The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-02-14
Our Daily Sbort Story

Tabitha felt uneasy. Where could her letter be-? Could the postmaster have seen through her silly ruse. and refused to deliver 1t? The more she thought of it the more worried she became.
 
 Daniel Upton, or the squire, as he was called. sat before his cozy Franklin stove in the library. He was a comfortable old bachelor of 50 years or more. He wore a lowered dressing-gown, and as he read his paper, he warmed his ,slippered feet on the fender. ''The Boston Journal. had some verses on St. Valentines day, and as they caught his eye his mind re- verted to a period of twenty-five years ago.. -.
 'I wonder, why Tabby never answer ed my proposal?' he thought. Possibly I ought. to. have spoken right out.5 but of course she knew what meant when sent that valentine"
 A tap at the door reused him from his reverie. and his man John appeared with the mail. There were the usual letters and papers that comprise a lawyers cor respondence. but one envelope caught his eye. Embossed flowers adorned the cor ners. and on the plain circle left for the address he read:
 Mrs. Daniel Upton.'
 He knew the writing, for he had transacted business for Mss Tabitha several times after fathers death. He opened it and held in his hand the long delayed answer to his proposal of twenty five years ago-a modern valentine.
 Tt took her all this time to make up her mind" he exclaimed aloud, as he read some lines beginning:
 ''Oh. come with me and be my love-"
 He rose and going to the pier glass sur veyed himself. His mustache was de- cidedly gray, and his hair quite so.
 Wonan's fofly!'' he calculated "Why did she need to wait until we were both past middle age before being willing to marryT It never occurred to this hache- Tor that he had never given Miss Tabitha the opportunity to accept or refuse him.
 He hurried through his routine business for the day. and that afternoon ordered an early tea. for he was determined to go down tRsre at once and settle mat ters.
 As the evening drew on and the second mail was brought up to Miss Cranes and yet, the missing valentine did not materiaHze, she began to feel almost reckless
 Dorothy was to have few friends in that night. and Miss Tabitha said de- hantly to herself: ''Tll dress tonight to look as young as any of them"
 Instead of wearing her hair plainly parted. and done in a hard knob at the back of her head. she brushed her hair up and made massive coil on the top, arranging it In front in a graceful pom padour. low on the forehead. as Dorothy wore hers. The improvement was start ling even to herself. She put on her one AA N.k 1R had insisted on remodelling that winter by adding black velvet and a little white chiffon. Remembering that Dorothy had said that coral was in vogue, she dived into the depths of a cedar-wood chest, and brought out an exquisite pin and bracelet She then went down to the liv- ing room and going to her table of plants, cut off some scarlet geraniums and fastened them in her hair and belt
 Half an hour before the guests were expected there was a knock at the door and Miss Tabitha opened 1t herself. There stood Squire Upton in long, heavy ulster. his throat being we'll wrapped up in a silk muffler, for he had arrived at an age when ;twinges of rheumatism warned him to be carful of the night air.
 "Tabby.". he said tremuloucly, as he looked at her with admiration, you knew that Ia come at once. after waiting twenty-f1ve years for an answer to my valentine"
 ''I'm very glad to see you, Dan," she said wonderingly, as 1t dawned upon her that she must have directed the tender missive to him instead of herself. The two faithful lovers seated them selves on the haircloth sofa in the parlor, and seemed to lose sight of the quarter of a century which had elapsed since that period when they had popped corn. roasted chestnuts and gone to the singing school together.