Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1906-02-15

Wle, VINO Old the hOuSewOrk, made
most of the clothes for the family, and
in the intervals gave Ruth her les
sons. Ruth was their Blessed Baby"
six and half years old; last, but not
least, there was the Mortgage the
greedy Mortgage, who prevented their
having things to eat, made Mrs. ALI
son patch darn and do wonderful
feats of making over" kept Papa
thin and pale from overwork, and the
house from having the paint it so
sorely needed.
Ruth had heard of the Mortgage for
most of her little lifetime, and she
thought of it as very real Something,
not at all unlike the dragon in her
fairy book-the one with an appetite
for children.
So when her mother, the day before
st. Valentines Day, answered her re-
quest for some pennies to buy a Val
entine with a hug and the oft repeat
ed answer, that she had no pennies to
spare just then, wise little Ruth laid
it to the Mortgage, and said no more
Are written ones nice, Mammal"
she asked.
Nicer than bought ones, some
times" answered Mamma cheerfully.
''To whom do you want to send a Val.
entine, Ducky?" she asked little
later, seeing the child very busy with
her paint box and some bits of paper
Its for the Old Lady, Mamma. |
don't believe she viii have very many
and l think I'll have her for my Val
entine, wouldn't you? You said she
suffers terribly and feel so sorry
for her.
The Old Lady was very rich and
bad tempered old person, who lived in
great house with towers like a
castle, not very far from the Alison's
The house stood in the midst of a
sSpendid park, surrounded by an iron
fence, of which the palings were sur.
mounted by gfded spearheads. TITS
exactly like the Enchanted House."
Ruth had often told herself, as she
peeled in.
The Old Lady was too ill ever to
walk, but Ruth and her mother had
sometimes seen her driving in the
carriage, or being wheeled about the
garden in an invalid's chair in the
summer and she always looked cross
and sick.
Ruth held up tiny sheet of
Brownie Paper" on which there were
two vermi11ion hearts, transfixed by a
wobbly arrow, and four fines of straggl-
ing writing. Mrs. Allison read it Sob
erly, though her eyes twinkled:
81 know an Old Lady with silver hair
Though she is old, I do not care;
I'll take her if she'll take me,
My own true Valentine to be-"
"That's very nice, Pet" she said
I'm sure she'll IKE it."
When Mrs. Allison mad put on Ruth's
outdoor garments that afternoon, she
forgot all about her, and Ruth, quite
forgetting to mention where she was
going, took her Valentine, in its small
envelope, and went directly to the
gate the Old Lady's home, and the
lodgekeeper, supposing she had a mes
sage for someone. opened the gate di-
rectly.
1t was a long, long way up to the
house, but she trugged along through
the snow until she came to the pillar
ed stone porch. Some careless ser
want had left the heavy front door
ajar, and after several timid knocks,
Ruth pushed it open.
"Pll play I'm St Valentine, and walk
straight upstairs"
When she reached the first landing,
chance led her to the right one of sew
eral doors, and peevish voice ans
wered her knock.
"Come in
So Ruth opened the door, and there,
sitting close to a blazing wood fire
was the Old Lady herself.
She was fierce looking old lady
with a pointed nose and chin that
nearly met; from under her mass of
white hair, pair of sharp black eyes
peer out.
Ruth came in. as she was bid, and
stumped across the room. her shiny
new rubbers sinking deep into the soft
carpet. From under her scarlet hood,
few black curls escaped in little
tendrils; her cheeks were deep pink
from the cold, and dimpled charmingly
when she smiled, while her soft black
eyes looked up affectionately into the
Old Lady's sharp ones as the child
said:
I'm St. Valentine, and I've brought
this for you.
Perhaps the cross Old Lady had
~ black-eyed little girl herself
once At any rate she made no pro-
test, as the Brownie" envelope was
laid on ner black satin knee. and st.
Valentine took off her mittens to
warm hire cold pink fingers at the
fire
The Old Lady's trembling fingers
took Ut the little missive, where. all