THE COURIER.
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MM EXCHANGE M1I0MI Bill
LINCOLN, NEB.
I.M.RAYMOND, A.J. SAWTEB
President. Vice President
. H. BUBNHAM. D. G. WING
Cashier. Amitnt Caibiai
CAPITAL, $250,000 SURPLUS $25 000
Directors I. M.Raymond, 8. H. Bornbaa
C. G.Dawes. A. J. Sawyer, Lewis Gregory
-K Z Snell, G M Lambortsoa. D G Wine, S
Xarnham.
l
Is the BEST to reach the
KEW GOLD FIELDS in the
BLACK HILLS.
Call at office for valuable
information.
A. S. Fielding,
City Ticket Afft,.
117 So. 10th St., Lincoln, Neb.
k m out
ROQTE TO THE SMTT
Oome and (See J
L O. TOWRSXND, F.J). CoRHXLL,
G. P. A T. Agt. C. P. A T. Act
Louis. Ma
1201
OH
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1215 M Street.
Excellent Meals and
Beitt Service.
Chef Recently of Burlington Rmte
Service. Mrs. J. Haskell, Prop.
WANTIDTtH
SALESMEN.
one
or two men in
each county to take orders for Nursery
etock, and are willing to pay well for
good work. We agree to REPLACE
FREE anything that dies from natural
causes.
We also have a choice line of SEED
POTATOES. Give us a trial.
THE HAWKS NURSERY COMPANY
Milwaukee. Wis.
See My New Dress?
Tli is is an
old dress,
Strong,
Sure,
but no one
Fast,
Beautiful
nd Cheap
knows
that, for
its color is
new and
fresh, ioc.
and a few
stitches are
all it cost.
Diamond
Dyes
should
be in
every
household
Diamond Dyes 1A .
finldhv IV CIS.
Sold by
RU3i?3.r3 Pnnicy
LHIBiLIIPnsCPsf V sr
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v jByffl3Jggj
m
Clii
II
1
"That la well," sighed Norton, a llttlo
Mr. Reginald Norton was rarely wearily; "you may go. Adonis, and re
alone principally, perhaps, because he raember that l am not at home t0 an"
detested solitude. His downtown ofllce
swarmed with callprs during the day,
and if, by any chance, he remained in
his apartments at night, the outer bell
rang on an average once every fifteen
minutes. His present lack of society
was due to his own carefully expressed
wish to that rffect. To be plain, he
had retired to his den. after informing ln3S white fingers trembled slightly as
his colored man, Adonis, that he was ho held il P t0 tne nht
out, no matter who might call, and that The handwriting of this one was girl
he was not to be disturbed on any ac- isn t0 the la9t derce- T1,p characters
count, were pointed and faintly drawn, and
After carefully surveying his tall, be- there were mieer 1,ttle tw,3ts t0 th
comingly dr. 'ng-gowned figure In a capitals, like those one sees In some
long mirror, and casting an approving Patient little schoolgirl's copybook,
elanee around at the nlotnrea and other "Dearest Reggie." it began. "I am
ornamental parphernalla of his hand
somely appoint d lounging room, Mr.
Reginald Ncrton sat himself down in a
low chair by a small table, on which
some delicate decanters and glasses re-
posed comfortably, and. sinking back
with a sish of relief, slowly extracted
a small package of letters from the
breast pocket of his dressing gown.
Skimming them lightly through his
fingers in such a manner that the light
should fall upon their superscriptions,
he selected a larg? square envelope from
the bunch, and, extracting the letter
from within it. began to re-read it for kTU3W- is 3Uch a cross-patch, and thinks
the fourth of fifth time within as many ahe has to scold -fU3t to show ?l0W much
hours. she loves me. frowns when I mention
The handwriting was large and mas- 'our name- an1 tel,s me a dozen tlmes
culine, but the shepfs faint scent of a da' that 'ou wiH never come back
orris root betrayed its feminine author- And ,auSh t0 m's"lf when her "
ship. Norton took a sip of cognac and is turned- tor l wouldn't for the world
lighted a cigarette before scanning its hurt her feelings. J'ou knw. and it
lines once more. makes me so happy to feel certain
"You dear old boy" so it ran "of 'cs. miite certain. Reggie that you are
rcurse I'll marrj' you. My only wonder coming very, very soon. You see, dear.
Is that you did not ask me before. I l thlnk l could bear it if I knew that
suspected vour IntPntions long ago, and something you could not help were go
really thought you were foolish to wait inS to keeP yu awa froM1 me bnt lf
so long. You have surrendered to my l were ver to know that you ould ever
multifarious charms at last, however, be intentionally false to me-to me,
and my vanity tells me that it was your 'our ros?bud-it would quite kill me.
diffidence and not lack of appreciation "But ?ou are not going to be bad
of that which you knew was yours for and wicked to me, are you. my dear old
the asking, that caused you to hesitate handsome, beautiful Reggie? Do you
until the last minute. know l take "P 'our Picture every
"Of ccurse people will talk. They al- night before I go to bed and kiss its
ways will, no matter what one does. 1!'. severe old mouth and the dear
Despite the fact that I am only twenty- "' h's of gray about the ears and the
three, and not by any means hideous, temples, and then I say my prayers
they will surely say you married me ami I know that God blesses you and
for my monry. A girl with seven mil- !c?ks after you; because I ask him to,
lions of her own is frightfully handi- so very tenderly and humbly.
capped. People will never give her
credit for any attraction save that of
money.
"As for you, dear -boy, I am very
proud of you, and I am certain that
you, in your chilly, pessimist!' way, are
rather fond of me. You have money
enough of ycur own, you know, to keep
up appearances acceptably why must
one always be talking of this dreadful
money qurstion? and with your good
looks and my rather comfortable for
tune, we ought really to make a very
good combination, I think.
"Come and see me very, very soon.
and wp will try and convince ourselves
that we have done wisely.
"MILDRED."
Norton laid the letter down carefully
and called "Adonis!" The negro boy,
whose grotesque hldeousness of fpature
had caused his master to engage him
at a much larger wage than that usually carpeted floor. Once he stopped in
paid to such servants, and had inspired front of the tall mirror and, shaking
him to christen him with this strangpJy his nervous fist at his own elegant re
c?ntradictory nickname, glided into the flection, gave utterance to the one ex
room. "Adonis," he went on, passing prcive monosyllable, "Beast." As he
a Llim, jeweled hand over his brow after took his seat and picked up another let
the manner of a man who Is endpavor- ter, addressed in the samp handwriting
ing to recollect something, "did I order as the last, but somewhat fresher in ap
ycu to send some flowers this evening pearance, his bull terrier, an atrocious
to Mis3 Knightworthy?" ly ugly beast, whose ouly attractive
"You did, sir," responded the boy, feature was his one luminous eye the
with great respect. "I attended to it other had been torn out in a fight
myself, sir. and they went an hour ago,
from Thorley's hyacinths and violets,
sir."
body."
The black youth bowed profoundly
and withdrew. As the door closed be
hind him, the man in the easy chair
tcok a long, deep breath, and drew
forth one of the other letters. It was
somewhat crumpled and looked as if it
had been handled a good deal. Norton's
counting the days and nights until you
aie ccming back. If you knew how
beautiful everything looked, you, who
Iovp the countiy so much, would not
hes:tate an hour. All the rosea and the
,Ilacs are ln b,oom- and in the rnlngs
when the dew is en them, they look so
beautiful and smMl so sweet. My pet
blackbird, too the one I have tamed
and taught to know me flies to my
window and picks up the crumbs I
have put there for him, and looks at
me with such saucy, cunning eyes.
"Drar eld Aunt Martha, who, as you
"I am not very old, dear, and not
very wise, but I do love you so, and oh,
Re?gie, I trust you. You are my own
brautiful, brave old sweetheart, and
seine day, if you will Irt me, I shall try
to make you, oh, so happy! Write to
me very soon, dearest, and tell me how
long it will be before I may take you
into the cool, bpautiful woods again,
and show you the squirrels and the
violets yes, and introduce you to the
big. saucy blackbird. But this is much
too long a letter, and I will close it.
Good-night, dar. and God bless you;
and remember that wherever you are
and whatever may happen. I shall al
ways love you. ROSEBUD."
Mr. Reginald Norton coughed slight
ly ence or twicp and passed his left
hand across his eyes as he laid the let
ter down. Thin he rose and paed
once or twice the lrngth of the richly-
pushed his hideous face Into his hand
and squintpd up at him appeallngly. lie
stroked the head of the dog gently as
he read:
"I am not going to complain. Reg-
glp dear, but If you knew how It hurt
me to wait and wait for your letter that,
alas! npver comes, I am 8ure you would
not be so unkind. Do you know the old
mall-carrier, a dear old fellow, with
wo?!"y grry hair and scarcely any teeth,
looks at me so mournfully when he
comes up to the gate wln-re I am
standing waiting for him. He must
know by this time how I live in the
hope of a letter, for he says the same
thing each day: Ah ain't got nawthln
this mawnln. Missy, but nh'U hab a
l'tter tcmorrow, shorely. He told me
this morning that I was looking thin
and 'fady,' whatever that may mean,
and I gues3 Aunt Martha thinks I'm not
very well, for she Insists that I shall go
to the mountains for a month or so.
But I won't go to the mountains no,
nor anywhere until I've heard some
thing from you. Somrtimes I have
thought you might lie ill. or away, only
I saw something In one of the papers
about your having made $100,000 In
stocks or something, and I think a per
son must be very well, indeed, to make
money as fast a? that.
"Dear. I am afraid it Is very shock
ing of me to keep on writing to you
again and again, when you do not send
me a word in reply. But I can't help
it. I have to write, for at times I feel
as if my heart would burst if I didn't.
Dear old sweetheart, won't you be
good to me and tell me what It all
means? You were very fond of your
little girl oncp, you know, and you
can't have forgotten everything. I can
not really doubt you, but sometimes, for
a minute, it seems as though I were
nevrr to see you again, and when I feel
so, Reggie I want to die. Only a word
or two, but you must tell me the truth,
dear, frankly and fairly, because if I
am to lose you, I had better know it
now. I think It will kill me if you tell
me that, but even that will be better
than the doubt that is slowly torturing
me to death. Tell me the truth. Reg
gie, and I'll try to bear It as bravely
as I can; and whatever it may be, I
shall not have one word of reproach for
you. You made me so happy once that
I think I pan forgive you almost any
thing. But write, write, write.
"ROSEBUD."
Norton laid this lettpr down and sat
very still for some minutes, staring:
straight at the opposite wall without
seeing It. His lips were compressed and
his pallor had increased. His dog
whlnpd and pushed his head against
his master's knee, but this time he re
ceived a kick for his pains. The man
then picked up the last letter of all. It
was very short and was fresher In ap
pearance than any of the others. He
read it slowly, stroking his chin reflec
tively with his unoccupied hand as he
did so.
"You have broken my heart, my dpar,
but I will bear it as bravely as I can.
I promised I would not reproach you,
and I will not. But I cannot help feel
ing that it is a little unjust. What
have I done that I should be tired of
life at my age? For I swear to you,
Reggie, that I cannot live without you,
and that I do not care how soon death
conies.
"Was it not rather a cruel letter you
sent me? Not a word of leve or tender
ness enly cold, calm facts and advice.
How you must have changed, old sweet
heart! Thpre was never such a lover as
you were. There is something in my
heart tells me It will not be for long,
and oh. how tired I am! I cannot sleep
at nights any more. I lie awake and
count the stars that gleam through the
little window beside my bed, and I pray
rnd pray and pray tor you until the
tears choke me. You say we are never
