The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1885-04-10
MISS 0LNEY'S VALENTINE

"a beautiful morning" Miss Or-..-
thought. as she carried her bird Gao,
the window and threw openthe shuttar-...
let ia the full flood Of light. Old tner,c-,-1
were stirring her heart as she went sl,..-.
her work today, for this sunshinv 14t,, -
February seemed so like another in ~.
long ago. She was was only sixteen tbsr
-"sweet sixteen" Jack Brown CALI
her-and they often called her a 81, l,-l.
hirt in those days. She bad never Tne,,.
TO jilt him-never, and when on tbs,
night, at the valentine party, she had a.
lowed Ally BrimmeT to take her hon.
leaving Jack, who had escorted bs.
there, to find out at his leisure thar -.
was gone, she fully expected he vorr5
come over the next day and make II an
up. But Jack did not come over -.
next day, nor the day nfter tn.
And then she heard he had gone ava
But though her own folly and Jacks rs,l
haste had mnrred the lives OF both. NJ,
Olney grew into a nobler, better vyo-r,,
for the sorrow she had endured. Doyr-
with all her might" every duty b..
hands found to do, living a life OF orl,,
usefulness, sne found herself at tbl-tv :,
not positively happy, at least content
To-day her landlord and his wife ~
away. and her assistants OF on their b,,,
day. She too, was keeping holiday IN
alone. Sitting with idle hands for tb5s
one day. and letting memory bring bslI
the "fRce Of her Douglas tender -
true. - A" Poor Jack 2" seemed dead II bss
He had proposed to her and married Lts
wife all in one day-married in v1.5
haste and "repented at leisure. - tho0vb =.
human soul ever heard from his r9aniS
lips either complaint or regret Tbs
breaking ont OF the civil war brought III
him a CLEAN OF hope. Naturally patriot,
he was among the first to enlist For tvFo
years he served his country we'll and in
regiment known for It's bravery he go
among the first. So far he had escsns5
with slight wounds: but he was -
always TO thus escaPe-he was wounded
and taken 70 prison Then after loro
dreary months an such months 10 ti.
prisoners at Andersonvtlle and LIbbT.6
such months Of anguish 70 the lov{-g
hearts at home, he was reported dead :
Mrs Brown mourned loudly and y-0-s
the deepest mourning for six months
Then she was married again but the nevT
husband was q drunkard. and after SOM
years of misery the woman who was o1-s
Jack Browns wife was laid to rest
That WAS all Of the past that Miss Olnrv
reviewed to-day, as she sat in her lonelv
room but, oh, how Il filled her heart IN
her eyes oyerfiowed in tears. The dsv
that had been so bright in the morning
grew overcast as the afternoon wore on
and ere night snow and sleet filed the sIy'
Miss Olney lighted her lamp. but shs aid
not close the shutters. So she set out her
supper with snowy damask" and dsintv
china and the silver that had been m ~
family for more than a generation.
just then she was rather startled By q
heavy rap at the door. Only some
neighbor,h . she thought, as she stepped n
admit the applicant.
The wind blew in with its attendant
- = 4
threshold stepped IN with il, neither wait
ing for an invitation. a gentleman bv
his dress, but Miss Olney. though not
given TO fear, felt sudden chill ss she
saw that he wRs stranger.
-" Excuse me madam. ne said. in a voice
tremulOus and hoarse " believe an
chilled through II you'u allow me
But before the words were fairly spoken
Miss Olney had drawn her own easy chair
to the IRE, and the stranger dropped into
IT. evidently entirely exhausted Ida
forgot her fears in compassion for the
stranger, and when his trembling fingers
tried in vain 10 unlOOse his muffier she a.
fered hey assistance in tones she found
trenbled too
The next moment she fairly blushed a.
her act, as the face. clear Of its wrappinEs
looked up Al her. The pale face with the
mustache and hair tinged with gray, and
the eyes He looked but said no word his
lips worked a. II he fain would speak but
no sound came. Only the tears welled up
anu ltll uNEE AnE D14lEA CHECKS A-lla
stood mute, transhxed by that look
What does q mean =" she said st last II
an ave-struck whisper.
Then the stranger stretched forth his
hand. He had no strength Tor further
gesture, his agitation was SO extreme.
Ida" he whispered, =" Lids, don yOu
know ne Don't you know jack
." Is il really you Jack 80 she Eaid so
last. " Are you sure It's you -
Yes, quite sure. - he answered, Nth
laugh thai. had he been women, would
have been hysterlCaL
But thought you were dead Jack
." And were you sorry -
Such = look p $ she gave him. 90 How can
you ask But tell nc how II was 80
And then he told her Ot the long oblivion,
from which he woke 70 find himself re-
ported rs dead The terrible prison iif8
had driven him mad He was t5kCn and
cared FOR By good samaTitaus FOR thee
long wears and then. whom he wGs himself
again, he found that ever one supposed
him dead. And he said, knowing
that my wife had reInarried, and my other
friends given me up. / thought it best not
to break the silence. But hearing long
ago that she was dead, / could no longer
resist the longing to find out II I was en-
tirely forgotten. I arrived here but e
little while ago, and found Oh inquiry that
you were Fti0 Miss Olney and lived alone
or at least had an establishment OF yuur
own
" All, Jack, DO yuu know what dag q isi
on are my valentine, sir
And so the wonderful news of Jacks
return bscrme an cid story In Lorraine, snd
her children the srr~v u the % valentino