The Springfield herald. (Springfield, Baca County, Colo.) 1887-1919, 1901-02-15
Ole Lost
Valentine
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.

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 slay-
er of peace and happiness of woman
kind-nerves.
She's the easiest person to fit in
this town" said Miss Dodd. the Har-
ieyville 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 mar
ried. I've often been on the point OF
askin' her, but somehow l never could
quite fetch myself to it"
1t was well 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
vinia's patience and gentleness, and
those limitations were reached when
one attempted to take liberties with
her private affairs.
Presently there was a knock on the
kitchen door, and when Lavinia opened
It the Widow Rice, elderly, uncomfort-
ably stout, and in manifest perturba-
ton OF spirit, entered the kitchen.
Dropping heavily into 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 sug-
gestion of tears in her voice:
II do mo- what you'll think, Laviny
Dart; / do no what you'll think, but
it 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 no when I've been so upset by
anything. Laviny."
What is it. Mrs. Rice?" asked La
vinia. II have not the least idea of
what you are talking about
Il 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 queer turn to find that they
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"
ITO me?"
Yes, to you, Laviny Dart"
ut cannot be anything of any con-
sequence"
n Tim,
this mornin' went up into my attic
to look round for more cloth to finish
up a quilt. | 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 up
or give 'em away an see somebody
else wearing them. The very first
thing l took out was the coat my hus-
band had worn the day he met with
the accident that caused his death. The
sleeves an collar were SO moth-eaten
that / made up my mind that might
as well cut it up an use what was
good of it for the quilt. So | took II
an some other things downstairs an
was shakin' them out in the wood
shed. picked up the coat an was
shakin' it mighty hard when the old
linin' broke loose in one place an out
dropped letter! Yes. Laviny Dart
q letter addressed to you'll"
ITO me?"
ITO you! I never was so set back
by anything in my life! Topped right
down on pile O. wood an tried to
puzzle it all out. an it didn't take me
no great while to do it. You know
how that, us Twin right across the