The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1909-02-20
The Old Lady's Valentine.

There four beings who lived in the small
brown house by the roadside: Mr.. Allison, who
worked in a lawyers office, cultivated the small
garden in the summer. and in winter chopped wood
tended fires and studied law in the long evenings
Then there was his young wife, who did the house
work, made most of the clothes for the family and
in the intervals gave Ruth her lessons. Ruth was
their blessed baby" six and one-half years of age:
last. but not least, there was the mortgage-the
greedy mortgage who prevented their having good
things to eat made Mrs. Alison patch darn and
do wonderful feats of making over; kept papa
thin and pale from overwork, and the house from
having the paint il so sorey needed
Ruth had heard of the mortgage for most of
her little lifetime and she thought of it as a very
real something not at all unlike the dragon in her
fairy book-the with appetite for children.
So when her mother, the day before St. Val
entine's day, answered her request for some pen
MES to buy valentine with a hug and the oft-re-
peated that she had no pennies to spare Just
then wise little Ruth laid it to the mortgage and
said more.
Are written ones nice, mamma Z" she asked.
Nicer than bought ones, sometimes" answered
mamma, cheerfully. "To whom do YOU want to
send valentine Ducky2" 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 will have very many, and think I'll have her
for my valentine wouldn't you? You said she
suffers terribly and feel so sorry for her"
The old lady very rich and bad-tempered
old prison. who lived in a great house. with towers
like castle. not very far from the Alisons The
house stood in the midst Of a splendid park. sur
rounded by an iron fence of which the pangs were
sUrmounted by gided spearheads. dts exactly like
the enchanted house." Ruth had often told herself
as she peeked in.
The old lady was too i'll ever to walk but Ruth
and her mother had sometimes seen her driving in
the carriage, being wheeled about the garden
he alvvavS
looked cross and sick
Ruth held up a tiny sheet of Brownie paper"
which there were two vermillon hearts, trans
fixed by a wobbly arrow, and four lines of stray
Cling writing. Mrs. Alison read it soberly, though
her eyes twinlded:
I know an old lady with silver hair;
Though she is DID, 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 like it."
When Mrs Alison had put on Ruth's warm
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 of the
old lady's home. and the lodge keeper, supposing
she had a message for some one, opened the gate
directly.
It was long, long way up to the house, but she
trudged along through the snow until she came TO
the pillared stone porch Some careless servant had
left the heavy front door ajar, and after several
timid knocks Ruth pushed 1t open.
"Ill play I'm ST. Valentine and walk straight
upstairs"
When she reached the first landing chance led
her to the right one of several doors, and peevsh
voice answered her knock.
Come in"
so Ruth opened the door. and there sitting
lose 70 blazing wood fire, was the old lady her
elf
She was fierce looking old lady. with point
ID nose and chin that nearly met; from under her
mass Of white hair pair Of sharp black eyes peered
)ut.
Ruth came in. as she was bid, and stumped
oass +b roo,, her shiny new rubbers sinking deep
INTO The soft carpet From under her scarlet hood
few black curis escaped in little tendTils; her
.beeks were deep pink from the cold, and dlmpled