The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1916-01-27
would probably show indifference ths

| would probably show indifference ths
| next.
There was a 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 wers
BLACK. There was something about the
way she carried herself that took Jim'a
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 saic 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 / am.
"But somehow Jim after that IRE.
| quenuy found 1t 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-theA
1.-THE girl turned her W black eyes
full upon him and made face at him.
After that for awhile when Jim pass.
ed her he looked up at.the sky himself
but one day, suddenly dropping bis
eye. he caught the girl looking straight
at him. She at 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 a girl feels by what
she does. From that time forward he
became brave when he saw q girl
coming and ceased to feel a 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 side road Jim ran
after her and brought her back. This
kindly act seemed to placate the girl.
and she unbent 30 far as to thank
him. The ice was broken. ana an &C.
quaintance was formed.
Jim hadn't forgotten his valentine
but the imaginary girl with golden
hair and blue eyes gradually faded
away. her place being taken by the
brunette who drove the cows to pas
ture. He was seized with a desire TO
do something for her. When idle he
| dreamed day dreams of finding her
chased by q furious bull and his re-
ceiving the animals charge with 4
pitchfork.. Another scene attractive 10
him was the girl swirling around in
the river while he was swimming for
her and finally carrying her to shore.
We'll, Jim gradually forgot his red
hair and his freckles and his other
deficiencies and sided up to hts new
! found friend. A year passed. and
/ when another st. Valentines day came
/ around he wondered if the girl whe
| had sent him valentine before would
send him another, but he didn't cara
| much whether she did or not, for BY
| this time he was engroesed with 4 xiri
he knew. and she was much preferable
to one he didn't know. But with ali
the courage Jim had gained he hadn't
enough TO say to bis COW driver what
he wished to say-4that his heart WIS
tust Dustin for her.
Happily St Valentines day let him
out OF that, at least he took 1t Tor
granted 1t would. and he sent his real
fame q valentine. Unfortunately Jim
hadn't one handy and was too busy
TO 20 to the village to buy one. 20 he
sent her the one be had received the
year before.
"The next day he met his flame On
the road. and to his chagrin she looked
straight ahead without taking the
slightest notice Of him. Jim supposed
that she had In some way learned that
he had sent her q valentine, ana this
was her answer. He took his medi-
cine bravely at first, but his courage
didn't last When he was mot 1t WORK
he used to 20 into ths barn and ~ = /.
the hsyloft and sit down and Nope.
It seemed 70 him that the bottom had
dropped out Of the universe. He
didn't 60 up the road where ~ hadl
been used to meeting the girl Instead
Of wishing an explanation he was
afraid to receive one. II her cutting |
him dead was 20 terrible to bear what |
would he suffer Y she told him in plain |
words that he had offended her by
offering her his lover And yet why
should she know that the valentine he
had sent her was from him7
However, he suffered so that at last /
be mustered up courage to face the
music and find out what he didn't I'M
derstand. So he walked up the road |
In the evening at the exact time she
was driving in the cows. He met her
and said:
"T'm sorry you didn't like my send
I'm you a valentine
"'It wasn't your sending me valen-
tine didn't like; It was the valentine
sent you last year
"You could have knocked him down