Show I THE EVENING STORY A SENSIBLE VALENTINE Copyright ht 1012 1912 b by V. V W Werner Miss Martha Johnson Johnsoa sniffed scornfully as s 5 she sIte stepped into old Pearson's Pearsons store On un every corner and on the walls hung hunA valentines dainty dl InC lacy tacy and Trash site she he declared declare K Just trash Five dollars and ninety eight cents Now who in In the land of ot the living would pay that muc much mone money for a n. piece picco of pink paper And Anci what woman would have a man who was waR so wasteful with mone money I 1 never had bad an any left lert on on my hands Pearson lau laughed hed as aa he wrapped u up her calico and thread And I 1 never heard Of a woman gittin mad cause Use sho she got one one onel Well Sehl Id I'd bo ho mad Miss Martha lartha said So would an any sensible woman Six dollars dollars dollars dol dol- lars would be a stock of ot groceries Or If folks mu must t be economical bu buy buya a Ii dozen nice hens hens' Her Her- comfortable I full tull face flushed with Indignation at th the lac lacy trifles trines as sh she looked around before going sainI out Bet oud you'd be tickled to get one lau laughed hed Pearson L Let t some somo one ne dare to s send nd me roe one oner Miss Martha replied wrathfully Then The she flounced out and at the he samo same mo Ii i 4 a S 'S Tho The farm outbalanced her lack of beauty mont ment Joseph Myers came camo from behind the Tad rack of postal cards ho he had slipped cd when she sio In He Ho handed a R par pal ly lacy affair consisting of a heart hear pierced bv hy red arrows to i I 1 guc guess gues s I wont won't take taka It after atle all he ho t-Mf t ail sorrowfully Joseph w was s thin and Undersized Ills His little white hite face ace W was tS ss stamped with timidity tl Pearson laughed d when he had left the tho store Tb wh whole lc town own hart had laughed a uh l' l lat at Jo- Jo Mth na bashful n l toward to MIs Martha For two years he had d desired I to woo her For two years h hr r scorn had frightened him Despite his shrinking wa way and looks he had enough land and Stock to make him a a. a Vcr very de desirable do- do husband huband Bu But Miss Miss' Martha did Id not oL l want a. a hus band She was waa past 40 0 O. and and she shie declared often otten and plainly that hat no man need come bothering her herd Sho She Intended to live Jive a peaceful undisturbed d. d me the day daV she died But her speeches speech wore sharper than her face which w was s comfortable and nd ly iy Her light blue eyes twinkled so pleasantly PleASant pleasantly pleas pleas- ant antly that strangers hardly believed that t she hated haled all men But the tho townspeople who knew tho the circumstances thought lit littIe lit lit- tIe tic of Jos Josephs Joseph's chances chance Years Tears before when Martha was a scrawny girl possessed of or little attraction her fathers father's farm a dandified clerk Ii n II the drug store had hat courted her He wanted anted to go In business by himself and add deci decided eod that the farm outbalanced lanced her het lack of beauty Then he met another girl who was pretty prett and whose father owned a bigger farm Without ceremony he flung Martha to the tho wall wail and married the other girl girE Marthas Martha's disposition was too good to tb be thoroughly spoiled She liked children and women too well to turn against the whole world but never afterward did she he accept accept ac ac- an any courtesy a 3 man Her wound healed and In time Irne she could discuss discuss dis dis- dis cuss the matter maller without shame In fact tact when she he he m met t the man several sc years aft aft- she found that she didn't care so much for him as she Imagined Her young scrawniness s gave IlVO place to a comfortable weight and anti h her r eyes ees acquired a pleasant light Niter After leaving Pearsons Pearson's store storo on this Valentine da day she cro crossed sed the street to the postoffice There she sho stopped slopped to chat with Nell Nelly Lee who gave ve out Jut the mall mail Nelly had a valentine big and tle tied with Ith ribbon whose pink matched tho the girls girl's chocks It IL pretty prell she sho asked with a RI gig gig- gle t tOh Oh I r spose so so Miss 1 Martha replied Indulgently But ItI Ia what a 3 w s waste of ot ofa S m meny nt a st wa waste t Nelly flashed d back bade It It proves that ho loves me Ma be Maybe not l II Miss g N Martha remembering one that she had r received twenty years carl before It had cost Z and the sender had loped eloped with tho the other othier girl Irl the tho nc t da day But she did pot not dampen ampen Nell s 's 8 delight b by th the remi reminiscence She took her mall mail And walked t She was lunching with a friend Ond then sho called on the preachers preacher's wife so 80 It was ns late tE In tho the afternoon boo bo- fore Tore she Fhe turn turned d down the long lane th that t led It'd to her small COZ cozy cottage Just east of ot town Sh Shot l sa saw a wagon sacked backed up bJ 11 t th the shod shed behind the kitchen nn ani an 1 u is i man vax Ju Just t climbing o er tho the front heel v hee She him and quick nr h her r Ett step p lIe He Grinned as site sire canio iano up tI to 10 fl him 1 t do you vou do Jim said won won- and looked curiously at tho the empty emp emp- t ly ty wn wagon ton Just Jupt bt been beOsi n In a n ton of or coal he ie Mil al l In r to her glance Than n his ils grin widened until It spread over mer his nOad fuce and back of each car ear I But Rut I r ne never er r any more mOro sh she Tied ried Tie Ive got plenty for tr the rest of or orthe the he winter S It s all paid for fori he hI guffawed Its Us n a present from a a i friend Jim t Lowd Lowder r what hat do you u mean Miss Martha demanded What hat are you ou slIn sl In ing ng n e coal 1 S Me Ho He laughed enjoying her mystification Not me My 1 wife t n n me J good od odIss Miss Iss Marthas Martha's full fn fa face c r reddened Quit your our Joking Jim and aud toll ten me who ho sent ent that hat coal conI I 1 aint a p pauper You shovel el It t In the tle wagon wason and take It back It lt is a R valentine alen ilc chu chuckled kled Jim shipping the horses His His' laugh floated hack ack after aHer he had turned th the corner ot of the he the lane Miss l Martha Maltha looked at tho caul uI No Now Non what min man In this town would bo be o so foolish she Bhe demanded td of ot no jo one onen In n particular f I Ill II tell him hUn what 1 I think nd I the to town n will laugh lugh Itself to o death S She flounces flounced into the ho house se and out of her bar bonnet and coat cont She wondered whom hom she could hire to como corno nd th the tho away avay But she was waa St BO that couldn't t eat any super sup sup per er and net crossly regarded the tablecloth oth I Tho The loiO holO laugh ene told the theat lie eat cut at that washing KB its was wa taco face ace M Mv goodness Irritably bi What are you o ou doing th that t for tor or That's a sure sign of f company compau I wouldn't b be surprised it that hat senseless man came over ocr this eveni even even- lug illg i T. T Ill I'll tell bun what hut I think think making making me ie a a. laughing stock I Tile The cats cat's preparations wore prophetic t 30 a knock sounded Rounded Miss Martha tho the door to Joseph My Myers era who stood o ou ner c r I lv on the tile threshold Come ComeIn Comen In in n. n said M tha crisply Ho en ent os n and sat eat quickly f chair There was a a. lon lon- silene line ne wr S 'S finally Its a 0 lovely Iii P t s 's m Its Ilu fair Miss Mias ly Iy wondering just how to n subject of coal cOllI It had SUd suddenly to her herth not g bo-g bogui an accusation yv l her lau Did you come coma for I she he asked nt at last t. t Joseph Joseph looked at the floor i n y r. ho said eald I J w was s just feeling thought Id I'd dr drop p In to see ho hoe Miss co ld hold in Jooe JoSeph Ph Myers she demanded Iq was as It you you- o l that ine s t that coal conI ati Y yc faintly In th the nAmo name of goodness why Joceph eph looked lon longingly af at t the Then rhen his timid yea eyes es tr traveled travel ve baS back ack It 1 Is a Valentino cht I stern t S of Miss Martha he lie blurted with a gasp of court i said Hald that and coal COA w wu wait tt sort of a valentine that a a. I would T t take k And I wanted Wante to pt pl plea so 80 so so His Hie voice trembled I 1 It hence lence ii Miss nS Martha glared at the t tr little man roan 5 You YOU OU jou aint angry ar angry ar roa y yo ventured i j i She snorted But But w In a h heart art whose rancor wu was waa only i deep Miss 1138 Martha had a a. sense of ef And now It bubbled over the vT began to laugh and laugh and Miss Ibs Martha full tull pleasant laugh that wa was to hear Joseph took courage an and straight trl ht and bold I hoped h 11 speaking very very fast last b before tore the the laugh augh had died away away that willing to let me always buy luy your Miss MIB Martha looked at him U Somehow ahe he felt her song long ong Well Wen I 1 dont don't know ish ah slowly lowly as It would be such anever a anever anever never sa saw a a. man before so 10 awful to please I believe I I really Joseph that I could get set along long able with you I tj |