the gate and hitched it
to the fence. Then he got out and
went in, walking very quickly. He
rang the bell and Miss Libby came to
the door.
And as she stood there looking at
him and smiling up at him, he took ;
her in his arms and kissed her.
That was enough for us. We were
all thoroughly scared. We took to !;
our heels and ran home.
"Well, lady, there's news In the VIII ;
lage,' said my father, when he came
home that night.
Il know, DEAR said my mother,
smiling. Libby Arliss and Will Tabor
have made up again"
thrust woman for finding out
these things" my father said. "Well,
I'd always hoped it would come to
pass, but l never thought it would be
in just that way. 1t seems that she
had written him letter two years
ago, when he returned, and he found
In,
among lot Of old papers that his ia
Their left"
The next morning I met Steve
Marks and he caught me by the wrist.
'What do you think?' he exclaimed
Indignantly. "Sylvia Temple has just
confessed that those letters never
reached them at ALL"
"What? Why?" l shouted
because she sneaked back to the
pOstoffice after we had gone, and
fished them out with a piece Of stick
with a fish hook in the end, and tore
them up-that's why"
'Then how did it happen?' 1 asked.
I'm blessed if | know" he an
swered, scratching his head, and at
that moment who should come along
but Miss Libby herself. She looked
ten years younger, and she smiled so
prettily she gave me quite scare
$50 you boys know all about it, l
see," she said, when we blurted out
our congratulations. II can't begin to
tell you how happy l am and-and-
well, I guess I've been pretty grabbed
sort Of woman for long time But
now l want you all to come into my
garden this afternoon and pick as
many pears as you can carry away
They're just about ripe"
Well, you could have knocked me
down with a feather for I had had
those pears on my mind all day.