The star. (Cincinnati [Ohio]) 1874-1875, 1875-04-12
DR.. JACKS VALENTINE.

together-pretty creatures, III Lne very
first season Of their long dresses-the
eldest not quite sixteen. They were all
braids and puffy curls-all loops and
rufies and ribbons-all smiles and DIM
pies. 1t was Saturday before Valen-
tines Day, in a certain year of grace, of
which will not give you the precise
date, but less than ten years ago, and
more than five.
"What are you thinking about, Nell2"
Bertha asked. sitting on the arm Of Mel
! ly's chair.
.These Valentines" Nelly answered
slowly.
sober-they are absurd enough"
eyes, and it's because they are so abb
surd that they make me sober. l was
wondering why we couldn't just as well
have done something to help somebody
think-to do some good"
| 0Nelly's heroicv cried Kate Greene,
fiippantly; "Miss Hunt as moral re-
| formerW
Nelly blushed from her pretty ears to
the roots OF her sunny hair, but her eyes
shone clear, and there was ring of
earnestness in her voice as she an
swered:
"You can laugh if you will, but 1 mean
what say, and Pm going to try an ex-
Y
such as think girl ought to write, and
Pll send it,"
Her task was harder than she had i'm
agined. 1t is only the old, perhaps, who
are sage in counsel by nature. At any
rate, to give good advice did not come
naturally to pretty Nelly. But she had
an idea of what she wanted to say, and
at last she got il said. She had written
and rewritten it, and finally concluded
that she could do no better, and then
copied it out into her neatest handwrit-
ing before she called the others. IL was
little stiff, to be sure, and preachy and
high flown, but it sounded like lofty ef-
tort and q complete success TO the lis
tenipe girls. This was what it said:
i MY YVALENTINE-YOu will have plenty
of fine speeches and praises and perhaps
OF fun and fancy from others; so l shall
not give YOU those-I would have but
one interest in you, namely: that you be
the best boy and the best man which it
is possible for you to become. Ii you are
selfish, if you are indolent, IT you are
mean, you will never be happy, in your
own society until you have sunk SO low
that YOU don't know the difference be.
tween goodness and badness. But if you
r set out to be a gentleman and man o
honor and faithful worker, you will dt
rood deeds and live happy life and bt
worthy the everlasting esteem OF
YOUR VALENTINE.
Nelly read it with rising color and q
little culver about her mouth which
Bertha understood; but she read 1T wltE
firm voice and careful, deliberate &C
cent. "a,
Then she said when she had finished
!. sI shall burn up all the rest OF my valen
| tines and send only this one; for it il
Y what l mean in earnest, and, as ole
q Aunty Smoke says, GET it don't do NJ
/ good, it can't do no harm."
"To whom shall you send it, dearT
: Bertha asked gently, little subdued b.
0 Nelly's epistolary success.
q ~ hadn't made up my mind," Nell,
answered thoughtfully; "they all nee'
it,"
Grepne. sHe boards with us, and h
+ needs it-bad enough. If ever boy wa
II mi of his pranks Jack is, and If ever
how tormented a girls life out Jack doe
: mine."
/ glowed on Nelly Hunts cheeks. Ha
She had dark-eyed Jack in her mind a
{, the whlieY She only answered yer
= quietly:
~ On the 18th the girls were altogether g
school comparing notes and eXchangln
u condolences. But Kitty Greene ore'
}, Nelly aside, and said, while they wake
u Nm and down the hall together, the
T arms around each other, as girls will:
81 saw Jack get it, Nelly"
Nelly's pretty cheeks gloWed and he
y, ewes shown like stars, but she asked L
q ni,estions. Indeed they were scarcel
~ nece essary, for Kitty was eager enoug
~ : to tell her story.
e; "He got it, don't you think, along wit
" half dozen others, and he read them q
T. before he came to the one. ! knew thi
y, you know, by the shape OF the enyeiop
~ When he came to it I'saw him read it a
~ through, and then saw him go back an
T. read It again. / heard him say to hir
T. self. THAT'S an honest letter from son
:. 40 little saint
e, .Then he came up to me and held
=. toward me, while l pretended to be vel
" busy with my valentines. Then he spok
y, ssDo you know that hand writing, Kit
"a 81 felt like an awful little liar, but
had promised you. l stretched out n
~ hand for it and said carelessly:
IT, "Why, amt it Sue'sW
- "Sue IL his sister, you know. So
thought / did not know who it came. fro
vo and he changed his mind, and put it
", his pocket, and went of. When teas
~, him alterWard to let me see it he said :
Sa "No, there are some things fellC
NJ would be cad to show"
,p Ye $50 saw it hit home, and well
on might. 1t was tremendous lett
ge Nelly"
. se And Kitty ended with hug, and XII
Ie' and look Of that royal admirati
n. which girl can give another girl nj
ia and then.
az When the spring came Jack Gree
,,v went away from Chester, and did I
ny come back there any more. No dou
aa Nelly Hunt would have forgotten !
nv nv very existence but for that valenti
~ which she could not forget. She used
oo blush, as she grew older, to think h'
on "bumptious" it was, as she used to
ed it to herself.
ed Nelly was twenty when jack Gree
or. came back to Chester again. And NJ
tv. he came a physician just through
IN. studies, and anxious to build up pr
,es tice. Soon his fame grew. His patiel
,at were among the poor at first;and he cuI
;ts them; and then richer people heard
ali it, and sent FOR him. But, while he tc
vel ali the patients that came to him,
$40 never gave up the practice among tho
who most needed him. His praise was
all their mouths. There had never be
de-! any doctor like this 0re.
Nelly was Miss Hunt now-for Bert