Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1880-02-15
MY VALENTINE.

little mi-detached house which rs now
my home. The little maid has laid the
breakfast things, but it is early, and l
sit on the hOrse-hair sofa in the window,
looking out for the postman.
Not that his coming this morning has
any romantic interest for me. Those
days of romance are past and gone.
l am now arrived at the sober age of
thlrty-five. and it is time to have done
with such folly. And yet as 1 sit here.
| and the postman delays his coming, my
mind wanders back to other Valentine S
days long ago, when it was matter of
| such deep interest to me.
One fourteenth of February in partlcu-
| lar, remember, ten-let me see, sixteen
years ago it was. How the years fly
| and how short a time it seems! Those
few bright years of woman's life seem
to 60 by magic, and when they are gone
what renainss Always at one time or
other an aching sense that they are gone,
| and sometimes alas the knowledge that
| she is doomed to loneliness for the years
| to come. felt that at one time myself.
| but am used to it now.
At thlrty-tive these romantic regrets
should be done with. And especially
when one lives the life of daily govern
ess (as have done for some years pasD
the realities of life press too constantly
| and too unpleasantly to ones mind to
leave room tor day-dreams.
But on the fourteenth OF February
just referred to my governess life had not
yet begun. had then as fair future
before me as most young girls OF nay &C.
quaintance, with equal chances of an
advantageous and happy marriage, and
lite of independence. At that time I
was Oh visit to some friends, the Gov
entry's.
The family COT listed Of father, mother
and two d:ughtc:s-tine, hearty, good
looking girls, tail, strong, and high-spirit-
ed. In that respect rather contrast to
myself, for was small, quict-mannered
and las I was myself painfully conscious)
rather plain in appearance. They saw
plenty of company, for their father,
Squire Coventry as he was called, kept a
most hospitable house; and especially
during the winter the house was continu-
| ally filed with youngipeople, land amuse-
| ment of all kind was the order Of the
day.
In most of these amusements I took q
part; and though / had neither health
| nor animal spirits equal to my young fe-
IN ale friends, their kindness and hearth
ness made everything plrasant. They
had a most especial fondness for practi-
cal joking q mean of the harmless kind
particularly the younger one, Kate, who
was ably assisted in this line by her
cousin, Charles Bralntree, who constantly
| formed one Of the party.
Kate asd Charley were in every kind
| of cscapade-coMpanion in mirth, and
frequently in misfortune, when the evil
| effects Of their Joking came home to their
own door.
| Whlie l was at the Coventry's we at
tended little village church close by,
where, the rector being absent, there of
| ticiated at the time a curate who had
lately come to the place. He was a tall,
slight man, rather good looking; but he
had a painfully stilted, self-conscious
manner, which quite did away with the
prepossessing effect Of his appearance. |
at first attributed it to conceit, afterwards
when l knew him better, to shyness. He
seldom came TO the house, although the
Coventrys quickly made his acquaintance
and pressed him 70 do SO, but invitations
of all kinds he refused.
During my stay. however, he gradual
" acquired the habit OF walking home
with us from church, our road lying part
" in the same direction he would part
| with us at the participates with the stitfest
of bows, refusing all entreaties to enter,
and proceed to his lodgings i'll the vii
lagc.
By degrees his visits to the house be-
came more frequent and of course the
change was attributed to me. could not
help becoming conscious that during
these Sunday walks his place was gener-
ally at my side; and I suffered from the
sly looks and muttered remarks of which
| was subject. Our conversations on these
occasions was of the primmest and most
demure. Sometimes, after silent walk
of two or three minutes, feeble request to
carry my Prayer-book, and that yielded
to few remarks on the weather and so
on. and we were already at our journeys
tlllS WIS SUulClCul lOOu
for my mischief loving friends to found a
joke upon. AS to Mr.. B. himself, he was
''fair game" HIS conscious, conceited,
and yet awkward and bashful manner,
made him l must confess most tempt
ing subject; and while he had quickness
enough to see that in some way or other
he was being ridiculed, his senses of
humor were so dull that he could never
comprehend the joke. All this COM
blned to make him undergo torture when
in my friends society, and verify be-
lieve he fed to me quiet, sedate and
harmless, as was) as a refuge from their
sallieS. Whether that were so or no, l
know not, but by degrees became quite
used to his society, and from tolerating, I
got to like it, and to miss him when he
did not come; and when the joke ragged,
1 invariably took his part.
Valentines day drew near, and of
course Kate Coventry was full of business.
There were valentines of all kinds to be
dispatched and expected in return. Nj
merous "hoaxes" designed tor particular
friends, and the plots and schemes as to
places of postage and disguise of hand
writing, were truly wonderful.