Dearest Etta:
The delightful hours I have passed in your society have left
an impression on my mind that is altogether indelible,
and cannot be effaced even by time itself. The frequent
opportunities I have possessed, of observing the thousand acts
of amiability and kindness which mark the daily tenor of your
life, have ripened my feelings of affectionate regard into
a passion at once ardent and sincere until I have at length
associated my hopes of future happiness with the idea of you
as a life partner, in them. Believe me, dearest Etta, this is
no puerile fancy, but the matured results of a long and warmly
cherished admiration of your many charms of person and mind.
It is love--pure devoted love, and I feel confident that your
knowledge of my character will lead you to ascribe my motives
to their true source.
May I then implore you to consult your own heart, and should
this avowal of my fervent and honorable passion for you
be crowned with your acceptance and approval, to grant me
permission to refer the matter to your parents. Anxiously
awaiting your answer,
I am, dearest Etta,
Your sincere and faithful lover,
GEO. COURTRIGHT.
To Miss Etta Jay,
Malden, Ill.
_17.--From a Gentleman to a Widow._