My First Love-letter

fhrough Mail. When I was abont fiiteen year.3 oH, l feil violently in love with a wdow tvho had a l'.Ulc farm, a large mole on lier chin and nine svnall ch liren. It was not a case of mild, inofi'ensive afEection, but a regular, zy emotie, malignant attack that doubled me right up into a hard double-knot and threatened my existence. She was about thirty-nine yeai-3 old, and her husband had been killed in the army. and everybody else spoke well of her and pitied her, so I spoke well of her and pitied her, too, and when she told some of my numcrous sisters that I was one of the sweetest boys in the neighborhood, that settled it with me. I thenceforth looked upon her as my own darling prospect of a happy future beyond the grave. I cannot now remeruber that ahe ;r exhibitecl any more affection for me than she showed in her conduct ' ward my sisters, but she had said that [ was the sweetest boy in the neighborhood, and in my feverish state of mind, I could not help feeling that there was a wealth of ardentlove done iip in that little bundie of words. At Sunday-school on the following Sabbath, she looked across toward me while I was mentally prayiug for her, and smiled. In that smile, I saw wealth, fame, love, honor, and a larga family, but Ihad not acqu red suliicient experienee to convince me that a smile of such diniensions was too much for me. It warmed me like a bascburner, and when the services had ' reached an end, I plucked up courage enough to ask her if I might go homo I with ner. Joy, joy, jpy! She consented. lookin? so smiling and pleasant tbat I feit tfiat if I we e to climb two rungs higher on the ladder of happine?s, I ; would be able to look right over the wall into the oyous realm where the ! man whose shoes I wished to wear, was basking in the glorious sunlight among the angels. I now remember that she looked at her ch ldren as if she feit pleased to know that I was wüling to play with them when I asked her if I mu ht go home with her, but I was blind w.ith love, then, and thought she was glad to have me in her own sweet eompany. When we reached her humble cottage, she told me I could go out in the orchard with the o her chüdren and father all the apples I could eat. How appy I was! And when her babies looked npon me aa 1 shook down the ripe fruit, how strangely excellent I feit, as I thought of ihe blesse A futuro, when they w.uld cali me papa. and I would reciprócate by gently taking the largest on s by the collar and lamming the everlastina: hills with them until hey would humbly bow down their leads in my presence and yield me good obedience. By five o'elock, I was sufficienty recovered to go home. When ther ■, my aroxysms of devot.'on to the widow be ■ :ame ïnore violent, aud I determined to delay no longer, lest some brave man - looked uponmyself as aman, I would ïave itunderstood - should capture the nestimable prize. I got hold of apiece of paper and a short pencil, and going : 10 the barn, where the eyes of a cola and heartle's world would not be upon me, I wrote the following touchng appeal: Omega, Marión Co., 111., March 18- Dear Missus (I don't want to give j her away, as she is now a repectablo oíd grandmother, so I will fictate a lit;le on the name), McGruder. i want :oo marey mee when i am a Man. i ove you awefully Bad, and vou know It "The Rose is Red the vyollcks blew, Sandy is sweat and So air yew." "Shure's the Moss grows Round the stump, Yew air My Swoetest Sliugger lump." i am awefull loveingly yewers, From feeling3 of modesty, I suppress my own name, also. I never was noted Eor wishing to intrudo rny name upon the public af ter anything had been stolen or some other meanness had j been done and people were trying to find who did it. Her reply, wmch my mother received and read in my 1 sence, crushed out the last spark ol hope in my soul and resulted in my being ignominiou3ly spanked. It read: "Dear boy: I have all the childvrm I know how to support. Tf folks I won't let you stay at home, apply to a foundlina asylum. Yours truly,