Of course, the valentine Bill sent Patty was the counterpart of the one she sent him, and when you know all, you’ll find out that this wasn’t such a strange coincidence as it might seem.
And of course, the valentine that Patty received, and that caused her such paroxysms of woe, was the one Lena mailed and not the return of the one she had sent to Farnsworth.
It was a fine mixup, and Cupid, the little god of Love, must have flown madly about in his dismay and despair of ever getting it straightened out.
Now, as is well known, the extra mail occasioned by the observance of the festival of St. Valentine, often causes delays in transmission. Which explains why both these important missives we’re interested in, reached their respective destinations a couple of days after they were normally due.
And Patty, as we have seen, was pretty well broken up over the receipt of hers! Naturally, she supposed it to be the one she sent, returned to her by Farnsworth, and no one could wonder that she did think this.
And so, when Captain Farnsworth found in his mail a big square envelope addressed in Patty’s well-known, well-loved handwriting, he knew it for a valentine before he opened it.
“Bless her heart!” he said to himself. “Dear little girl to send me a valentine! And I’m jolly glad I sent her one! I must thank that bothersome little Lena for that!”
He opened the envelope, and to his astonishment, he drew out what seemed to be the very valentine he had sent Patty.
“What!” he cried aloud, a puzzled frown coming over his face.
He looked at it carefully; being exactly the same, he naturally thought Patty had returned his missive.