The Lakeland evening telegram., 1917-11-07
would probably show indifference the

ner 1at0erS 3 COWS u PdSluic cNSAy
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 feller / 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 face at him.
After that for awhile when Jim pass
I'D hnr hn I'D = ha oil
but one day. suddenly dropping his
eye. he caught the girl looking straight
at him. She at once switched her eyes
sidewise
"Thb 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 foraard he
became brave when he saw girl
coming and ceased to feel 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 SO far as to thank
him. The ice was broken. and 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 tho
brunette who drove the cows to pas
ture. He was seized with q desire to
do something for her When idle he
dreamed day dreams Of finding her
chased by furious bull and his re-
ceiving the animals charge with a
pitchfork. Another scene attractive to
him was the girl swirling around in
the river while he was swimming for
her and finally carrying her to shore
"Well, Jim gradually forgot his RED
hair and his freckles and his other
deficiencies and sidled up to his new
found friend. A year passed. and
when another st. Valentines day came
around he wondered If the girl who
had sent him a valentine before woul,l
send him another, but he didn't care
much whether she did or not. for by
this time he was engrossed with a girl
he knew. and she was much preferable
to one he didn't know But with all
the courage Jim had gained he hadn't
enough to say to his cow driver what
he wished to say-that his heart was
just Dustin for her.
Happily St Valentines day let him
out of that. at least he took 1t for
granted II would. and he sent his real
flame valentine. Unfortunately Jim
hadn't one handy and was too busy
to 60 to the village to buy one. so he
sent her the one he had received the
year before.
"The next day he met his fame 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 valentine. and this
was her answer He took his medi.
cine bravely at first, but his courage
didn't last When he was not at work
he used to so into the barn and up In
the hayloft and sit down and nope.
1t seemed to him that the bottom had
dropped out Of the universe He
didn't go up the road where he had
been used to meeting the girl Instead
Of wishing an explanation he was
afraid to receive one. II her cutting
him dead was so terrible to bear what
would he suffer If she told him in plain
words that he had offended her by
offering her his love? And yet why
should she know that the valentine he
had sent her was from him?
However. he suffered so that at last
he mustered up courage to face the
music and find out what he didn't un.
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:
Tim sorry you didn't like my send
m you a valentine
1T wasn't your sending me a valen,
tine didn't like: 1t was the valentine
I sent you last year
You could have knocked him down
with feather. He was the most as.
toniShed fellow Won eyer saw