190. Marriage Proposal from a Widower to a Widow.
S——, July 18, 19—.
My Dear Mrs. Lothrop:—
I have been pondering many things—reviewing the past, looking forward to the future, and trying to see the meaning, the purpose, running through the tangled web of life. We don't either of us believe that chance directs our course in this world. It was not, then, chance that brought us together at the anniversaries three years ago. Since that time we have had many opportunities of becoming acquainted; our children have grown to be fast friends; my boy's heart was won to you from the first word you ever spoke to him. Chance has not worked all this; nor is it chance, dear Mrs. Lothrop, that opened my eyes to find in you my ideal of perfect womanhood.
The brief happiness that has been mine is a memory sacredly cherished for its own sake, but the disappointments, the struggles, the sorrows of my life have served only to prepare me to appreciate the nobility, the sweetness and the truth of your nature, and my own need of you. Dear Mrs. Lothrop, I love you with the deep, unchanging love of matured manhood. I long to cherish you, to protect you and your little son from the rude blows of the world.
We cannot either of us forget the past. Those whom we have loved and who have loved us will not rejoice to see us sad and lonely for their sake. Surely we should not wish them, in that brighter world where they have gone, to be sad for us, and shut out other love and friendship.
Your boy will soon need a father, mine wants a mother now; we need each other, and I love you with all the strength of my being. Can you not learn to reciprocate my feelings, and if so may we not hope for God's blessing in joining our earthly fates?
Yours ever,
Henry Waldron.