Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1916-02-09
with coIored pictures -

with co1ored pictures~
''How do you know how he feels
about the valentines, grandpa ?" asked
little girl.
How do l know it? Because If
you care to hear the end of the story
you mustn't interrupt me-"
The old gentleman chuckled and pro-
ceeded with his narrative:
Jim, who had made q resolution that
he would have nothing to do with any
girl for fear he might fall in love and
die Of broken heart, found himself
all of sudden dwelling continually
on a girl he had never seen. He form
ed a great many mental pictures of
her, which gradually settled down to
one that remained always the same
a girl with golden hair, blue eyes, rosy
cheeks. dimple in each. and a sweet
smile. II he was following the plow
this girl walked beside him. If he was
milking she was milking another COW
near him. When he ate his meals she
sat opposite him at table. Indeed,
wherever he was, whatever he was
doing, she was with him.
Zone thing Jim couldn't understand.
II there was a girl in the world who
fancied him. with all his red hair and
freckles, why didn't she put something
on the valentine to give him clew to
whom she was? Not knowing anything
about girls, he was ignorant of the
fact that girls great delight is to
bother any young fellow she happens
to fancy, and the more she fancies him
the more she likes to tease him.
"Of course there were girls in that
part OF the country. though Jim didn't
know any Of them, else how could he
have received valentine? After it's
receipt every girl he met he looked at
to see If she showed any preference
for him. He was too unused to them
to understand their tricks and their
manners and did not know that the
girl who fancied him would be sure to
try to make him think she didn't or If
she showed a preference one day
would probably show Indifference the
next
"There was girl who lived half
mile up the road from Jim who drove
her fathers cows to pasture every
morning and back to the barn every
evening. One evening Jim was up that
way and passed her on the road while
she was driving the COWS. She was
about fifteen years old. straight as an
arrow and wore her dress to the tops
Of her boots. Her hair and eyes were
black. There was something about the
way she carried herself that took Jim's
fancy, and he hoped that when she
came near him she would take enough
interest In him at least to look at him.
What was his disappointment to see
her while he was passing her look
up at the sky. WELL said Jim to
himself, she can't be the girl who
sent me the valentine, sure. She didn't
take enough interest in me to see what
kind of Teller I am
But somehow Jim after that fire.
Quently found it convenient to be up
that way in the morning, sometimes in
the evening, but always about the hour
that the girl was driving the COWS to
or from pasture. Every time he pass
ed her she looked up at the sky. Grad
ually Jim from meeting her so often
came to cease to be afraid of her. and
one morning while passing he said:
"Mornin',, Miss Look-in-the-Air'
THE girl turned her big black eyes
full upon him and made q face at him.
After that for awhile when Jim pass.
ed her he looked up at the sky himself,
but one day. suddenly dropping his
eye, he caught the girl looking straight
at him. She ut once switched her eyes
sidewise. %--
"This was the first time In his life
Jim got on to the fact that you can't
always tell how girl feels by what
she does. From that time forward he
became brave when he saw. a girl
coming and ceased to feel q de-
sire to climb fence to get out of the
way. He took pains to meet the girl
who drove the cows, and one evening
when one Of the animals broke away
and galloped up q side road Jim ran
after her and brought her back. This
kindly act seemed to placate the girl.