The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1882-02-10

81 say, Frank, this Is an outrage! we
were perfect ruffians to do it, and I'll
never forgive you for proposingit. She
saw through our pretence, too! Did you
ever see more beautiful face, Frank?
She makes me think of that St. Cecilia
we were looking at the other day at Os-
borne's sale.'
:sPoor old boyr' said Frank, inter-
rupting his burst of enthusiasm. and he
patted him patronizingly on the Shout
der. my dear fellow, I never expected
this of you-that you would fall victim
to Cupid's arrow; you who have laughed
at me for admiring the insipid beauty
and expressionless faces of pictures, have
at last been shared by pretty face.
Better mail your valentine to her right
away Declaration of First Love-
very appropriate, but rather precipitate;
mis- ht not be reciprocated, you know.
Ali that sort of thing does we'll enough
in novels. Will you send your valentine
now? I'm going to stop in here to copy
mine, and mail to Fam"
Don't" said Valentine, impatiently;
II shall keep mine, and you may do
what you please with yours and he
walked away, leaving Frank West stand
ing on the steps of his uncle's Office,
looking after him with comical air of
mingled pity and establishment, depicted
on his face. When Val had disappeared
in a receding car he gave a prolonged
whistle and CALCULATED: Hang it! I've
done it now! Who would have thought
of such a thing? I'll have to laugh him
out of this delusion, else there IL be the
dickens to pay, when his family hear of
it, and they'll bring vengeance down on
my unsupported head. It'll 60 hard
with Val, too, for when his mind is
made up, might as well try to move a
six-story block as to make him swerve
from his purpose. Poor boy" Be it
known that this same ''poor boy was
older by couple of years than this
young man of twenty-one, who looked
at love in all its dealings from business
standpoint, and had little faith in love
at first sight, bleeding hearts, and ''all
that sort Of thing
The next time these two young men
met, Frank West rallied Valentine Clark
on his recent fascination. Well,
VAL" he exclaimed, with provoking
GOODNESS, "have you seen st. Cecilia
again? Has she accepted thy Declare
ton of First Love? and contest thou
here to tell ME that thy fate is sealed:
Whence this frown on thy brow, ane
that scornful curve Oh thy lip"
Enough nonsense, Frank" said Val
entine, carelessly. ''Let's drop the sub
ject.'
EXACTLY what I say" answered
Frank; it is all nonsense, but l wa
afraid you might be getting foolish a
the Shakers say, over the pretty littl'
valentine writer-she was pretty, that
a fact. 1 sent the verses to Fan ant
they accomplished their purpose. Sh'
guessed who sent them; didn't know o
my poetical ability before, thought tn
verses Just lovely admired the senti
ment, etc. What if l had told her the!
,, were not original (but haven't,) that
bought them and paid for them with sill
yer? Half the charm would be lost"
After they had separated Frank Yves
congratulated himself that he had LEI
, Valentine Clark to see the error of hi
:. WAYS, and had cured him of his foolisl
, fancy. '.It's a wonder, though" h
said to himself '.for Val is such a dream
, er that he never sees the ludicrous sid
: of ANYTHING. This freak-which Nigh
have proved an unfortunate one for hin
is as foolish as the notion he took int
, his head of educating that little girl h
= picked up somewhere a year or so age
:, he thought he had discovered wonder
- full artistic talent in her, which was onl
an ingenious trick on her part of obtain
q ing help.
. .sHe's safe now, until some other cd
= fancy strikes him. Perhaps he woul
. not have been so sure that his badinag
i" had succeeded, could he have seen h
friend above in his room, heard his solilt
- auies and known who was the one tn:
= figured extensively in his sleeping an
!. waking dreams, but he did not know
- and in the business and pleasure whic
:, filled the next two months the episode
- the l4th of February was almost forgo
10 ten, and he probably never would ha,
~ recalled it, had it not been for an inc
-, =, dent that happened early in the sprin;
- 1t was April, but more like May, for, a
~ though the winter had been severe, Il
season was unusually forward. Frar
~ West and Valentine Clark were waikiki
q through Central Park, when the form
% 20 suddenly perceived that his companion
- attention was not given to the subject
~ their conversation, and that his eyes we
" >, resting on some distant object.
n. s.There she is!'' exclaimed Val.
m thought it was she. Wen finish o
n talk some other time"
te wonderfully COOL" Frank We
7 thought, as he found himself waikiki
o. alone and saw Vars slim figure hurr
he ling toward the subject of attractio
e. He takes it for granted I'm not comm
of but l won't leave him now-Tn
,o bound if will-he'n need me to he
ST him out again, for it's that Miss-wh
If. is her name, anyhow? l don't suppo
At the dear fellow himself has the most 1
ad mote idea what it is. 1t may be Smi
mt or Jones for all he knows. He turn
ev and sauntered across the park with
N. nonchalent air, and came up to the
a;r lust in time to hear the ''dear fellow
IS asking considerably how Mrs. Dayt
a was now that spring had come.
Id III Be bound if he does not knt
n her name already. His charming sis,
er Agnes might be sick a year. and
Ike wouldn't evince half so much solicitu
ut for her," said Frank to himself.
\ L