The Breckenridge news. (Cloverport, Ky.) 1876-1955, 1895-02-13

There were, however, several young
lmps in this country town who would not
be won by Miss Sally's kindness or cook
Ing. They stole her apples and tramplod
down her flower beds. They made faces
at her ON the street and hurt her by ioer-
Ing remarks about her condition in life.
Young brutes arc to be found in every
community.
1t was from one of these hobbledehoys
that a blow, destined to hurt and injure
the inotfensive woman, came the morning
on which this story opens. Miss sally
eyed her three letters with q rapture UNI
known to those with whom largo mail
Is daily occurrence. She held them up
and carefully scrutinized the postmnrks.
She felt of them to discover their thick
ness. Sho hesitated for some timo before
opening them. 1t was such q treat to
have three lettersl
At last she opened ono which bore the
postmark of a distant western town and
read a letter from a second cousin who
had recently moved toward the setting
sun. Miss Sally read Cousin Elvira's let
ter with relish. There were many bits of
family news which greatly interested her.
At last she camo to this line: You never
could guess who is living here. Do you
remember your old beau, John TerryP"
Miss Sally dropped the letter with a
quick exclamation Did she rememberf
A tempest shook the lonely soul The long
buried past camo back. Youth, beauty,
love, hope, passed In hasty and mournful
procession before her. The poor, plain old
maid was once again slim, graceful slip
of a girl She saw face at once hand
some and tender; she heard a loving voice.
Poor Miss Sallyi 1t was too much for
her She could not finish the letter. The
tears were falling down her thin cheeks as
she hastily returned 1t to the envelope and
laid 1t one side to be reread when she was
more composed.
I'm Just glance at the others" she
thought as she wiped her eyes on her ging
ham apron. The second letter was merely
a note regarding some sewing. The third
---ah When Miss Sally opened that envel-
ope and saw the contents, she felt indeed
that her cup was full.
A hideous, coarsely painted comic val
entine met her eye. A frightful old wom-
an, with corkscrew ringlets, huge beak,
cross eyes, gaunt form, scrawny neck and
mincing attitudes, was portrayed upon
the cheap paper. 1t was labeled "Old
Maid, and some wretchod doggerel under
the picture stated that this object, with
cred, grizzly, ugly old bag, was in search
of a husband and was terror to all single
men.
The vile caricature slipped from Miss
Sally's trembling hand to the floor. The
shrinking, sensitive soul was wounded. to
the quick by the insult. Possibly she
might not have felt the stab so keenly had
It not come directly upon the letter which
had spoken a name she had not dared to
breathe Go herself these many years.
This, then, was her st. Valentines day.
Miss Sally had forgotten 1t was the 18th Of
February. Why should she remember its
But these two rude shocks brought the
day foroibly to her mind.
Rising, she crossed the room TO an old
fashioned secretary, and opening drawer
took out an envelope yellow with age
From this she drew "A bit OF paint and lace
and rosebuds--a valentine, the only one
she had ever received, sent her years ago
by John Terry 1t bore two hearts trans
fixed by one arrow, and there were some
simple rhymes inscribed which breathed
of love and fidelity. Its lace was frayed,
its paint dimmed. Only faded leaf drop
ped from the mournful rustling boughs OF
memory, but dear to the desolate old maid
who held IL tenderly in her toilworn hands.
"How happy 1 was, thought Miss
Sally, 1.-THE day got itl remember jest
how father laughed when he handed 1t to
me. Well, well, didn't think then that
John and would fall out, and that he'd
a out west end marry somebody else.