Daily Kennebec journal., 1903-02-17
DICK CRAI6IE'S
VALENTINE.

valentines. This year think l have a
right to expect more-with so many
old friends home from college" She
flashed a misc.ievous glance at Dick
Craigie as she spoke, and We're Be-
thune, the young mans sister, laughed
amuseGly.
You need not count on Dick" she
said teasingly. His heart has been
kgiven away for years and years. Al
fwish you could see some of the letters
he sent me from college and Italy!
used to get almost sick of one, young
lady's name"
Laura's bright face clouded ever so
lightly and Dick reddened through all
his tan.
81 certainly never expected you to
| betray me in that fashion, Vere,' he
said reproachfully. Besides, Laura is
not in the least interested in my love
affairs, you know very WELL"
For once Miss Bottoms ready tongue
failed her, and she turned to look out
| of the window into the fast gathering
gloom She was a charming girl the
| belle of the country for miles around,
and ever since she had been lovely
baby and Dick chubby, earnest lad
of five. their families and friends had
| looked on with smiling approval at
their devotion to each other. While
Laura was a child she made no pre-
tense of Disgusting her affection for
Dick, and when the young man was
sent away to a distant college, she
was almost heart broken. Dick-much
as he craved a higher education-dis-
| liked leaving home with an intensity
| for which perhaps the charms of home
| were hardly sufficient to account. The
companionship and sympathy between
| him and Laura had been rare indeed
and not all the pleasant interests of
| his college life had sufficed to make
him forget
At first, letters between them had
! been exchanged regularly, then grad
ually Lauras had become more lrreg-
ular, until at last, after Dick had been
away two years, they ceased altogeth-
er; and with a sigh the young man
! concluded that she had forgotten him.
| He went home for his vacation the fol-
| lowing summer. but Laura had LETT
| home for long visit a few days be-
| fore he arrived. and he had to return
| to college without seeing her. She
| was sixteen then. and on all sides he
had heard of her beauty and charm of
manner-though from the photograph
| which he had taken from his sisters
album, he did not think she was any
prettier than she had been as child
During his vacation, Dicks father
died, and his elder brother took up the
| reinS of government at the old home-
stead. Dick was more than half in
clined 10 throw up his college career
and settle down on the farm himself,
but the uncle who had undertaken his
education urged him so earnestly to
return, and his mother and sister were
both so anxious that he should do so.
that his sense of gratitude and filial
duty compelled him to respect their
wishes. He went reluctantly, and
We're, his only sister, made very
shrewd guess as to the cause of his
unwillingness. She confided to him
the secret of her own engagement to
Ralph Bethune, one of Laura's cous-
ins, and before they parted had won
her brothers secret from him.. We're
laughed to herself: he was only twen-
ty-two, and she thought it quite pos
sible he might live to change his mind
but Dick went away greatly comforted,
for she had promised to keep him well
informed of Laura's affairs. and to
I,notify him Immediately if there seemed
Iany probability of any ones else win
ming her.
\ Poor little thing" We're had said.
"She is only a child. barely sixteen.
and already there are half dozen men
trying to pull her this way and that
way. No; | don't think she has a pref
erence for any one, not even for you,
now, my poor CID Dick. She is al
ways very friendly in her inquiries
for you, but absolutely Indifferent. She
always was a proud little thing, you
remember. and this last year or two
am afraid she has developed into a
wee bit of a f1irt.'
But We're Craigie was mistaken.
Laura was not indifferent to the hand
some, stawart youth who had been so
much to her all her life. Every one
who approached her was judged by a
certain standard, and that standard
was fortunate Dick Craigie. She found
no one with his noble attributes of
| character. no one so unassuming, so
invariably sweet tempered and unset
fish, vet at once so firm and resOlute
when a question of principle was in
volved. And even if she had gone no
deeper than appearance. Laura decided
there was no one to compare with ner
old playmate. His pleasant, deferen-
tial manner. his grave, handsome face
| and splendid athletic form made him,
indeed, a general favorite-so that
nothing but his sterling common sense
and native modesty kept him from
being spoiled. At first after he left
home and his letters had come so reg
ularly. Lauras brothers had teased her
a good deal.
Don't think too much of him, Baby
don't let him feel too sure of you,
they would say teasingly. He is quite
sure to fall in love with some pretty
city girl before he comes home again.
4 and these teasing remarks bore fruit.
Later on. there came perfectly
grouEdless report that Dick had fallen
desperately in love with one of the pro-
fessor's daughters, and young as she
was. Laura suffered veritable martyr
dom. But no one ever guessed-she
was. as We're had said, "a proud little
thing and would rather have died
than let any one guess how entirely
i Dicks image filled her heart. His col
\ lege career had been brilliant but ere it
l,I1 hi f,iI hoo had