The Montgomery tribune. (Montgomery City, Mo.) 1892-1910, 1901-11-22

on the deaths OF relatives and
friends, and then they would keep
them in their family Biblcs. Why.
there was one spell when it seemed TO
me that nobody died that | wasn't
called upon 10 write a poem about il.
But | hadn't never written a valcn-
tine in my life. and | was dreadful
doubtful. | was afraid of spelling
that handsome paper. But | wrote it
all of OF a slate fret. and finally |
wrote quite a good piece. though ! do
say 30. and Jointly he copied it. and
signed his name.
Il ,po,c ! know who it's goin' to-
said |.
"Yes. IL. Flora" said Jointly. laugh
ing. but just as honest as il he wasa
child. Grandma Page was knittin'
in the corner. and she hadn't paid any
attention to what was going on. She
had grown so dreadful hard Of hcarin'
within u year. We had to shout TO make
her hear anything.
knew well enough that the yalen-
tine was going to Flora before | asked
Jonty. She was the prettio,t girl in
the town and all the young men were
wild about her. Nobody looked at
her sister Hannah. though .he was a
nice girl. Sometime. ! used TO think
maybe she would bc full as nice to get
along with a. Flora, though she did
have a dull kin. and dull color,d hair.
aud a homcly nose. Hannah hadn't
a good feature in her face except her
eyes. which were as brown and hon
est as a good dogs. Flora. beside her,
looked all slime and pink and white
and gold. She wa. tall and a fine
shape, too. and Hannah was under
size. Both girls used to be in our
house a good deal, and grandma and
thought a lot Of them. Grandma
used to LAY that Flora VA. a pretty
cr,iur.
Well. after JoniN'. valentine was
finished he left it on the ,ittiug-room
table, and went out to see a man who
had come to ask about some wood.
and went out in the kitchen to bake
some cake. Pretty ,oon | Jaw Grand
ma Page with her hig gray shawl on.
and her white hood. kind Of rockin'
down the front walk in a way n, had.
She va, quite stout. | thought TO
myself ] guessed ,he wa. goin' to run
into Mr.. Atkins. Shcu.cd TO do that
quite often: it wa, only a step down
the street. aud .hc wasn't feeble at all.
In a little while Joniy came
through the kitchen on his way to the
sittins-room TO get hi, valentine.
Then he come runnin' back. why.
where /. it. Aunt Jane laid he.
"Why. amt it there on the table
where YOU left it:' .aid |.
NO. it amt" said he.
"Why. that's dreadful funny" said
|. wiped the flour Of my hand. aud
went in TO look. hut there was no val
entine there. We searched every
where, but We couldn't find it.. When
grandma came back We questioned
her; then the mystery wa, solved. as
We supposed. She said, in her little,
soft, innocent way. like al old baby's,
that she had been down 10 the post
office thinking there might be a letter
from Edward. Edward was her son
out west. and ,hc had posted the val
cntine, We'll. there wasn't ANYTHING
80 strange about it. The post office
was next door Ia Mr.. Atkins. Grand.
ma often went there, and often posted
l%ctters. but it did seem a little odd
that she should have taken the yal,n-
tine. However, Jointly thanked her
in his sweet way. and We supposed
everything was all right,
After supper that night Hannah
came in. Grandma had gone to bed,
and Jonty had run to the store on an
Grand. ! saw in a minute that some
thing had happened. Hannah didn't
look like herself. Her dull checks
were pink, her eyes shone, and she
looked almost pretty.
"Oh, Aunt Jane she said, she al
ways called me Aunt Jane, II saw
him 90 past and knew he wasn't here,
or | wouldn't have come
What do you mean, what il. the
matter, child:' said |, for she was
laughing and crying oil together,
- had to tell somebody, | was so
happy" said she, "and Flora has got
Mark Williams calling on her, and
mother Is away, and"
'Why, what is it, what has hap
pened?" said |.
10 -.