The Grit-advocate., 1903-02-13

| of a department. He scratched
match upon the side of my desk-it
really is mine, and not the establish
ment's-and lighted one of those
Egyptian cigarettes which smell like
an early spring bonfire in Maggie Muir
phys backyard.
What kind of stun do you want?"
he inquired.
"I'd take a good valentine story"
said l.
At that my visitor assumed smile
suggesting the early stages of seasick-
ness.
"Oh, say" said he, in a tone of
languid protest. that sort of things
played out. don't you think? Who
cares about valentines? There's no
romance In them any more. In soci-
ETY., If people notice the day at all,
they send flowers, not picture cards"
"Our circulation exceeds 40O." said
l. I'VE have outgrown society. Give
US something about young men and
women"
The talented author blew a green
Egyptian cloud into the air and slowly
shook his head.
We're going to have lot Of val
entine stuff in the issue of Feb. 49,"
said l, "and most of it is rattling good,
but, of course, if it doesn't appeal to
you-"
He shook his head very sadly and
muttered:
Valentine stories! Good Lord!"
"Why, what's the matter?" l in
CURED.
Now look here" said he. 81 try to
keep pretty close to life; to write the
thing that is, and not the dream. Do
l make myself clear? Well, such be-
ing the case let me ask you one ques-
ticn. "a the last ten years have you
known or heard of any human crea-
ture who has attached any serious i'm
portance to valentine or had any
really romantic adventure connec' ed
with one?"
Eyes. sir, have" said l.
He shook his head slowly and sad
ly. l could have cuffed him for that
insolence, and yet his question, his
method Of getting at the matter, ap-
pealed to me.
Il will spin you a little yarn" said
l; "a true yarn, and not bad one.'
Delighted" said he, lying back in
his chair and closing his eyes.
"This happened to fellow named
Jo1 as," said I. "He was a newspaper
correspondent in the Philippines. He
had been out there six months and
hadn't had letter from a girl"
Particular girl?" queried Breck.
ANY girl" replied. There was a
particular girl; not so very particular
either, and yet he'd have been mighty
glad if she had remembered him on
the other side of the world. Most fel-
lows, of course, would have found
romance Of some kind suited to their
individual tastes and fancies out there,
but Jones didn't have the luck. He'd
been brought up in little sociable
city where everybody knew everybody
else, and though he no longer had any
close relatives there-very few, in
deed, on earth-there were his old
whom he had Travelled a hundred miles
out of his way to say good-by to just
before leaving his native land. They'd
all promised to write to him"
Including the girl" said Breck.
"Yes," said |, land the fact is that
considerable package of mail for
him, sent through the publishers
whom he represented, and tardily for
warded, had gone to the bottom of the
Pacific ocean, but he didn't know that.
'In Manila he met a young fellow
named George Templeton, from the
same town as himself.
"Templeton was a sergeant Of vol
unteers, and a homesick soldier if ever
there was one. He excited Jones'
sympathy, which became acute when
Jones learned that there was girl at
home who had stopped writing to
Templeton for an unknown reason.
Templeton was not naturally sensi-
tive, but the experience had made him
SO. He told his secret grudgingly be-
cause it was forced out of him, but he
never revealed the name of the girl.
"In the latter part Of January Tenn
pleton's company was sent up into
the interior to little, forsaken village
where there was peck of trouble. A
mail steamer came in the day before
the detachment marched but it
brought no letter to Templeton. The
poor fellow revealed this misfortune
! to Jones with tears in his eyes. He
seemed to think that this was his 1ast
| chance.
"a few days later Jones learned en-.
tirely by accident that a letter for
Templeton had really come on the
| steamer and had been delivered by
! mistake to surgeon of the same sur.
name.
Zones had had It in his mind to try
TO get through to this place where the
trouble was. He thought he saw