Mrs. Adams laughed again. “Oh, I guess
you can if you want to. I expect they’re
pretty funny!”
Alice laughed in response, and chose the topmost letter
of the packet. “My dear, beautiful girl,”
it began; and she stared at these singular words.
They gave her a shock like that caused by overhearing
some bewildering impropriety; and, having read them
over to herself several times, she went on to experience
other shocks.
This time yesterday I had a mighty bad case of blues
because I had not had a word from you in two whole
long days and when I do not hear from you every day
things look mighty down in the mouth to me.
Now it is all so different because your letter has
arrived and besides I have got a piece of news I believe
you will think as fine as I do. Darling, you
will be surprised, so get ready to hear about a big
effect on our future. It is this way. I
had sort of a suspicion the head of the firm kind of
took a fancy to me from the first when I went in there,
and liked the way I attended to my work and so when
he took me on this business trip with him I felt pretty
sure of it and now it turns out I was about right.
In return I guess I have got about the best boss in
this world and I believe you will think so too.
Yes, sweetheart, after the talk I have just had with
him if J. A. Lamb asked me to cut my hand off for
him I guess I would come pretty near doing it because
what he says means the end of our waiting to be together.
From New Years on he is going to put me in entire
charge of the sundries dept. and what do you think
is going to be my salary? Eleven hundred cool
dollars a year ($1,100.00). That’s all!
Just only a cool eleven hundred per annum! Well,
I guess that will show your mother whether I can take
care of you or not. And oh how I would like
to see your dear, beautiful, loving face when you
get this news.
I would like to go out on the public streets and just
dance and shout and it is all I can do to help doing
it, especially when I know we will be talking it all
over together this time next week, and oh my darling,
now that your folks have no excuse for putting it
off any longer we might be in our own little home before
Xmas.
Would you be glad?
Well, darling, this settles everything and makes our
future just about as smooth for us as anybody could
ask. I can hardly realize after all this waiting
life’s troubles are over for you and me and
we have nothing to do but to enjoy the happiness granted
us by this wonderful, beautiful thing we call life.
I know I am not any poet and the one I tried to write
about you the day of the picnic was fearful but the
way I think about you is a poem.
Write me what you think of the news. I know
but write me anyhow.
I’ll get it before we start home and I can be
reading it over all the time on the tram.
