Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1904-02-13

to her rubbers in the storm house on
the west porch, you take this an buy a
valentine He slipped a five cent piece
| into Sarahs mitten.
THANK you, gran'pa,' she answered
| quietly. When she got out into the
| road she was almost of mind to
| throw the money away. HUH Nick
| elv' she shifted. THAT won't buy any
| thing decent She put tile nickel in
| her pocket, however, and wiped away
| two angry tears. Then she trudged 500
berly along the snowy road in the wide
tracks left by the wood sleighs and the
pungs that had passed early that morn
ing.
Sarah Adeline Munford was nine
years Old She was slim. pale faced
little girl with stiff straw colored hair.
and on her nose, by her own 'laborious
count, were twelve large freckles. She
recounted them each week to see if any
had disappeared, for she despised them.
For the last week Sarah's heart had
been troubled, and as Valentine day APP
preached her trouble grew larger Ordi-
narily Sarah Adeline was of a complacent
nature and not often stirred from GER
tain placid innocence which seemed to
hang about her like a cloud. Where she
loved she loved in secret bliss, taking
greater pleasure in the daring ina inings
of her young heart than in the more COM.
monplace exhibitions of sentiment dis
played by her schoolmates.
Sarah Adeline was not a favorite with
boys This she knew and accepted though
she could not tell why it was so. Perhaps
her physical calm and outward depreca-
tory submssiveness of manner repealed
young SWANS and restrained their boyiSh
! ardor.
So her affection for the sterner sex was
of romantic spirituality. She raised up
her masculine IDEALS cherished them for
time and cast them down, only to re-
peat the process. She had but to appro-
pirate mentally the boy she considered
incest, and Immediately the vexed course
Of true love was smooth under her con-
troll. The little god smiled benignly on
her, and she knew no rival. When she
wearied of one spiritual admirer, there
was only the slight wrench of separation;
then gayly away to the next.
For a month Willie Penn Dixon had
held supreme place in Sarah's heart,
though he knew it not They had walked
to and from school daily, they had to-
gether attended ''socials' and IS prise
parties" they had even INDUCED in an
impressive marriage ceremony which Sa-
rah had devised from memorable incidents
Of her grownup sisters wedding, but Will
lie Penn knew nothing of it.
Indeed Willie Penn scorned Sarah Ade-
line. On the day Of the first snow that
winter he had given his sled a sharp push
and sent it all alone down little hilly
path to bump into the backs of Sarah's
thin legs. She sat down suddenly and
heavily in a snow bank, and there were
black and blue spots on her ankles after
ward He pinched her severely whenever
he stood next her in the spelling class
and tried to trip her when she took her
seat. In fact he did all the horrid things
vigorous out of door little ruffian could
do to an extensively innocent little girl.
but in determined feminine way, as old
as creation, Sarah Adeline continued to
adore.
AS st. Valentines day drew near Sarah
heard much from the other girls about the
sending of valentines Melissa Marvin
had confided to Sarah one night on the
way home from school her purpose of be-
slowing upon Willard Kitchell "a per-
fectly lovely valentine. Melissa Mar
wins father gave her Is cents a week to
spend as she liked. She and Sarah went
around by Sanders store that night to
press their noses fiat against the window
and stare at a big, beautiful pink creation
that occupied the center of varied and
wonderful group of valentines There
was soft white swansdown on the edge
of this gorgeous satin thing" 1t bristled
with fat stuffy looking little Cupids
brandishing harmless darts, and there
were also elegantly embossed flowers in
bewildering wreaths.
Sarah Adeline gasped with admiration.
''Oh, Meliss!" she whispered.
That's it; that's the one. I'm going to
buy it fOr''she whispered in Sarah's ear
for w. k
/ "Oh!" Sarah Adeline could say no more
Its Is cents. Pa asked Sanders yester-
day continued Melissa. ''Why don't you
get valentine for some boy?'
II d know but will-if want to-" an
swered Sarah with maidenly reserve
AS she went home in the winter twilight
Sarah Adelne made a resolve She would
send Willie Penn Dixon that pink valen-
tine if she could possibly buy it. And she
would send it to him without her name or
even her initials on it,
But the day before Cupid's reckless
revel had come and poor Sarah Adeline
was almost without hope. The cents
her grandfather had given her. added to
her painful savings of IS cents, was not
nearly enough to buy the wonderful pink
token. She had put into her regular pray
er of the night before tender little petit
ton for 1.-The big pink one, dear Lord, in
Mr.. Sanders window" and had secretly
hoped to find it lying on her herringbone
pattern quilt when she awakened. To
lose her faith in Providence and to be de-
prived of loves offering at blow was
more than Sarah Adeline could endure
The tears trickled off the end of her
freckly nose as she plodded on to school.
At the crossroads she met Willard
Kitchel
"HellOr' said he.
Hello, Willard!' responded Sarah.
whats matter?'
"Nothin'.''
Iris too''
Amt Sarah dried her tears stub
bornly
They walked along in silence, Willard