Year: 1877

do that which 70 me IS very palnIui. Il VIII
tell you my experience in answering just
such notice as this, and If that
is not sufficient to teach you
lesson / can say no more. When
was seventeen was away at boarding school,
and was as fun-loving as any of you, perhaps
more so, for my mother was an invalid and
/ had no one but my father TO watch and
check me. He was very strict, and when at
home kept me out of mischief pretty well,
and l was glad to get from under his over
sight, for there was little chance for me il
he was in the house, but he was often away
on business. kept mother worried contin-
ually, and often she warned me against in
dulging my love of fun too far, but
laughed at her weak remonstrances. At
school was one of a circle of girls who
were known as the hardest set to manage in
the institution, not from wickedness, but
mischIevousness. / had never had beau,
in fact in age was only child, but / was
tall and well formed for my years,
and passed easily for eighteen. There
was a boys school close to ours
and notes were continually passing between
the two places, the servants, well bribed,
carrying the letters that confess were silly
and foolish, but never anything worse. The
girls all had their lovers among the students
and whenever they could name an excuse
strong enough to get away from the princi
pal, met them and enjoyed strolls about
town. parting from them in some remote
street, TO hurry back terrified at the fear of
detection. With the memory of my fathers
lectures on the impropriety OF such things
dared not go so far, but / answered two or
three very much crumpled little notes writ
ten on the margins OF leaves torn from text
books and tossed to me in Sunday-school, or
brought by one of the servants. These were
generally lines of such poetry as the student
lover found in his parsing exercises or wrote
down from memory, none, | believe, being
original. l had two of


Round is the ring without an end,


So Is my love for you, my friend.


And another


Though many miles apart we be,


My heart shall ever turn to thee.


So you can imagine the style of my boy
lovers. The dignified used Moore or Byron
as their models, and gave us maid OF
| Athens or portions of "Lalla Rookh" ad an
Jfnitum.


We quoted, in answering these ardent
epistles, Mrs. Hemans and Miss Lander, un-
derscoring and capitalizing to painful ex-
tent. Thus we broke the rules and wasted
| our time until just before vacation, when
personals" were inserted in the morning
paper, and we were all in fiutter to answer
some of them. Some of the older girls wrote
first, and received elegantly written and
worded replies, many of the letters enclos-
ing photographs and asking for them
in exchange. After awhile / selected
one asking for a correspondent who liked
fun, and answered il, trembling with every
motion of my hand for fear father would
find it out, and then laughing at the idea oi
him ever seeing the few silly words had
written, signed only my baptismal name
imagining that too common to be a clue, foi
the mystery of the whole transaction was
its only charm to me. In two days had q
reply; this / answered, and so the letters
multiplied. was young, ignorant and eas
lily fooled, and l believed every word thai
that man wrote to me. For awhile there wa:
some fun in our notes, jests and repdrtee, bu
soon they changed into real love letters
his breathing ardent devotion, mine
to me-maidenly coyness doubt
less to him affected simplicity.
would not consent to see him nor to send
him my photograph, though he plead fol
both fayors, but 1 could not go quite tha
far, though from my corresponding with
him, an unknown stranger, he had perfec
right not only to ask but to expect me to dc
both. He told me of his prospects in life
he said he owned fine farm and besough
me to let him bring his carriage and horses
and drive me out to see the place. HI
told me he was fond of flowers and musi,
and he hoped some day to offer me a hom,
where could have both, for he knew wa
worthy OF them. He praised my compost
ton and writing and fattered my poo
heart until was. little better than an idiot
Half the girls in school were as silly as l
for there were plenty of such advertisement
every day, and every one in our class ha(
Il answered one. Some had become personals
acquainted with the young men, for great
er portion OF the notices were written b,
the boys in the neighboring academy, anc
others by clerks in the stores where our Sc
were all known. My correspondent signet
his letters Fred" promising to give his en-
tire name only when would mine, ant
always protesting against my being so stub
born. He at length said that he intended
TO find out my address after l left school
and unless told him my name and sen
my picture, would visit me at my home
This frightened me nearly to death. ha,
seen my father when he was angry, an,
knew just what I might expect IL he eve