The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1915-01-28
]!MMlE'S
VALENTINE
Bv DONALD CHAAlBERlIN

'"iiiHs. WIN WHOM ne WAS 0lnln9
on the Ilth NJ February. has no inter
est FOR am nnr except children"
The hos, aud hostess glanced Mt each
~ Ter medl.a:iy
- think It very pretty custom
sail Irs Fwininc. for the children.
especial, those who are old enough to
have II g!itnH'erin. of what iovp is
Il can tel, Nnu n Stury about n st
Valentines day said Mr.. Twining.
that think will interest you knew
hoy whose name was Jim Jim was
eleven years old He lived in the couIl-
try In a house within six miles Of which
there was no other house: therefore
he had no playmates eXcpp: his own
brothers AMI sisters They were much
alike to him. except that he thought
bis sisters very poor company for him
They wanted to play with their dolls.
and Jim wanted to play ball and ten
mis- In summer and skate aud coast IN
winter.
"One day one of Iim's fathers old
friends was persuaded to build on a
site couple of miles from where Jim
lived. When the house was finished
this friend and his wife settled In it.
and Jim's mother went to call on the
neighbors. taking Jim with her. There
was little girl in the other family
named Lanrette She was ten years
old and very pretty little girl indeed.
Since she was the first girl except his
sisters Jim had ever seen he looked
at her wonderingly. She eyed jim
askance. Her mother told her to take
Jim out and show him the place, the
horses. the cow and other things. Jim
went with her and looked everything
over while she told him about her own
favorite horse and bunny she had
and all that. When they had seen ev.
erything they went back into the
house. Jim's mother had finished he,
! call, and she and Jim took their de.
+: parture
Jim, as I have told yoii before. hav.
ing never seen a girl except his own
sisters. thought lot about Laurette
and was very anxious to 20 to see her
again. But since she lived at a dis.
lance and Jim was very bashful boy,
not at all used to girls, he didn't go.
One day when the rural deliveryman
drove by Jim happened to be out by
the letter box.
"'Here's something from your sweet.
heart. Jimmy he said and handed Jim
an envelope stamped all over with
bleeding hearts and cupids.
''Jim saw his name on the envelope
and something strange welled up with.
In him. He had the only valentine he
had ever received. and he had a Sweet.
heart He did not know who that
sweetheart was, but she was undoubt
eddy a girl. and she had sent him q
valentine. 1t seemed that this was
quite enough bliss for all at once, and
Jim kept turning the envelope over and
examining the bleeding hearts and the
cupids as though he feared that II he
opened II the rest of this delirium OF
Joy would be too much for him. But
at last be broke 1t open very carefully
SO as not to tear any of the bleeding
hearts or the cupids and drew forth
very pretty valentine with couplet
ending BE my valentine
".Jim took his valentine into the house
and showed it to all the family. asking
who could have sent it.
"'Oh. dear exclaimed his sisters
'Jim's got sweetheart!
"'WhOr asked Jim, blushing.
"'Why. Laurette. Of course! There's
no other girl about here to send It.
"Witb the word Laurette Jim felt q
sudden warmth about bis heart he had
never felt before that's the reason love
Is considered to be in the heart. I sup
pose) He went OF by himself to 60
cape the other children's gibes. III
looked at the valentine, then at the en-
velope. turning from one to the othei
till he knew every cupid and ever
bleeding heart and the couplet and
everything else there was about It.
"Jlm was too young to 60 alone r
see Laurette ,1sd asked bis older broth
er. Dick. II be wouldn't 60 with him
he only got laughed at 'Haw. haw.
said Dick. 'Jim's In love- Jim fell
as though bis heart had been torn oul
Of his bosom. He went Oh and pinned
alone.
Meanwhile Jim's valentine must have
been plning for him. for one morning
Laurette's father drove BY and asked
II Jimmy might not go home with him
and spend the day. When Jim beard
Of the invitation 1t almost took his
breath away. His mother took Oh his
suit and put on a better one and brush
ed his hair and stuffed handkerchief
In his pocket. and he climbed into the
wagon, and away he went to Laurette.
Jim remembers that day now. when
be b forty years old. a. the happiest Of
his life. His wedding day was very
6ne-he married Laurette-but for pure.
unalloyed quintessence Of bliss there
has never been anything like that nrst
whole day be spent with her. though
the receipt Of the valentine was a won
drous Joy Of its own kind, unlike any
thing else and never to be experienced
again"
"No one but the fellow who expe-
rienced all that" said Swift. could
tell II. You are JIM"
II certainly am Jim. and thers"-
pointing to Mrs. Twlning-''is Lauretta
Don't you sneer any more at St valen-
tines day. It may be fitted only for
children. but it's mighty well fitted
for them. though I don't admit that
it's never fitted for older persons"
II promise you that l will not" said
Hwfff