Ashtabula telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1874-1880, 1879-03-21
TWO VALENTINES.

Will AIDS turned his horse's head
into the long avenue, bordered by
leafiess trees, that led to Helen Bray's.
Other people would have said, "that
led to Mr.. Bray's;'' but "other people,
had not the same regard for Helen that
he had, which made all the difference in
the world.
twas toward evening. A soft sky
still relieved the delicate branches of
the el1ns; but the lights in the west
room made evening in the house, and
cheered the young man as his horse
stepped carefully over the slippery
ground.
He knew lust how Helen would well
come him in the little sitting-room with
the open fire, and make him sit in her
fathers chair, and give him pretty
hand-screen. and sit down before him,
shielding her own eyes with blue fan;
and how after she had asked for his
mother and sister, delightful silence
would fall upon them, and-the horse
was at the door.
Mr.. Bray had seen the young man
coming, and hastened out with well
come.
"Tm glad to see you" he said. "I
feared / was in for lonely evening,
but now we will have a game of chess
Helen's gone to Springfield for q
week" ...-.
Dear me! How different Mr.. Bray
was from Helen! He did not stand by
the Young man while he took off his
coat, nor did he give him the large
easy-chair. In fact, the old gentleman
seated himself in the easy-chair, and
helped himself to the and-screen, re-
gardless whether VIII Adds eyes were
| burnt out or not
In the dining-room, Margaret poured
| the tea at a side-table for the geEtle-
men, both of whom missed Helen,
though in different ways.
Mr.. Bray remarked that he wished
he had some of Helen's potato o-biscults.
/ Will would have thought cold potatoes
the Hghtest of biscuits had Helen only
been Smiling on him from behind the
shining silver-he would gladly have
gone hungry to have heard her sweet
voice. Still, as starving himself would
not bring her back from Springfield,
he managed to eat very good supper.
After the usual talk on business and
politics, the two settled down to chess,
and passed a very pleasant evening.
Every Tuesday evening for some
| time, Will Adds had ridden over from
the next village to visit Helen Bray.
When she received her friends invita-
ton, she had put off her journey tor q
day, to see him on Tuesday; and. after
| all. he had not come.
This very Wednesday evening, he had
meant to tell her all that was in his
heart. But now she was gone. He,
however, cheered himself with the
thought that weeks almost always have
ends as well as beginnings.
Will was going the following night
to Boston. 1t occurred to him, as he
went dreamily about his business the
next afternoon, that he might drop q
letter at Springfield as he went through.
Y Oh, happy thought! If Helen would
only y answer it, and let him stop al
Springfield and bring her back.
The train passed through Spring.
field about midnight; and our friend
ewith the arrow in his heart" as the
poets say, took two letters from his
pocket, posted one he had written on q
business matter, gave the other to the
conductor with a generous fee, and so
clearly and repeatedly impressed him
with the fact that it was an important
letter, and must reach the house very
early in the morning, and that it must
not be forgotten, that the conductor
was glad to get it off his hands and
mind.
As soon as the conductor reached
the depot, he, in turn, impressed lank
1 salloW who was always hanging about
;ta Importance, and gave
Lear 4.