Rocky Ford enterprise., 1903-02-13

the editor In chief tn the mere editor
Of q department. He scratched a
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 wunt!"
he inquired.
I'D take a good valentine story"
said !.
Al that my visitor assumed smile
suggesting tho early stages OF seasiek'
ness.
-Oh. I say." said he. In n tone Of
iansuid 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'
city. II people notice the day al all.
they send flowers. not picture cards"
"our circulation exceeds ioo.' said
I. We have outsrown society. Give
us something about young men and
womcn.-
Tho talented author blew n green
Egyptian cloud into the mir and rlowly
shook his head.
We're going to have . lot Of val
cntinc stun In the issue Of Feb. H."
said !. .and most OF II Is rat,lIng good.
but. Of course. II II doesn't appeal to
you--"
Hc shook his head very sadly and
muttcrcd:
Valentino stories! Good Lord"
"why. what's the mattcrg" In.
CURED.
Now look here" said he. Il try to
keep pretty close to life: to write the
thing that Is. and not tho dream. DO
I make myself clear! Well. such be-
In. the case let me ask you one qucs.
tica. In the last ten years have you
known or heard OF any human crca.
portancc to n valentine or had any
really romantic adventure connected
with onc?"
Eyes. sir. I have" said I.
He shook his head slowly and sad.
ly. I could have euifcd him for TINT
insolcncc. and yet his question. his
method Of getting nt the matter. up.
pcnlcd to me.
Il will spin you little yarn" said
I: n true yarn. and not bad one
Delighted" said he. lying back In
his chair and closing his eyes.
This happened to n fellow named
JONES'" said I. "Hc was n newspaper
correspondent In tho Philippines. He
had been out. there six months and
hadn't had letter from a girl"
Particular giri?" qucried Brock.
ANY GIRL" l replied. There was a
particular girl: not so very particular
either. and yet he'd have been mighty
glad II she had remembered him on
lows. of. course. would have found n
romance Of some kind suited TO their
individual tastes an I fancies out there.
but Jones didn't have the luck. He'd
been brought up in n little sociable
city where everybody knew everybody
else, and though he no longer had any
close relatives there-very few, In.
deed, on carth-thcre were his old
friends. including some very nice girls.
whom he had travelled 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 /. "and the fact is that
considerable package of mail for
him, sent through the publishers
whom he represented. and tnrdily for.
warded, had gone to the bottom Of the
Pacific ocean. but he didn't know that.
'Tn Manila he met young fellow
named George Templeton, from the
same town as himself.
"Templeton was a sergeant OF vol
unteers, and homesick soldier IL 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 1t 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 a little, forsaken village
where there was a peck of trouble. A
mail steamer came in the day before
the detachment marched. but 1t
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 last
chance.
"a few days later Jones learned en-.
tirely by accident that a letter for
had really come On thp
steamer and had been delivered by
mistake to q surgeon of the same sur.
name.
Jones had had It in his mind to try
10 get through to this place where the
trouble was. He thought he saw a
good story in it. He told the surgeon
,f his intention and was permitted to
Jake the letter. BY pulling all kinds
@N~T