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Show t' liQW and MARRIED UFA 25j, the noted author 1 A The Call of Children. H One often hears nowadays that with H the telegraph and the telephone letter IH writing has become a lost art But, if you wish to test this of I repeated H sentiment allow a rumor to be spread H that you have come into a little for- H My mail at present is voluminous. It seems as though every man and wo- H man I ever knew and many I know B havo heard that I have recently in- H herltcd money. Each of the strangers H is determined that he shall get some H of it. I suppose this what we call H After reading over, the advertising literature describing mines and oil H wells and other business propositions VHH 1 had a new feeling about John. I Hk ' was notxas angry with him as I was at IHm first, when ho insisted that he must bo the one to take care of my oil Hf properties. I could see now that he was only following out what every H successful man has had to learn early fHI in the game of life. jHI My mail this morning is stupendous, but I have become accustomed to sift-ing sift-ing the chaff from the wheal and after running through it I laid a very small Hj part of it in a neat pile to read at my leisure Avhile I merely tore open the envelopes of the remainder only to ; waste basket. Not Business Letters. The superscription -on one or two of the envelopes I did not recognize, but I knew instinctively that they were not business letters. One of them I opened casually and was surprised that it was signed by Lobby Gaylord. "What can he be writing me about?" said I to myself rather stupidly as I turned the letter over in my hand. A name, however, caught my eyes and 1 started quickly to read "My Dear Kntherlnc: I am quite sure you will be surprised to receive a letter from me, but I have been informed in-formed that Ruth and the children arc spending the spring months in your town and 1 am going to make a request re-quest of you with which I am sure you will comply, although you will think it a strango one. "Will you go and see Ruth and the .children? I am particularly anxious to know how the babies are looking and you will not think I am ovorsentl- .mental when 1 say I would like to know if they still remember me. Strange, Isn't Jt that while I had them always with me I thought very little about them? In fact, Ruth's constant care of them, to tho exclusion ol everything else, made me, regard them almost as a nuisance; but now I hear their cnildish voices calling 'Daddy' and I find myself remembering their foolish little questions' with( a smile-r questions which used to annoy; me but which today I would gladly answer. "Do not think, Katnerlne, that I love Helen any the less. She is to me still the one woman in all the world and I would give all I possess if these children, chil-dren, who are tugging, tugging, at my heart-strings, were hers as well as mine. "I do not talk to her about it for I know it makes her unhappy. She feels that she is keping me away from them, for you see 1 know that Ruth will never let them como to us. "She told me when I left her to go with Helen that she was glad that the children would be here alone. But oh, Katherinc they are mine quite as much. I am their father and nature will not be denied. "You see I am opening up my heart to you for you have always been such an understanding sort of a woman, and you have also been so sweet and dear to Helen that I have loved you next to her. ' "But will you try if you can to per-. per-. suado Ruth to let little Bobby come : to me for a' week or so "Unless you feel, sure, she will do this, do not mention it to her, but you can see tho children and. write mo how they are; what they say; if they have grown and, above all else, if they still remember their father. Congratulated on Inheritance. . "Will you let me congratulate you on the fine inheritance which is now yours? " ''While money canotn blot out grief, yet It will always help to console a little. I hope that Helen and I will see you soon. I can not tell you in words the" great love she has for you, but I am quite sure, my dear Katherine, you know that however much I am your friend because of my dear wife, I am also, for your own sake, always "Sincerely and devotedly vours, "ROBERT GAYLORD." |