The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1915-03-26
A Flower
Valentine
Ii Was Grown lr The
Sunny SOu..:
by etN.ce o. "a.


81. 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 II cottage for
the season. Their domicile was one OF
TWO houses standing side by side ana
ABOUT 100 yards apart. In the adjon
ing yard belonging to the other dwell
ing was II flower garden. bur since II
was during the brief interval between
seasons in that climate there were no
lowers in bloom.
There was something else In bloom
that delighted the eye of Arnold Bates
This was very pretty girl. Bates no
uced her on the very day of his ar
rival In tennis court TO the rear OF
her home playing the game with Il hoy
or twelve. whom Bates judged to be-
her brother. The young lady was ap
parently abont eighteen years OF age,
ana, though tennis Is not always cal.
culated to show grace. her movements
We're unusually graceful.
The invalid sat in the window of his
bedroom watching the game and thank
iui Tor something to look ut, for he was
not well enough to read and had no
desire to look at a 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 no,
prone to make acquaintance of neigh
bors. Consequently neither made AM
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
per far more rapidly than I'm the north
One morning Arnold Bates saw Miss
in the garden. Bob had spade and.
under his sisters directions. waS dig
ging np the beds. Then the two did
some planting. and from that time 0u
the garden received good share OF
their attention. Arnold Bates was i'm
proving and nuw walked ont every daN
On several occasions he and Miss
Farnswurtli met. aud both showed u
consciousness of the fact THAT they
were not entirely unknown to each
other. though neither spoke. The
young lady was usually accompanied
in his next door neighbour Indicated
that he had seen MIR. Bates and thar
the boy and the girl might have dis
cussed him together.
Bates was by this time In condition
to wish that something might turn NJ
to give him an acquaintance with his
pretty neighbor. About the LIST of Feb
ruary he saw preparations for st. Val
entine's day. which was approaching.
and he wished that he might make II
serve for the coveted introduction. But
this anniversary has
been largely relcgated to children. BE
sides. Rates did not see any way that
he conld utilize IL. After turning va
rious schemes over In his mind he
abandoned the idea altogether.
Rut Bates saw that Bob Fnrnsworth
was. ma king preparations to celebrate
st. Valentines day. One day. with
IiftIe girl companion, lie laid out his
stock of valentines on the veranda.
and the two children made an inspec-
ZION. Bates was sitting ut his window
watching them. but not near enough
To n TO enable them To see him. Pres-
emily ne saw the boy look mp ut the
window and say something which
On used his companion to look up at 1t
TOO. There was evidently some dis
cussion between them with which the
window was connected.
Then Bob went into the house and
returned with a bit OF writing paper
a nd n penciI. The paper be placed on
q ,ab,e on the veranda. and the two
children busted themselves with the
nencii After this Bob went to an out
nouse and brought hoe and rake.
with which he smoothed one OF the
aower beds. Next he went into the
bonse and returned with paper bag.
win n srick he scratched something
nm the bed that Arnold thought to be
et,crs. but he could not see what they
were. into these scratches the chill
,ron sowed seeds from the paper bag.
This proceeding naturally excited
Mr. Bates curiosity. He waited pa
,,ontiv al, night came on and the In
Icrior Of the house next door was light
~ nm. showing that the family were
naoora Then. taking an electric lamp
~ wopt down and into the adjoining
&c x-uGmn