The Andrew County Republican. [volume] (Savannah, Mo.) 1871-1876, 1876-02-11
A STORY ABOUT VALENTINES.

Out he "ShSS shbsib eiu III
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 Seaton came
bounding in among them, her pretty
cheeks flushed, and her eyes brightly
glowing.
go g%irls!" she exclaimed, 81 am go
ing to have some capital fun! See here,
Jennie Cole, and you, Mary Goodwin,
I'll tell you something. l don't want
any the rest of you to know. IN 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 May Thornley,,
tossing her brown curls; and some OF
the others initiated her; but the re-
mainder were very cautious about speak
ing 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 Hattered when they found
themselves set apart for her confidence.
81 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.
"Tou're not going to send them to
any one, are yonP" asked Mary.
Certainly I ami" answered Clara.
"This is for Uncle Jim; he's always
twirling his mouStache, you know.
This is for Sister Julia; she'll be awful
angry about it, but will never suspect
me. And this is for-guess who"
After guessing a while, and not being
able to hit upon the right one, both
girls gave it up.
Snow, don't you tell-nover, never"
said Clara.
Both promised.
"It's for hat 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 had made sure of get
ting a head mark. I said then I'd have
my revenge" and Clara looked tri-
umphant.
"That will be n poor revenge" said
Mary Goodwin, as she looked at the
picture.
at 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, sc~ornfully.
All further conversation was checked
by the ringing Of the bell, and in a very
orderly the little girls walked
into the room. Foremost among them
moved Clara S%eaton, and behind her
carse Katie Blake. She was a sweet
faced, bright-eyed, intelligent child, and
the iavorite Of all who knew her, except
ing Clara, and her dislike arose from
envy alone. Clara could not bear te be
excelled, and that by the daughter OF a
washerwoman-for Katie's mother did
Miss Towers washing in payment for
her daughters 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 deliv-
er 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 valen-
tine. Finally they concluded to detain
Katie at Mays 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 boy whom
lone 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 room.
Katy turned red, smiled, looked awk-