Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1899-02-13
N|DOND NDARbY'S VALENTINE
BY J. L. HARBOUR.

me WIDOW barDy, falr, plump, ana
looking far younger than her 45 years.
had ridden into town with Jared Kent
| because her horse had lamed himself
that morning, and Jared "happened to
be going in," and had asked the widow
| to ride with him.
Jared was what some of the people of
The neighborhood called a regular born
| old bach" He f1outed and scorned
womankind most of the fifty years of
his life, and had openly set forth his
conviction that men We're better off
without EN- than with EN- particular
ly when it come to marrying of EN-
He had held to this conviction so long
and had proclaimed it so boldly and so
constantly that all of the match makers
in the rural neighborhood in which he
lived had. given him up hopeless case
beyond the pale of their schemes for
making a benedict of him.
Jared was not. like most avowed
women haters, a grabbed, cross-grained
sneerngly, cynical man, which made
his celibacy all the more objectionable
in the eyes of the match makers.
He'd make a real good husband if
Led try" they said. Then he has the
incest farm in the neighborhood with
one of the best houses on ii and money
out at interest, although he's not bit
mean and stingy. He'll do his full
share always for neighbor in distress.
1t isn't because he's too stingy to sup
port her that Jared doesn't get him Il
| wife"
1t was a clear, crisp morning in
February when Jared rode to the Will
age with the widow Darby seated be-
side him in his neat little cutter. The
sleighing was fine and the air keen
| and eXhilarating. 1t gave the widows
plump cheeks beautiful crimson glow
and made her black eyes sparkle. She
was in high spirits and her laugh rang
out frequently as merry and ripping as
the laugh of u child.
But then the widow Darby was pro-
verbally CHEEKY. She had suffered
keenly the loss of her husband and
both of her children, but time had soft
ened her grief, and she was too wise
to spend her life in gloom and grief
over the loss of those who were beyond
all care and sorrow.
She had comfortable little home
and few acres of land adjoining
Jared Kent's. She had known Jared
all of her life, but not once had She
thought of him as a possible successor
to Joel Darby.
Jared will never marry anyone she
had said. He isn't of marrying dis
position Some men are that way It's
all they lack to make 'em what God in
tended they should be. My husband
and | used to talk Jared over good
deal, and we did our full share to get
him settled for life with a good wife.
We used to invite lots of nice girls,
! young and elderly both, to our house
tp tan
and to play croquet with them. He'd
be nice and pleasant and all that, but
. he never came any ways near falling
p into any of the traps we set for him.
We thought once that he did take n
kind of a shine to a nice; sweet real
= good looking girl of about 30 named
Il Janet Deane from over Shelby way
who was visiting us. She'd of made
him an awful good wife, and l sung
d her praises all the time, but nothing
+, came of it,"
Its an elegant morning, isn't it?''
a said Jared, as he and the widow flew
e along over the hills and through long
lanes in which the snow was drifted
almost to the top of the fences.
d "Oh, it's lovely"' replied the widow.
st Il like snow
- so do l. You got much to do in
" town."
is mo; I'll be through with all of nv
~ errands in an hour. | can let some
thing go if you don't want to stay in
IL town that long"
"Oh, that'll be none too long for me
40 Where shall | meet you?'
IN be at Smith & Hanscom's dry
It goods store. any time you say"
it We'll call it II O'clock, then"
,e 1t was three minutes after IL when
Jared drove up to the appointed place
of meeting. The widow had steppe(
into the sleigh and he was tucking the
IN robes in around her when she said:
q. There, Jared, I'm just like othel
:, women; I've forgotten something"
~ What is it?"
he II forgot to 60 around to the post
Id office. l know that there's nothin,
there for me, because one of the Ston
" boys brought my mail out last night
IL and there's no mail trains until noon
h. but poor old Jane Carr came over jus
before left and wanted me to he sur
ty and see if there was a letter for hel
lis Her daughter is very sick out west
- and she hasn't had a letter for a week
q" and she's half wild. | couldn't bear t
e. tell her I'd forgotten TO go to tn
H. office"
- III drive round that way" sal
" Jared. ut won't be three blocks out O
lie the way"
m. Two or three boys stood idling i
. front of the postoffce and Jared sal
io to one of them he chanced to know
Say, Jimmie, run into the office an
see If there's any letter for Mrs. Jan
Carr. You needn't ask for me, for Iv
y pecn around ana got my mail
- You might look in box 1874" sal
, irs. Darby, "Mebbe there's a dro
v etter me-
The boy came out moment late
with a very large square white ei
\ ve.ope in one hand and a small blue Ell
~ velope in the other. He grnned as h
handed them TO Mrs Darby Sb