Jasper County Democrat, Volume 10, Number 13, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 29 June 1907 — THE UNKNOWN. [ARTICLE]

THE UNKNOWN.

A) young gentleman of Massachusetts would Uke to correspond with a young! lady of the west. Address K. a.. Watertown, Mass. Grace Sing straightened herself up. read the lines again, laughed, blnahed and said softly: “If I only dared; it would be such fun. But,” with a little frown, “mother wouldn’t like lt\ “I can stop whenever I like,” abe continued. “Besides, I shall never see him, and I really mast break this terrible monotony. So,” with a half ashamed glance toward the little notice. “I believe I’ll do it” Half an hour later dainty little missive bearing the address “K. G., Watertown, Mass.,” was sent on its Journey. As pretty Miss Grace laid her head on her pillow that night It would have been hard to analyze the half guilty, half pleasant excitement thkt pervaded her mind. She was visiting her aunt In that lady’s rustic home in Oregon, recuperating after a long illness. Health returned but slowly In her own mountainous home, so the reluctant young lady sought this mild, secluded valley in the depth of “nowhere,” as she herself expressed It, destined to no company except a gentle old lady, who let her have her own way and abandoned her to her own resources. But this mode of life suited the sociable, fun loving Grace not at all. Yet she knew that health was returning and that stay she must A week, rendered quite enjoyable by anticipation, passed. There came a letter from mother bringing news of Brother Frank’s return home after his graduation from Harvard university. She was six years his junior and was only a child when he went east. i "I suppose we’ll hardly recognize each other," she remarked to her aunt, and the old lady nodded pleasantly, as she always did. When-she recovered from the excitement of her mother’s letter, she began to await impatiently that other missive. At last It came, and after a careful thought of “what mother wonld say” and a half formed decision to tear It up she broke the seal. “What queer writing!” was her first thought as the compact backhand script appeared. But soon all else was forgotten in her reading. “Why, what a beautiful description!” she cried at last. “Oh, how nice he must be! I’m so glad I wrote! If only mother doesn’t find me out! That was a happy thought —to become ‘Miss Bertha FrazerT ” The ice once broken, it was easier to write. Grace answered promptly and waited eagerly for the replies. The young “unknown” wrote so fascinatingly, yet through all his letters ran a certain vein of fun and amusement which puzzled Grace not a little. But one day when nearly three months had passed rather a startling letter from her “unknown” came. He was coming west Immediately. In fact, his home was there, and he would call on her when he arrived in her locality. Grace turned quite pale at the thought. Why, what should she do? Should she allow him to come? Even Aunt Jane might object to her receiving a strange gentleman. “Oh, dear!” For the first time she repented her little romance, and a wild desire seized her to ran away from home. And yet she wonld —yes, she would like to meet him. Perhaps she had better stay and make the best of It. Then she would go. “Bat I do hope,” she thought, “that he gets here before Frank.” That boy would surely find it all out. She found herself In a fever of excitement, waiting, but still he did not come. Days lengthened Into weeks, and at last she decided that she might safely return home. There was some mistake. (

It was on the eve of Grace’s departure. Aunt Jane bad gone to a neighboring town and left her niece packing her trunk. Suddenly a footstep sounded on the stair, and Hannah, the cook, burst in upon her. “Oh, Miss Grace!” the old woman cried, “who do you suppose? Your brother Frank and”— But Grace waited for no more. She brushed past Hanuah, and was down the stairs Into the sitting room and In her brother’s arias in a second. “Oh. Frank,” she cried, “I am so glad to see you! When did yon come? And have you been home yet? But of course you have, and”— “Ah, but I haven’t,” Interrupted the young man, his eyes twinkling merrily. "I stopped off here to call on Miss Bertha Frazer.” Grace looked up in amazement. How did he know? Then sha cried penitently: “Oh, dear! I only did It for fun. I was so lonesome. But did yon meet him? Who is he?” Frank’s stern face relaxed, and* laughing merrily, he bowed low and answered, “Your humble servant.’’ j “It wasn’t you, Frank?” / __"Haven’t I said so?” "But how did you know it was IT’ "Ah, little sister, your writing betrayed you from the first. I was more cautious, yok know,” he replied. “It’s too bad,” she pouted. “Ot course you’ll tell mother.” "Will youT’ Grace laughed. She began to see both sides of the case. Certainly she was not the only culprit “Let’s not” she said, with a merry glance. And so it was agreed.—Margaret Kennedy In Boston Post