Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1912-01-26

themselves and soon be ready for the
crutches waiting in the corner for
aim.
Basil Ames was a building contrac-
tor. 1t had been his fathers business.
and the young man had inherited 1t,
together with his fathers keen bust
ness judgment and honest methods. It
was while Basil had been up on the
roof Of the new church inspecting the
work done by his men that his foot
had slipped on the shingles and he had
been precipitated to the ground.
Mrs. Ames almost danced out to the
telephone to call up Peterson, the
foreman. Peterson was almost as
much pleased as Basirs mother at the
young contractors renewed energy
and interest in life.
Every night thereafter Peterson
came up and gave Basil a report of
the days work, talked over matters
under way and received his orders.
AS a result Basil looked better, ate
better and slept more soundly. but
the bitter lines around his mouth did
not relax. His bed had been drawn
close to the front window so that he
might see whatever Of interest occur
red In the main street
So that was how 1t happened that
the valentines in Miss Perry's shop
window stared him out of countenance
every day. Basil's eyes were very
keen, the street was narrow and the
valentines were large, so he soon
grew to know the different ones, but
h. 4xx11
sages inscribed on them.
There was a large blue valentine on
the end with tnterlocked hearts OF
gold, through which arrows were
thrust. Drops of red indicated that
blood was being spilled from the
wounded organs.
A great pink valentine was Basils
favorite, If he permitted himself that
weakness. A girls face peeped from
an oval in the middle of the rosy mis-
sive, and Basil imagined that it was
the face Of Emily Ford looking at
him. He always blushed at this point
and turned his head away and hated
valentines for several hours there
after. He had forgotten that he had
broken with Emily Ford and that she
had not cared-indeed, a meddlesome
visitor had limited that Emily was re-
| ceiving attentions from another source.
Basil was glad that he had broken the
engagement
''Tll be around at Easter. mother"
was Basil's encouraging remark on the
morning of st. Valentines day. 81
think / shall make my first attempt
with the crutches the LIST of March.
| That's two weeks off, and then III be
back on the job"
! Mrs. Ames kissed him suddenly and
left the room. She saw that his
| cheerfulness was forced, that he was
trying to get around again more for
her sake and for Mary's rather than
any interest he had In life
Its all that Emily Ford, the little
minxr' scolded Mrs. Ames to her
daughter Here she's engaged to
Basil and so far as l know amt so
much as inquired for him nor written
him a word. I wouldn't have believed
it of Emily. I always loved her like
a daughter"
81 don't understand 1t, mother" ad-
mitted Mary. 'T saw Mrs. Ford this
morning, and she said that Emily was
coming home this afternoon TO stay
over Sunday. Perhaps she will come
and see Basil"
81 hope So" was Mrs. Ames' remark
as she carried Basils dinner in to him.
Just at sunset Basil was looking out
Of the window The village street
seemed a little cold and lonely Just
then. There were no passersby, and
even the valentines in Miss Perry's
window had disappeared. Very likely
Miss Perry was rejoicing that she had
sold them all, but Basil felt rather
hurt about the pink one. He almost
considered it as his own. He would
have asked Mary to buy it for him,
only 1t was such a confession of weak
ness. He despised himself for even
thinking about It.
1t was growing colder outside, and
fairy frost pictures were etched on his
windowpanes. The sun was setting,
and a long red ray shot between two
houses opposite the Ames place and
flooded his windows with a pinkish
glow. The windowpane became a
fairy frostwork Of pink.
It's like the pink valentine" he ut
tered involuntarily.
Suddenly something strange happen
ed.
In the midst of the pink valentine
there appeared a dark oval space as If
, the frost was melting under a warm
breath. Then in the oval space ap-
/ peared a girls face-pink checked,
sparkling. red Tipped, blue eyed-the
face of Emily Ford smiling at him.
And he had broken their engagement,
, so it must be an optical illusion.
: But It remained-the pink frosrwork
valentine, and Emily's face smiling
through at him. And all at once he
! realized that It was all real-that the
, pink valentine had come to him after
all.
The face vanished only to reappear
+ at his bedside.
IL want that ring back" half sob
: bed Emily.
9 "My-pink valentines" murmured
q Basil between kisses.
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