Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1915-05-07
A Flower
Valentine
1t Was Grown In the
Sunny South
By EUNICE BLAKE

Arnold Bates, having broken down
from overwork, was ordered to the
south to spend the winter. He chose
st. Augustine, Fla, in which to spend
January and February, arriving there
In the latter part of December
The invalid was accompanied by his
mother, and they took n cottage for
the season. Their domicile was one of
two houses standing side by side and
about 100 yards apart. In the adjoin-
Ing yard belonging to the other dwell
ing was flower garden, but since 1t
was during the brief interval between
seasons in that climate there were no
flowers in bloom.
There was something else In bloom
that delighted the eye Of Arnold Bates.
This was very pretty girl. Bates no
ticed her on the very day of his ar
rival in Il tennis court to the rear OF
her home playing the game with boy
Of twelve, whom Bates judged to be
her brother. The young lady was ap-
parently about eighteen years of age,
and, though tennis is not always cal
culated to show grace, her movements
were unusually graceful.
The invalid sat in the window Of his
bedroom watching the game and thank
full for something to look at, for he was
not well enough to read and had no
desire to look at book. He was con-
tent to watch the girl fitting about
over the tennis court.
The family next door were also
strangers to the place, who had come
from the north to escape the rigorous
winter of their home. Both families
were city bred, and city persons are not
prone to make acquaintances OF neigh
bors. Consequently neither made any
movement to be neighborly. They
lived side by side for several weeks
without even learning each others
name, and only one member of each
family could tell anything about the
other.
These two persons were Arnold Bates
and Helen Farnsworth. Bates suppos.
ed that he was admiring one who
was unconscious of his existence. This
was not so, The girl had eyes for the
handsome invalid as well as he had
eyes for her. Indeed, she was sym.
pathizing with him and wishing that
he was strong enough to come down
and play tennis with her. Whether,
II he had been strong enough, the two
would have broken through the con.
ventional barriers that kept them apart
is question which we need not ask.
On the 21st of December the sun
starts northward and In Florida brings
the genial warmth of the coming sum.
mer far more rapidly than In the north
One morning Arnold Bates saw Miss
Fnrnsworth and her little brother, Bob,
I'm the garden. Bob had a spade and,
under his sisters directions, was dig.
ging up the beds. Then the two did
some planting, and from that time on
the garden received good share Of
their attention. Arnold Bates was i'm
proving and now walked out every day.
On several occasions he and Miss
Farnsworth met, and both showed n
consciousness of the fact that they
were not entirely unknown to each
other, though neither spoke. The
young lady was usually accompanied
by her brother, whose evident interest
In his next door neighbOr indicated
that he had seen Mr.. Bates and that
the boy and the girl might have dis
cussed him together.
Bates was by this time In condition
to wish that something might turn up
to give him an acquaintance with his
pretty nelghbOr. About the LIST Of Feb
ruary he saw preparations for st. Val
entlne's day, which was approaching
and he wished that he might make II
serve for the coveted introduction. But
unfortunately this anniversary has
been largely relegated to children. Be
sides, Bates did not see any way that
he could utilize 1t. After turning va
rlous schemes over In his mind he
abandoned the idea altogether.
But Bates saw that Bob Barnsworth
was making preparations to celebrate
st Valentines day. One day, with
little girl companion, he laid out his
stock Of valentines on the veranda,
and the two children made an inspec-
ton Bates was sitting at his window
watching them, but not near enough
to II to enable them TO see him. Pres
emily he saw the boy look up ut the
window and say something which
caused his companion TO look up at It
too. There was evidently some dis
cussion between them with which the
window was connected.
Then Bob went into the house and
returned with bit OF writing paper
and pencil. The paper he placed on
table on the veranda, and the two
children busted themselves with the
pencil. After this Bob went TO an out
house and brought hoe and n rake,
with which he smoothed one Of the
flower beds. Next he went into the
house and returned with n paper bag.
With stick he scratched something
on the bed that Arnold thought 10 be
letters, but he could not see what they
were. Into these scratches the chill
hrcn sowed seeds from the paper bag.
This proceeding naturally excited
Mr.. Bates curiosity. He waited pa.
tlontly til night came on and the In
terror Of the house next door was light
vi mp, showing that the family were
indoors. Then. taking an electric lamp,
he went down and into the adjoining