The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1915-03-25
A Flower
Valentine
1t Was Grown In the
Sunny South
By OUNCE 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 bis
mother, and they took 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 ether dwell
Ing was a flower garden. but since It
was during the brief interval between
seasons In that climate there we're no
flowers In bloom.
There was something else In bloom
that delighted the eye Of Arnold Bates.
This was very pretty girl. Bates no.
dced her On the very day of his ar
rival IN tennis court to the rear Of
her hone playing the game with q boy
OF twelve. whom Bates judged to be
her brother. The young lady was ap-
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
ful 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 acquaintance 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 adlnirinc one who
was unconscious Of his existence This
was not so. The girl had eyes for the
handsome involid as well al he had
eyes for her. Indeed. she was sym.
pathiZing with him and wishing that
be- wa> strong enough to come down
and play tennis with her. Whether.
W ne hnd hr"n strong enough ~" iva
would nave broken through the con-
ventional barriers that kept them apart
Ia a 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.
mel fur more rapidly than 10 the north
One morning Arnold Bates saw Miss
FarnswOrtb and her little brother. Bob.
In the garden. Bob had spade and.
ging mp the beds. Then the two did
some planting. and from that time on
tn" garden received good share Of
their attention. Arnold Bates was i'm
proving and now walked out every day
On several occasions be 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 bis
pretty neighbor. About the LIST Of Feb
ruary he saw preparations for st. Val.
entine's dav. 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
be could utilize II. After turning Va.
rious schemes over In bis mind be
aba Ddoned the idea altogether.
But Bates saw that Bob Farusworth
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-
lion. Bates was sitting at his window
watching them, but not near enough
to IL to enable them to see him. Pres
entity he saw the boy look up at the
window and say something which
caused his companion to look up at 1t
too. Their, 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 penci' The paper he placed on
table ON the veraDda. and the two
children busted themselves with the
pencil After this Bob went to an out
house and brought a hoe and rake.
with which he smoothed one of the
flower beds. Next he went into the
house and returned with a paper bag.
With a stick he scratched something
on the bed that Arnold thought to be
letters, but he could not see what they
were. Into these scratches the chill
dren sowed seeds from the paper bag
This proceeding naturally excited
Mr. Bates curiosity. He waited pa
tieptly dill hight came on and the In
terror OF the house next door was light
ed up. showing that the family were
indoors. Then. taking an electric lamp.
he went down and into the adjoining