Litchfield enquirer., 1867-02-21
THE TWO VALENTINES.
BY MARY FOREMAN.

l ssIt is such @ bother b be poor.' There had been long interval of silence in Mrs. Jameson little sitting-room, when Gertie made this exclamation. ssWhat is the new bother, Gertie?" l The pleased voice and look of kindly in- quiry made the young girl blush deeply, as she replied:-
 | 70 mamma, never mind was only thinking aloud
 Thinking of what?'
 | ssOf some velvet flowers I saw yesterday at Lees, which just matched this ribbon , and Gertie held up bonnet she was trim ming. ''Velvet flowers are so lovely for a winter bonnet, and this one needs some thing ~
 l ..T am sure it 10oksvery nice, Gertie.''
 s'Nice!" said the girl, with scornful em- phasis; 'syes, it is very nice and that turn ed silk is nice, and the short sack made out of your old cloak is nice, and cleaned gloves are nice, and"-
 1 "Why Gertie!' cried her mother, in a voice of amazement.
 But there is nothing stylish or hand some in cleaned gloves, and returned bon nets, and old cloaks turned into sacks, and so say poverty is a bother"
 "Gertie, put away the bonnet and come | LCAO' 4\ous dtoAC ucuS5nVSA3 ofsihl t1c W1u- ow, gently, ''tell me the meaning of this sudden tirade against poverty; of the rest less tossing heard from your room last night; of the nervous unquiet of my con- tented little girl since yesterday2' There was no answer.
 rGertie, what did Leon Payne say to you last evening?'
 "He asked me to be his wife. The words were jerked out hastily.
 'And you answered.
 'Jane came in to shut up the parlor, not knowing he was there, and she stayed; so he had no answer at all. :"
 ''Buthe must be answered, Gertie. He has spoken to me, and I told him it must rest with you" | ''Mammaw this was after long, deep silence ''he is very rich. When he mar ries, his wife can have every luxury. Tiff it is me, we can have you with us, and Jane need not teach in that hold school any longer. We were on - Street the oth- day and stopped to look in jewellers win dow, and he pointed out the kind of jewels he would wish his wife to wear need not wear old silks then, mammal
 '"Thea you intend to accept his offer?"
 'I don't know. You see, there is Har- ry."
 ''But Harry cannot offer you iewels'
 ''No, poor Harry! If he had only three thousand dollars, MT. Ingraham would take him into the firm. He told me all about it last week. But think how long 1t will take him to save three thousand tlollaIs. and of course his wife must s4s5 and ecdnomize, till he is able to spend more freely"
 s'Yes, dear, there would be no variation on the turned cloth and retrimmed bonnets no velvet flowers, no jewels"
 ''But such noble, true heart; such ten der 1ove!'
 'Leon Payne loves you"
 ''As much as he loves anything beyond his own pleasure and comfort. He is so thoroughly selfish, 50 hard, and thinks so be handsomely dressed, ride in her carriage and reflect credit upon his choice. Nam ma, he loves me because am pretty and can sing we'll, and can his house nicely. Harry loves me because it is nae" l There was sudden violent jerk at the door bell::at that instant, that called Ger tie to the door. She came back with flying feet. -.4
 "Two Valentines mamma! I had forgot ten it was the fourteenthp' i sTwo?"
 "Yes! o mamma look!" I'M
 She had torn off the cover from sdainty package in her hand, and opened a mofroc- co case inside. Upon the black velvet lin ing lay parure of glittering diamonds flashing up where stray sunbeam fell upon them into glorious sea of color.
 'Leon Payne!" cried Gertie. .ss'Are they not exquisite?"
 Mrs. Jameson s lip quivered a little as she looked at her daughters flushed face and bright eyes, and her heart sent up a silent but feryent prayer for the future trembling before her eyes.
 "Look at the other," she said quietly. 1 "Only a copy of verses," said Gertie "Violet eyes, and all that sort of thing But, are not these diamonds magnificent? It is the very set I admired so much when we were out the other day" 1 ".Gertie, it Is eleven o'clock, and must go to Mrs. Lewis Little daughter, you may have callers while I'm out;n she drew her child into her arms, and looked with anxious love into her eyes, "Gertie, my darling, betrue to your own heart. :" And so she left her.
 Trne to her own heart, Gerte Jameson sat down to ponder over the words. The diamonds flashed out their glorious waves of light before her eyes; the copy of vers- es lay open upon the little workable, and Gertie sat musing: Pictures of the past came in rapid succession into her memory:
 It was ten years ago, but she could still remember the day since her father had been called to the shadow land The lux urious country home where she aud Jane, her elder sister, were born, was sold, and they had come to the city. Her mother, one of the finest amatssr pianists of her time, had begun to teach music, and they had lived upon her earnings, until Jane was old enough to take the French class 1n a.large seminary, and Gertie to have slng- l ing scholars at home; but even with these additions, their income was, very hmiteo' Close economy, self-denial, humble fare, and quiet dress, Gertie could recall much more distinctly than the wealth her father had squandered and lost. when dld liar " Clarke come upon the scene! Gertle scarcely knew. He was step-son of her mother's brother, and had come to the city to make his fortune. Far away m the cen, tral part of Pennsylvania nestled small m III farm where Harry was born, where 1atnel I, and mother had died, and whlcn was !ne boys sole patrimony. The rent of the do main scarcely suficed to ciotne me young clerk, but he had been winning ms way ia !. the house of Ingraham Co, ana now, Il