Belington progressive. [volume] (Belington, W. Va.) 1912-1927, 1921-11-17
THE LETTER
BY MOLLiE MATHER.

7 stance Violet as a future wife for her
admirable, but difficult brother, trust
ing that his affection might follow her
own. She had met the girl at the
/ home of mutual friend, and had
| promptly fallen in love with her sweet
ly natural ways. Constance has char
acter," Miss Bruce told her skeptical
! brother.
"Wait until you see."
AS time passed David Bruce came
| to coincide with his sisters views; so
| much did he coincide that he discard
| ed his dignified demeanor and became,
! as Connie laughingly told him, "ai-
most human"
His high public position may have
been accountable for his usual atti-
tude of aloofness, but Connie, accept
ed him on equal ground.
"Come on" she called to him care
lessly one morning, Tets you and l
! go berrying I'll pick the berries on
the outside of the bushes. and you
can scramble where the briars are
And David, the dignifed, scrambled
! in" enjoying, evidently, the pursuit.
4 Miss Bruce was delighted with her
matrimonial scheme; to bring David
J down from his high horse was con-
/ quest indeed
'He Is as unapproachabla as old
! Uncle Ruthford," she was wont to
complain, Uncle Ruthford having
! been the arrogant master of Elmhurst-
| on-the- Hudson, in years that We're
/ gone. Why he had died a bachelor,
/ leaving his estate to David Bruce, no
one knew.
The same stubborn pride was
evinced In David Bruce, when Con-
/ stance Violet met the earetakers son.
/ Affairs had been running SO smoothly
| between her brother and the girl of
| her choice, that Miss Bruce was con.
tent to hope. Then the unusual char
/ acter, for which she had protested adj
| miration, became her provocation,
| Connie showed openly an admiring in
terest In the caretaker's son, spending
! much of her time with him. 1t was
! most annoying. The young man re-
| Gently returned from college to visit
| his father In a stone cottage near Elm
! hurst gates, drove Connie out in the
| auto one day, and poured into her sym
i pathetic ears the tale of his own en-
| ture Immediately Connie wanted to
| help, so when he brought saddle
horse, and rode at her side, Connie
| loaned him books and planned with
| him the best means to his end. David
| Bruce, watching Indignantly from a
| window, the handsome young man and
| the eager, enthusiastic girl, could know
nothing of these plans or her helpful
spirit. He saw only and bitterly that
! the woman upon whom he had set all
| his affection, the woman whom he
! hoped to bring to Elmhurst as his
wife-coquetted her time lightly away
| with his caretaker's son. So David
Bruce. like Uncle Ruthford before
him, withdrew into his dlgnified shell,
treating the girl thereafter with dis
! tant courtesy. Constance Violet In
her room at night wondered at 1t,
with a lonely pain in her usually
I merry heart.
you are in love with David Bruce"
] she accused, "shamelessly, hopelessly
in love with him Why do you sham
/ about friendship? And David does
I not care for you" she told herself
wistfully. the following evening HE
/ rejects your every approach. If he
doesn't care, after all, and you have
/ been mistaken in your foolish hopes,
why, then, you'd better go away, and
get over It all, as quick as you can"
Miss Bruce was disappointed when
I Constance Violet announced her near
I departure. But she was provoked,
too, that her guest had used so little
\ consideration. There was no happi-
ness for Connie. David absented
himself purposely the last days of her
stay. Aimlessly, one rainy afternoon,
! study. 1t was here that David had
/ come to write his letters. Connie sat
1 down before the desk, and laid her
/ face upon it. There was even sort
| of comfort in the mere fact that Da-
vid's hand had lately rested there
! Connie was as much in love as
that. On level with her misty eyes
protruded an addressed letter. She
sat up staring at its bold direction.
ITO the girl love-" read Constance,
and caught her breath. There's but
one girl in the house and had been ;
it was herself.
Can you go and leave me-" 1t asked
briefly, when you know that / love
/ you? You must know-though my
helpless old pride has kept my lips
| closed"
! Connie rushed with the letter to
! her room, but David entered the hall
=, as she crossed it. He gasped as she
flew directly into his arms; but it
must have been a gasp of delight, for
I he held her close.
81 cannot go away" said Connie
breathlessly, because love you
+. David -