The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1892-02-11

A !. y
LUZ : - - led ters6
traced thS lines 81 Slle Il Swifth one
/ mischievous fore6nger. ~.
.'a@&s:ss.WilEyou consent 70 be-" lie reSd.
Thon he looked at the envelope again.
But all he saw was Master Thomas
Davis Center Street" IL the same stiff
hand NN'@7S@
s"Hiraa1nn Brown thinks he's s.,m 81
He finally calculated St"rlla show him
to write:me such stuff az this, mean
old codger!sa He's'mad at me- cause I
tripped him up withssa string last
April Fool, = and Tommy chuckled at
the thought =,
Just then his sister, fair, womanly
girl, entered the room. .s<' - -.
whats the matter, To1nmy? Got a
bad valentine?" +'~*.,. IL
II sh'd soy i had!' grunted Tommy.
"Just read it," and he disdainfully
tossed it to Helen.
20, that isn't SO very bad" she said,
laughing. "You had better let me
keep it. 1t might make Mr.. Brown
some trouble. Buta new thought en-.
tered Tommy's malicious little head,
just then. s,.A.. .. ..
Not mucheev' he cried, and he
snatched the letter and danced out OF
the room before Helen could prevent it.
Down the street to Miss Abigail
Robins store he ran as fast as his pudgy
little red legs could carry him, and in
between thestworshort counters, where
he found Miss Robins, so indignant
over what appeared to be comic
valentine, that she hardly saw him.
His eye fell on the valentine and his
face heightened. He saw it all now,
and, flinging the letter down on the
counter, he cried, angrily:
Take your old valentines He got
'em mixed, know!' and was IF like a
shot,
That very afternoon, Miss Robins
locked her shop door and, arrayed IN =
''sleazy' green silk dress, sought the
residence of Hiram Brown.
marry him?'' OF course she would,
as soon as ever he wanted her to- She
had not powdered and crimped and
curled all these years for nothing, it
seemed. Rich old Hiram Brown had
ahem! fallen in love with her, and had
actually proposed! She would not
trust to the tickle mails, but would
answer this delightful question in per-
| son.
But when Mr.. Brown saw her, vine
gar-faced old thing as she was. he was
attacked by something very like stage
fright and, for the first time in his life,
prevaricated.
| d." he stammered. care you
sure wrote it? Changed letters, you
say-probably done as joke on your
self and Tommy Davis. (the little
rascaD'' he muttered. in an undertone.
| ''Wait moment, dear Miss Robins, las
if she had the slightest thought of
leavingD I will speak to Jed. Some
prank, probably"
ing such letter, and asked to see it.
''Uncle's writing-uncle's writing, -
he murmured, loud enough for Miss
Robins to hear.
And Miss Robins? She fairly jumped
up and down in her rage.
Send such a picture to a poor. lone
woman like me-" she shrieked. "And
then deny the letter you wrote. l will
sue you for breach of promise, you
old sneak!" she screamed Il certainly
willr'
jed, Jed!'' whispered his uncle,
hoarsely. drawing him to one side.
Get me out of this and will do any
thing you want-anyth ing!'
81 will on one condition, uncle-and
one only"
dear, dear!" moaned the old gen
tleman. Its little rough, Jed, to IN
sist upon conditions, when I'm in such
a fix"
Cant help it, unk," returned Jed,
coldly. you've been hard on me. just
say that Helen and I can marry, and
I'll shoulder the whole business
IF it was anybody but those Davis :,
Jed, l wouldn't care
IF it was anybody but Helen
wouldn't care, either. But as it is he,
must insist"
"Well, Jed-do the-the best you can
for me with that vinegary-faced spin
ster and IN surrender"
miss Robins" said Jed, returning
to the old maid and fAgning much EN-.
barrassfhent, 1T was all mistake. .
must say that did write 'em, though
it did seem like adding to the richness
of the joke to throw it off upon uncle.
I'm sure I'm sorry, but"
Here Miss Robins, with an angry
snort, flounced out of the room. Jed
turned to his uncle.
didn't i do that neatly:' said he.
"And now, uncle, no backing down
on your part Helen and must marry
as soon as she will name the dag"
| "All right, Jed; but if it was anyone
but those Davis Id"
Eyes, but you will, anyhow, unk
You'll never miss it, and it will set u.
up for housekeeping. The whole
scheme is immense"
So they were married, and Uncle
Brown came down so, handsomely that
it is quite probable Helen's first kiss
upon her wedding morning had re-
moved his unreasonable prejudice.
against those Davis Matte O.
Campbell, in Yankee Blade. ~.,.<.
! Z j. A. vALEN TINE.
i Egg a.. II So -. .-. aga >.* r
Icare not that the snow lies deep