The Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1855-1875, 1875-02-17
DR.. JACKS VALENTINE

There were half-a-dozen of the girls
together-pretty creatures in the very
first season of their long dresses the
eldest not quite sixteen. They were
all braids and puffs and puffy curls-
all loops and ruff1es and ribbons-all
smiles and dimples. 1t was the Sat-
urday before Valentines 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. OF the half dozen girls, two are
busy teachers now, two are married,
one is playing mother to her brother's s
little brood of orphan children, and
the sixth, not less happy than the
rest, has gone on to the next century,
where they tell us she will never grow
old, never be sick. nor sorry any more
happy Bertha, whom, surely, God
loved
But, that day in February, none of
thena thought much about tho future--
the present was enough, with its fun
and frolic, its wealth of all the pleas
ures which girlhood holds dear. The
six were passing the long day together.
Two of them were sisters and belonged
in one house, and the rest had come
there to be with them; for they were
all going to make valentines. They
had made funny ones. ard foolish ones
tender ones, with just a little dash
of satire in them-poetic ones and
prosy ones-and at last it was dinner
time-a feast of all the things that
school girls love. Roast turkey there
was, and cranberry jelley, and sweet
potatoes, and squash, and then such
pies and puddings, and nuts and rails
ins. How could they hold it all ? All,
they were hungry. girls. At least they
were all hungry girls but Nelly Hunt,
and she ate scarcely any dinner at all,
she was so busy thinking. She was
Bertha's sister, and this was her home
and Bertha's, and it was to the girls
own room that the little party went
praised Mrs. Hunts dinner.
Nell?" Bertha asked, sitting on the
arm of Nelly's chair.
These valentines" Nelly answered
slowly: .!Ws,, .n,e,v tn.v need not make
"Yes, and it's just because they are
was wondering why we couldn't Just
dS we'll nave SdfO SOnttuiuS W Htlp
make somebody think
to do some good"
sNelly's herrics!' cried Kate Green,
f1ippantly. Miss Hunt as moral
reformerr'
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
answered:
lou can laugh if you will, but I
mean what say, and I'm going to try
an experiment. / will write one boy
valentine, such as | think a girl
ought to write, and I'll send it.
so you SHALL . Bertha said, gently
Bertha always was peacemaker;
''and wei all go away and see mamma
and the baby while you write it.
When it s done you must call US.
Yes, and you must show it to us,
cried Kate Green, as she went away;
that's only fair. We promised this
morning to show each other all we
sent, and we shan't let you off"
Aud then the five futtered away
like flock of birds, and Nelly was
quite alone.
Her task was harder than she had
imagined. 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, aud at last she got it
said She had written and rewritten
it, and finally concluded that she
could do no better, and then copied it
out into her neatest handwriting be-
fore she called the others. 1t was
little stiff, to be sure, and peachy and
high flown, but it sounded like lofty
effort and complete success to the
listening girls. This was what 1t
said
my VALENTINE.-You will have
plenty of fine speeches and praises,
and, perhaps, of fun and fancy. from
others, SO shall not give you those
L who have but one interest in you,
namely, that you should be the best
boy and the best man which it is ros-
sible for you to become. If you are
selfish, if you are indolent, if you are
mean, you will never be happy in
your own society, until you have sunk
so low that you don't kEow the differ
ence between goodness and badness,
But if you set out to be gentleman,
and man of honor, and a faithful