Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1901-02-14
Ore Lost
Valentine

Miss Lavinia Dart was IN her kitchen
one morning in February. .
Miss Lavinia rarely lost her self
poise under any circumstances, and
she had not, at the age Of forty-six
years, become the victim of that STAY
er Of peace and happiness of woman
kind-nerves.
She's the easiest person to fit in
this town." said Miss Dodd, the Har-
leyville dressmaker. AN she's dread
full tasty"
Then Miss Dodd, having once "got
started" on the subject of Miss LAWN
ia, would go on and say: I'D jest
like to know why she never got a
ried. I've often been on the point or
askin' her, but somehow l lever could
quite fetch myself to it."
1t was we'll enough that Miss Dodd
could not quite fetch" herself to the
point of questioning Miss Lavinia re-
garding any possible lover Of the past,
for there were limitations to Miss La
yinia's patience and gentleness, n
those limitations were reached when
n attempted to take liberties with
her private affairs.
Presently there was a knock on the
kitchen door, and when Layinia opened
it the Widow Rice, elderly, uncomfort-
ably stout, and in manifest ~perturba-
ton Of spirit, entered the kitchen.
Dropping heavily into a small rock
ing-chair near the shining stove, and
allowing the shawl she had thrown
over her head to slip to her shoulders
she said gaspingly and with a sug
gestion Of tears in her voice:
81 do mo- what you'll think, Laviny
Dart; I do mo- what you'll think, but
II want his fault. He couldn't help
it-poor man! 1t want his fault that
his sled overturned on the way home,
an he never spoke again after they got
i'm to the house. / don't see as you
can blame him none or me either. l
do mo- when I've been so upset by
anything, Laviny."
What is it, Mrs. Rice?" asked La
vinia. 81 have not the least idea OF
what you are talking about"
"I don't suppose you do, Laviny. I'm
SO upset l hardly know myself what
I'm sayin'. But / guess it'd give most
anybody a queer turn to find that they'd
had something ten years that didn't
blong to 'em, an that the owner ought
to of had years an years ago.. That's
what's happened to me, an the thing
I've had belongs to you."
"To me?"
Eyes, to you, Laviny Dart"
ct cannot be anything Of any con-
sequence"
81 hope It amt, I'm sure ! do. But
this mornin' l went up into my attic
to look round for more cloth to finish
I'D a quilt. l opened an old red chest
that I've KEEP some o. my poor hus-
bands clothes in ever since he died
because / kind o. hated to cut 'em uI
or give 'em away an see somebody
else wearing them. The very mrs.
thing / took out was the coat my hus.
band had worn the day he met witt
the accident that caused his death. Thu
sleeves an collar were so moth-eater
that I made up my mind that ! might
as well cut 1t up an use what was
good of it for the quilt. So ! took Il
an some other things downstairs an
was shakin' them out in the wood
shed. I picked up the coat an wai
shakil' 1t mighty hard when the OLE
linin' broke loose in one place an GU
dropped a letter! Yes. Laviny Dart
a letter addressed to you!"
"To me?"
"To you! I never was SO set baci
by anything In my life! Topped righ
down on a pile o. wood IN tried Y
puzzle It all out, an 1t didn't AXE m
NO great while to do II. You know
how that. us Twin right across "a