Show r I THE STRATAGEM OF I MYRTLE MEADOWS l BY ny Jv II JUTTEN HOUSE t Dear Jean I I wish with all nil my i heart that you OU could bo ho hero here with us It Is simply Imply glorious the glorious the freedom f c tho the restfulness the thought that one ma may spend long beautiful laZ lazy days Ia's with nothing to do o but be ha happy happ f No grim writing type machine staring one out of or a constant reminder Ier of monotonous duty and work unending No woman hating employer with blue eyes ces an and l patrician features 8 to remind ono one that ho is painted hand thrice fired French china and antI you OU aro are only tho limo commonest of kitchen potter pot- pot ter tery Thank goodness that Is ls all nil left l in the old oltI real estate office in Chicago and Hazel anti I revel in our our liberty eating cating crisp vegetables Just from Crom tho rho garden devouring plump fried I spring chickens en n flavored clover butter and then we wc bathe bath and und fil fish h to our 11 hearts You BOO wo we aro boar boarding in tho the dearest old oltI farmhouse We Ve couldn't afford to go to one of tho the fine Delo an Lake Lalie hotels and now wo we aro arc glad wo we couldn't Wo We 0 can wear our to our noontime dinner dimmer if we wo choose we row on the tho lake lale ride tho the fat old oM horses honses and antI Hazel even eyen tried once to help milk tho the cows but sho made an nn awful mess of or it H. Then IThen we read and antI whistle and sin sing and string beans benns and antI hull peas and this afternoon w wr the put up a good juke joke on nn some one W we dont don't know who yet jet j We 0 were helping Mr 11 Drown Brown pack some somo somes baskets basket of the biggest most luscIous lus- lus cIous s you ever saw In your our life liCe when I Iwas was seized with an Mea idea and antI and I t wroth tho the softest soft soft- est cst and anI mushiest gush of a not that we wo could manufacture and signed two men mens men's s names to it- it John It Hastings Da le and ancI Frank Huntington giving ing the tho Delovan post office as our address We Wc said saltI we wo hoped our little white white- winged Ringed messenger might fall Into the hands of two sweet maidens maiden fancy free and begged if it should that the they would write to us We lc read tho the note to Mr lr Drown a and d he be laughed till his fat sides shook and antI promised not to give give- us awa away if he ho ever C found Cound a n. letter at tho rho for Cor the tho sentimental young men mell so now were we're expecting bushels of fun Cun out of It IL Jf Jr an any girls at one of or the big his hotels should happen to buy bu- that basket of or berries and answer that note noto wont won't they feel too sill silly for anything after they Lind out how they've been fooled Cooled 1 Of or course we wouldn't have hayo gotten up such a correspondence with strange c men but hut It will be all rl right ht with girls How low I hOJ hope some naughty naught aristocratic aristo- aristo cratic young joung ladles ladies who would scorn a n common girl stenographer may fall Call into our trap Cant you OU conk conic up for Cor a a. week at least while we wc girls are here hero hereWith With no end of or love Myrtle Meadow 1 Q The Tho Lilacs June Dear Jean What a dear you are to answer so and antI such a 11 bright brozy news newsy letter Why h I felt as ns if It I had hatI been boon having a joll Jolly time timo in Chicago myself when I hn had l finished reading it You were perfectly right In dis dis- dismissing dismissing missing Howard A man who drinks I to excess l before marriage Isn't apt to quit afterward and antI It pays pas to stand firmly by lW ones one's principles Im I'm sure I shall always Of or courso course It Is easy to be good out here on tho the farm where there areno are arc no only but only but that re reminds reminds reminds re- re minds me actually some simple girls did find the note noto we put in tho the blackberry black black- berry basket hasket and answered It the It-the the foolish things sl But their note noto wasn't nearl nearly ao so o gushing and sentimental as oars ours and antI what do you ou think They dared darc I to lecture us on our impudence In wantIng wanting wantIng want- want Ing to get set up such a 0 correspondence The They said lId we ce might casH easily get our affections entangled by regular adventuresses adventuresses ad atI- and antI that we wo ought to bo be thankful to have o fallen Callen only Into the hands of oC girls Just graduated from school I tell toll you jou we wo both felt Cea rather small and m mean an an and I silly ourselves after arter we wc had read that sage uge letter but hut we wo were somewhat comforted by the clo closing ln pa page o that grew gore quite poetical and antI friendly even If It was unsophisticated and school And they a. a assured us that the they felt Celt felta a a. friendly ly Interest in our welfare that thc they almost envied us our buS busy happy life liCe in iii the thc country that thc they felt sure surd that at heart henrt we were good and bravo and antI true truo men and finally contented consented to I keep up the correspondence So while It isn't Just as us we expected expect expect- ed cd it will be bo great reat fun to fool them am how I am no so sorry you ou cant can't ha have your vacation before beloro August but you must be bo sure lure to to board even If IC we are arc gone sone Lovingly Lo I Myrtle Meadows l Tho The Lilacs Juno Dear Jean Jenn Thank you ou so much for Cor the books and papers nn and tho tho little turn-over turn collar that is so 80 neat nellt and dainty It will al always as remind me of oC tho rho thou thoughtful friend who made it Hazel and antI I aro arc becoming quite excited over our correspondence eneo with those strange girls 1119 The They arc developing develop develop- in ing wonderfully and antI we find them ver very congenial and antI wonderfully interesting inter Intel esting I can hardly wait for Cor their letters to come and antI Hazel is Just as asca ca eager er We Ve feel that now non we never ne will bo be contented until wo we meet and have havo imade I II made macJe friends of or them though of or I course courso tile they are arc not doing right by I corresponding with to supposed strange men That's the only thing thins wo dont don't like lIko about themo them Wo o e get a letter from them every everyday everyday da day now They are arc staying at tho rho Highland hotel and we want to get et Mr lr Drown Brown to drive up there thero with us some somo day this week to see if we wo cant can't pick out our unknown correspondents corres corres- I pon Ill let you rou know mow what happens if I I A Awe we go Myrtle Meadows Oceans of oC love o The Lilacs June Oth Dear Deat Jean We Ve We went but wo dont don't know whether w we o saw aw or not and antI were we're sure we didn't conquer We 0 were all ca eagerness and eyes oyes when we went into the big hotel dinIng dining din din- ing InS room and antI not nol a girl e escaped our ourI I scrutiny Finally we selected two sweet re re- re I i fined looking girls as our strange friends s and amid as DS we passed their tables on out wa way out Hazel purposely caught her foot fool in tho the tailor made skirt of one of oC them and stumbled and apologized most gracefully in a awa away away wa way which would have havo mado made an or ordinary ordinary or- or girl girly say y something in rop reply But Bul that girl merely acknowledged tho the apology with a cold nod and began began boan be bo- gan an talking to her friend again as unconcernedlY unconcernedly unconcernedly un un- un- un concernedly as If Ie wo we had hatI never ex ox- isted lI Hazel el blushed furiously and antI I felt awkward and antI uncomfortable and antI just then I happened to look across the th room and there sat Mr Ir flied my hand handsome employer you ou know He gave me such a a. queer piercing look that I felt Celt aa M If Ir ho could seeright see seo right through our little sham and I Iwas Iwas Iwas was glad to hurr hurry out of his sight bar bal barely ly returning hl his bow And that's all nil there was wag to reward us us-no us no romance no nothing but disappointment dis dis- dis appointment Were oro determined to meet those girls yet though and antI Ill I'll tell you jou OU later how we are going to manage manago it It I Youre in luck to have havo had your brother give glye you ou such a 11 Jovel lovely dimity gown and lavender Is your color We c are arc going after anel ferns now Good bye dear heart hearl Myrtle Meadows le The Lilacs July Jean McIntosh you'll youJI never never guess what a 0 perfectly a a. rul ful thing has happened I am so shocked and antI ashamed and antI surprised that I can enn hardly write at all nil We Vo wrote and asked those girls to meet us last Thursday i after noon un- un I a certain particular old oltI tree halfway between the tho farm and antI The Tho I Highlands Highlands' We dl didn't nt t really believe the they'd d do tIo it Somehow Judging from their letters letters letters let let- wo we thought they were girls who wouldn't do such a n rash and improper thing still as M the they were so young and antI Innocent wo hoped they would como come not riot realizing how foolish such an act net would be bc Wo We 0 asked them to each wear a red rod red rose and antI said that wo we would wear red roses also and md that very afternoon afternoon afternoon after after- noon we got ot a reply saying they would bo be on hand hantI Thursday afternoon We Wo were both glad and sorry glad that wo we to really seo see them at last and antI sorry that their womanly In Instincts Instincts Instincts In- In had not prevented them from Crom consenting to meet mett two young men oven If It they simple farmers We Vo decided to give Ive them a 0 lecture for Cor their lack of oC prudence when wo we met and then be he friends forever tore after So wo we put on our prettiest gowns because we wo wanted to make mako a n good Impression you know and amid I went gayly to our trysting place Oh Jean its it's dreadful to think of oC even yet jot and antI hot cold horrified delightful de de- de- de little chills and thrills ran rams up and down in my 10 spinal column as I write of oC it IL When we reached the tho old gnarled tree with Its Us ru rustle rustic lIe scat concert bird and glossy los sy green leaves we found found found- not two pretty half shy ehy blushing girls I as ns' we wo ha had expected but Mr flied and Dix Db Donahue Hazels Hazel's long time friend and admirer and antI each wearing a trl- trl smile Emile and anti a red red rose We Ye saw how it all was in a n minute They had bought berries had I read that note and Mr Reids Reid's familiarity famil famil- larity with my handwriting had betrayed betrayed betrayed be be- our plot at the very beginning Well you OU can Imagine how wo we felt maybe I 1 Just stood there with tho the thoI I hot blood coming and antI going In m my taco face frightened until I was afraid to rated my eyes while Mr came forward and took my limp han hands hand In I his strong ones In a a. way that made my heart hearl almost choko me Hazel and Dix began besan by laughing merrily but they disappeared so ISO soon afterward that I could scarcely b bellevo be- be levo th they y had hatI ever boon been there So this Is my friend John Hastings HastIngs Hastings Hast Hast- I ings who writes enchanting enchanting enchant enchant- ing letters Jotters to strange young ladles I. I It said Mr flied And to save flave my life liCe I couldn't think of a thing to sa say and and and could you be my maid of ot honor the th the tenth of or next October dear Jean Your happy happ happy friend Myrtle Meadows VJ I |