Rensselaer Union, Volume 7, Number 23, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 25 February 1875 — A STORY ABOUT VALENTINES. [ARTICLE]

A STORY ABOUT VALENTINES.

BY Mils. SARAH HART. The little girls of Miss Tower’s school were in pairs, and threes, and fours, and were chatting and laughing and enjoying themselves as little girls are apt to do in the few moments that remain before the time for the bell to ring. Just then Clara Beaton came bounding in among them, her pretty cheeks flushed, and her eyes brightly glowing. “ O girls!” she exclaimed, “ I am going to have some capital fun! See here, Jennie Cole, and you, Mary Goodwin, I’ll tell you something. I don’t want any of the rest of you to know. I’ll tell you about it when I’ve had my fun.” And so saying, she took her comrades and withdrew from the other little girls. “Pooh! Who cares for Clara Seaton or her secrets!” said MayThornley, tossing her brown curls; and some of the others imitated her; but the remainder were very cautious about speaking so contemptuously of Clara, for Clara was the only daughter of very wealthy parents, and she therefore held her head very high, and looked down on the most of her schoolmates; so Jennie Cole and Mary Goodwin felt particularly flattered when they found themselves set apart for her confidence. “I am going to have such splendid fun!” she said, when she had taken them to a safe distance. “ See this, and this!” and she unfolded a batch of comic valentines of every conceivable caricature. Mary and Jennie laughed as the hideous pictures met their gaze. “ You’r e not going to send them to anyone, are you?” asked Mary. “Certainly I am!” answered Clara. “This is for Uncle Jim; he’s always twirling his mustache, you know. This is for Bister Julia; she’ll be awful angry about it, but will never suspect me. And this is for—guess who?” After guessing awhile, and not being able to hit upon the right one, both girls gave it up. “ Now, don’t you tell—never, never,” said Clara. Both promised. It’s for that hateful Katie Blake!” “ Katie Blake!” said the astonished

girls. “ Yes. She’s always getting ahead of me; and ma says it’s too bad. How impudently she marched up above me yesterday, when I had made sure of getting a head mark. I said then I’d have my revenge,” and Clara looked triumphant. “ That will be a poor revenge,” said Mary Goodwin, as she looked at the picture. “ It will make her think she has an enemy, and that will be spite enough for me, for I heard her say not long ago that it would grieve her dreadfully to think she had an enemy—the meek-faced saint!” said Clara, scornfully. All further conversation was checked by the ringing of the bell, and in a very orderly manner the little girls walked into the room. Foremost among them moved Clara Seaton, and behind her came Katie Blake. She was a sweetfaced, bright-eyed, intelligent child, and the favorite of all who knew her, excepting Clara, and her dislike arose from envy alone. Clara could not bear to be excelled, and that by the daughter of a washerwoman—for "Katie’s mother did Miss Tower’s washing in payment for her daughter’s tuition. No one who looked upon the bright, eager faces in the school-room that morning could have suspected the schemes at work in the brains of at least three of the number. Clara Seaton was planning how best she might deliver her ill-natured missive, while May and Jennie were planning how they might defeat her scheme, and thus save Katie from the bitterness they knew she would feel should she receive the valentine.. Finally they concluded to detain’ Katie at May’s home after school, so that if Clara should send it to Mrs. Blake’s house that lady would destroy it and Katie would never know. But Clara was too cunning for that. Her chief design was to see Katie’s suffering. So she arranged with a little hoy whom none of the girls knew to carry it to Katie and deliver it to her at school. Early that afternoon the little, boy came. Miss Tower herself answered the summons. “ Katie Blake is wanted,” said Miss Tower, as she re-entered the r<<oin. — Katy turned red, smiled, looked awkward and obeyed, exciting no little curiosity among the scholars as to who wanted Katie. She remained out so long that most of them had forgotten about her. But Miss Tower grew apprehensive and went at last to seek for Katie, whom she found in the hall weeping bitterly, with the vici 'US valentine open in her hand The kind teacher comprehended the situation at once, and tried to soothe the poor little girl bv telling her it was not worth so much distress, and that only evil-minded persons ever resorted to such low means to triumph over another. “Bu*., O Miss Tower! to think that anyone hates me sol" sobbed Katie. ' Miss Tower smoothed her hair and talked to her until she grew calm. “ You may be excused for the rest of

the day,” said the teacher. “We will say nothing of this to the scholars, Katie’ gratefblly, for she felt that she could not return to the school-room. “She. got it. That’s what she was called out for, and I suppose that she is so mortified over it that Miss Tower has let her go home,” whispered Clara, as she passed Jennie Cole in the aisle. Jennie whispered Clara’s message to May Goodwin at recess, and their hearts sunk within them. How now to act they knew not. They talked it over all recess, but could come to no conclusion, and so carried heavy hearts back to the schoolroom. But toward the close of the day May seemed to have hit upon a plan that suited her. In her impatience she tried every lawful way to let Jennie‘■know that something could be done, but she was obliged to wait until school was over. It did seem there never was such a long hour as from three to four o’clock. Bui, it was over at last, and as soon as she could get Jennie by herself she confided to her her plan.

“Oh! splendid, splendid!” cried Jennie, jumping up and down. “Then tomorrow we’ll ask the girls to show their valentines, and Won’t Clara open her eyes!” Poor little Katie! In spite of Miss Tower’s kindness her wounded heart was not healed, and her tears flowed afresh as she showed the ugly picture to her mother and told her the story. “ Who could have done it, mamma?” she asked, with her tearful eyes on the picture. “I do not know, my dear. You must not mind it. Some evil-minded person has only practiced a joke on you,” answered her mamma, with a kiss. That evening just as they were at supper there was heard a knock at the door. Katie ran to open it. A little boy inquired:^ 1 Does Mrs. Blake live here?” “ She does,” answered Katie. “ I have a package for Katie Blake,” and he gave it to the astonished child, who, in a bewildered way, carried it to her mother. “ He said it was for Katie Blake, mamma. Do you really think he meant me?” asked Katie, her blue eyes wide open with surprise. Her mother made no reply, but, quite as mystified as her little daughter, untied the package.' Such a sight! An elegant little work-box with all the accompaniments complete and on the top a beautiful valentine for “ sweet Katie Blake.” “ O mamma, mamma! It is forme, isn’t it?” said Katie, half in gladness, half in fear. “ I think it is,” said mamma. “ Oh! it is just like a dream or a fairy story. Who could have sent it?” “ Some one who loves you, my dear,” answered her mamma, and I am sure there were tears in her eyes, too. “ I believe that Miss Tower sent it, mamma," said Katie, after a moment’s thought. “She felt so sorry for me today when I got that hateful thing.” Katin could hardly keep her eyes off the beautiful, mysterious valentine. When she retired, she placed it where her eyes would open right on it in the morning.

“ May I take it with me to school, mamma?” she asked, as they sat at breakfast. Her mammx consented, and never was there a happier little girl than Katie as she carried her treasure to school. The girls crowded around to admire it, and Miss Tower was questioned; but when that lady denied all knowledge of it Katie was more mystified than ever. Now Miss Tower was one of the kind of persons who keep their eyes and ears open,consequently, before the day closed, she had discovered the authors of both of Katie’s valentines. Her sorrow for Clara’s conduct was only equaled by her admiration of Jennie’s and May’s. She was unwilling that such noble conduct should go unrewarded. So that night, although a little too late for a real valentine, there did come a beautiful one to each of the kind-hearted girls. May’s valentine was a silver thimble non which was engraved “ My valentine;” and Jennie’s was exactly like it. I do not believe they have yet found out who sent them.— Arthur's Home Magazine.