The Richmond palladium. (Richmond, Ind.) 1906-1907, 1907-02-10

loves first-sweet yet bitter call, had
| written scores of notes to Samantha,
but each in turn was torn into bits
| or burned. He always felt ashamed
| after making one of these futile at
tempts and would whistle around the
store all the remainder of the day as
1 loudly as he could, trying to forget
/ his foolishness. Yet, after all. some
| thing kept telling him that Samantha
/ had been made for him. and that she
was waiting for him to claim her
| They were both the old Saints child
| rem, but so far in their lives they
had been but jests of the capricious
| little God love. He at last decided
| that action was necessary for the re-
! suit 1onged for, SO to insure it he
went to florists and ordered box
of red roses sent to, Miss Samantha
Jones, r. r. 81 early in the morning
of the fourteenth. He gave the man
a small sealed envelope to be placed
with the flowers which read, ITO My
Valentine
Samantha had worked hard all sum-
mer and fall. She had never been
quite able to dispel the thoughts of
last Valentines day. Their memory
still haunted her. Towards Christmas
she began to fail. she was tired all
the time This worried her; she could
not do her work properly, as she NJ
ways had done it. Before the last
of January she was bed fast. The
neighbors were kind, they took entire
charge ci her and of the work.
One night, the thirteenth of F'enru-
airy, a little group of neighbors stood
around the stove in the kitchen
speaking in whispers. Some of the
women were weeping. Poor thing!
She can't last till morning doctor
says. She's so patient too, just lays
there with her eyes open. gazing off
as If thousand miles away. Poor
thing' But before morning she raj
lied and dozed peacefully the remain
der of the night.
Early next morning there came
thunderous knock at the front door.
One of the women hurried to it to
prevent another out break. Upon op-
ening it the boy who stood without
said, jones'" and handed her a long
narrow box. She carried it back to
the curious group in the kitchen. Who
WOuiu SEM SdIudnInd Jones Il DON
of flowers? Should they open it? No
indeed, That question was settled
by kindly old lady who carried it
into the bedroom. Samantha's eyes
were closed, but in a few seconds OPP
ened slowly, and the inquiring glance
told the woman that she was consci-
GUS She united the string, took eff
the payer and handed the box TO Sd !
that she might have the pleas |
ure of opening it. She lay with it |
in her arms for a minute. then with |
trembling hands removed the cover |
Her eyes fell upon the envelope. but |
she did not open it, she only knew |
that it said. ITO My Valentine" oh |
the beauty of those roses. And the |
exquisitness of their perfume which |
floated out over the room. She took |
them in her thin white hands and |
pressed them to her face as though /
she knew from whom they came.
Then she lifted them above her. arms
length. and gaZed at them with fill
ing eyes. murmuring brokenly. AT
last, at last, All but it is too late"
One delicate bud escaped from the
cluster and fell upon her grey hair.
Her arms began TO tremble. then soft
". as softly as the snow was falling
outside. her hands and roses sank up
On her bosom.