The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1912-02-14
My Valentine
Girl
By AMBROSE WHITING


tines day-that is, you don't seem {
use 1t for matchmaking When | wa
young man the girls and the Teller
used valentines for practical purposes.
How was that, grandpa?" asked
girl of fifteen. Tell us about it."
when got tired living in tn,
homestead wanted TO branch off. Blu
a man can't set up house without ;
woman in 1t. In the first place, b,
don't know how to go about it; In tn,
second, he couldn't take care of 1t Il
he did, and, in the third, If he could d.
both it would be the loneliest place OF
earth.
well, looked over the girls to sec
If there was any one of 'em / would
like for helpmeet, but they were al
such good girls and so attractive that
j couldn't make q choice. / thought
that II there was only one of 'em
could do the trick easy enough, but
with so many just couldn't. | had
about given it up when st. Valentines
day came around, and when went to
envelope covered all over with cupids
and hearts with knives stuck into 'em
stamped in the paper Several persons
were looking at me, and, feeling the
blood getting into my checks, stuffed
the thing into my pocket and got out
as soon as / could.
Il took it to the store-I was the
only one yet down--and, going to the
back window, stood looking at the
handwriting on the envelope for two
minutes trying to find out who 1t was
from.
"The handwriting wasn't disguised,
so after awhile remembered whose it
was. Then / opened 1t and there was
a picture and some printed poetry, but
no penwork. If 1t hadn't been for the
address I'd never have known who was
the girl"
"Why didn't she write crookedT
asked a little girl of seven.
"'Cause she didn't want to. l tell
you she was mighty foxy. that girl
was She wanted home as bad as l
did. and she gave herself away on pur-
pose.
"What's the use of sending valen-
tines and keeping the sender Sc
cret?
That's all well enough for the
little tots. but for those who are old
enough to know the meaning of val
entine it doesn't do. This girl sending
me valentine and letting me know
who she was just gave me delicious
pain about the heart. That little piece
of paper with the picture in 1t seem
ed to me just the incest thing I'd ever
come across, and when / thought that
It had been sent me by a real girl |
just chuckled all over. But what good
would it have done IL hadn't known
who sent 1t?
"The first time I saw my valentine
girl after that was on the street.
saw her coming and she saw me, too,
for she tried to look careless, and when
any one tries to look careless they're
very likely to look just the opposite.
was watching her and by the time
she'd got a few yards from me she
was red as rose and looking all ways
at once.
81 pretended not TO notice any
thing unusual and walked on. / just
wanted to see how she'd look the next
time I'd meet her. A few days later
] met her doing some marketing. I
5ust said Good morning kind Of care
iess-like. You ought to have seen the
way she tossed her head up and heard
the short crusty Good morning she
gave me. "A.
"T've alv3s believed that instead of
the Teller Seeking the girl the girl
should seek the feller-that is, IL the
girl does it right If my valentine girl
hadn't done as she did probably I'd
have been undecided as to which one
of 'em / wanted till they were all so
old that / wouldn't have wanted any
of 'em, or they me. As 1t was that lit
tie piece of paper and especially the
on the envelope separated
her from all the rest Of 'em. 1t decid-
ed for me what couldn't decide for
myself And from the moment / took
1t out Of the postofflce and learned who
1t was from I began to feel different
toward that particular girl from all
the rest
after bothering her awhile l began
TO think how could reciprocate in
some such delicate way, as she had
let on she liked me, for I don't believe
in this blunt love making. The bird
sings to his mate, but | couldn't sing
for shucks. 1 could appropriate the
beautiful flowers nature has provided,
for lovers, so | sent my val
entine girl big bouquet. A woman
can always understand flowers and
knows mighty well what they mean.
/ followed 'em up with myself the
same evening and found my valentine
girl expecting me, dressed In her best
bib and tucker, evidently ready to car
~ on the work she'd begun
"Pop," called a voice from the next
rsom, "you ought to be ashamed of
to be telling those children
ssch a yarn. It's made out of whole
cloth. You know very well you were
the most persistent
Evidently the old lady who spoke
these words had not intended to give
herself away, as she had done half
century before. and stopped short.
q