Rensselaer Union, Volume 9, Number 24, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 1 March 1877 — Trudie’s Valentine. [ARTICLE]

Trudie’s Valentine.

Thudib was on a visit to the city. She had never been there before in all her short life, and she found everything so different from what it was at home with her grandma in the country. But she liked and admired everything, from the gilded dome of the State-House to the stand of red and yellow nodding mandarins kept at the street corner, and labelled " fifteen cents each." So when Uncle Philip asked her if she was having a good time, she answered; “ Splendiferous!" " And is there anything you want to do that I have not thought about?" asked Uncle Phil. “Buy valentines and send ’em!” said Trudie, her eyes sparkling. “To be sure!" and that very day Trudie and her uncle went shopping for valentines. Such pretty Ones were spread before them she found it hard to choose between the lace and silver papers, the rotes, loves, doves and filagree work so lavishly displayed. ' . Finally she selected one where s paper bird cage opened to display a pair of cooing doVes, and a fine gentleman in purple was escorting a slender lady in pink up a green path to a bine cottage embowered in roses, while fat cupids fluttered in the four corners of the page. "I should like to tend this to Nettie Gordon; she’s my best friend at home," said Trudie. “All right; any more?” asked her uncle. “ May I?" said Trudie, joy folly. . " Select any four of these,* said gener ous Uncle Phil, as he swept aside a handful; "only don’t take three hours to choose.” Trudie took half an hour, and then with her treasures started homeward. On the way she bought ten cento* worth of peanuts at the corner, and wanned her fingers with them.

Gordon, Cherrywood, ’’ dictated Trudle. “ And may I send them all where I please? Thank you. Then this one b and this one U for Mite "WloF’asked Unde PhU. " The boy where I bought my peanuts; he looks so cold and poor. I think te ought to hive something nice." “ How did you know nis name?” "Asked him. He doesn’t lire any. where in particular, so I thought I’d a* the poetman to band it to him when te went by. And I shall send this one to Bridget in the kitchen, because she said she hadn’t had a valentine since she came from Ireland.’’ .. ; " Well; and what next?" " This one ta for that ragged girl who sells pins on the Common; all 1 knew of her name is Bet, so I’ll walk out and give it to her myself. And I should like to send one to the lame man with the handorgan down by your office, if it wasn’t for sending it to grandma." " I’ll give nim one," said Uncle Phil, gravely. “ Don’t you think you’ve chosen a queer lot of friends?” “Why, no," said Trudie. “They’re all so poor, seems as if somebody ought to remember how hard it mast be for them to see valentines all around sad not have one." So Trudie had her plan carried out. Nettie Gordon danced with pleasure when her valentine came. Grandma wiped her glasses over hers and said " Dear lamb" several times. Bridget pinned hers over her kitchen table and said it wasa “Bwate and illegant affair." Mike Brady called his a “ouster,*’ and was so pleased with it he forgot to fight the next peanut boy for getting on his corner. Ragged Bet did not say " Thank you," but she stared at Trudie and at the Valentine, and laugned until the tears stood in her eyes. " She never saw a valentine close to, before 1” When Trudie went up to bed that night she found on her bureau a pretty cage holding a beautiful canary. On the cage was tied a pink note, saying, " Trudie’a Valentine." And that is why, to this day, Trudie calls her pet bird “ Vai.”— Youth's Companion.