Mt. Pleasant Pyramid | 1924-08-22 | Page 3 | John Fiske and Abby Brooks

JOHN FISKE AND ABBY BROOKES THE American historian and philosopher, philoso-pher, John Fiske, was a rather bashful lover and when he met the girl of his heart his first proceeding was to ask her permission to write to her. This being decided on we have the following letter addressed by Flske to Miss Abby Brookes : "Something almost compels me to write this, though I readily imagine how assuming I may appear in doing so. But I can sincerely say that were the state of things now to exist, of which we read In the fairy fable, and were some beneficent genii to ask me what boon of all I would have soonest granted me, I should at once answer this: that you might deign to bestow upon me the favor, for which I have just asked (permission to write). Should you think best to refuse this request, I beg you to think no more of It." Miss Brookes consented, and later consented to a greater favor asked by John Fiske. They lived happy ever after, so happy that Flske could send a letter like the one below, after eleven years of married life: "Eleven years ago was the day I asked you to write to me up at Petersham. Peter-sham. Oh, if only we were In Petersham Peter-sham now (dearest spot on earth), with our precious little flock! I am eaten up with homesickness and think If I can ever see New England again I shall be content never to travel at all. I crave every word from home as a drunkard crave3 his liquor and the kindest thing you can do for me will be to write a little almost every day, even If It is only half a page, so that only I may see an envelope directed by you, when I go for my mail. . . ."