The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1901-02-14


Lavlnfa was still sitting with he.
head bowed on the table when Miss
Dodd come hurrying down the street
and turned in toward Lavinia's gate.
Lavin1a had hardly time to hurry to
the kitchen sink and dash cold water
over her tear-stained face before Miss
Dodd was in the kitchen, saying
yolubly:
You'd never guess who's down to
Squire brakes house. Some one that
amt been in Harleyville for ten years.
| You'd never in the wide world guess
who 1t is, so may as we'll tell you
that it is nobody more nor less than
Nat Dorton. You remember him, don't
you, Lavinia?"
| The sheet Of paper fell from LAWN.
las trembling fingers, and the color
again left her face Mechanically she
folded the paper and returned it to
it's envelope and sat with it pressed to
her throbbing heart.
1t was fortunate for Lavinia that she
was in her pantry when Miss Dodd
gave this information, for she gave
little grasping cry that Miss Dodd did
not hear. But her face wore its usual
serene expression when she came out
of the pantry.
Eyes" added Miss Dodd, MAT Dor
ton is over to the brakes. I've lust
been over there to see about some
dressmakin' I'm to do for Mis- Drake,
and saw Nat myself. My! You'd
never know him, Lavinia. He used to
be SO slender and kind o. pulin' -lookin'
and now he's such big, tall, fine
lookin' man with full brown beard.
He's been away out west all these
years, and guess that he's done well
from his looks. And he's an old bach.
When said that was coming over
here he says, says he: Does Lavlnia
Dart still live here?' And when /
said that you did, he said, says he:
Didn't she marry Joe Drayton? I
thought that she did?' What under
the sun and moon and stars could
have made him think that? I told
i'm you hadn't married Joe Drayton
nor nobody else which was some mans
loss, and he says, says he: That's
so, Miss Dodd! bet he'll be round
here to see you, Lavinia, for he says
that he wants to see all of his old
friends before he goes away, and /
guess that he won't leave you out"
Lavinia Darts own heart told her who
was coming when she heard her front
gate creak that evening and heavy
footsteps fell on the board walk lead
ing to her door. Her own heart told
her that he would come, and when she
heard the gate open she went quickly
to the red rose bush in her window and
breaking full blown rose, tucked its
stem in her shining hair. She had
put on soft gray silk dress and a
dainty little white dotted Swiss apron
with strings of red satin ribbon and
little satin bows on the pockets, and
the tint of the rose in her hair was in
her cheeks as she opened the door and
held out her hand.
How do you do, Nathaniel" she
said, simply and naturally. 81 am so
glad to see you
"Lavinia!" he said, clasping her
hand in both Of his own. When he
was in the hall and the door was
closed he took both of her hands in
his own and drew her toward him.
saying:
"Lavinia. it is ten years ago today
since asked you to be my valentine
my wife. have thought all of these
years that you were another mans
wife. Thank God that you are not!
have thought today that perhaps my
poor, rhyming little valentine went as
tray and that you never got it, after
all Did it come to you, Lavinia?"
Eyes, Nathaniel; it came today"
"Today?"
Not until today 1t has been long
delayed"
He stopped and kissed the red rose
in her hair.
"And SO you are going to be my
valentine after all, Lavinia? You are,
aren't you, dear?"
|. She answered him by touching the
| red rose in her hair.
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