The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1878-02-16
MANTY'S VALENTINES.

Did | have any valentines? Why,
of course. | always do. | had one
beauty from, | guess, Ned Rogers.
daI't know for certain. But oh! Auntie,
:. 4, poVer to'd you about the splendid
llh0 We had last Se"r,-,lid Up Well.
you shall hear all about it; for don t
believe | ever did have such nice time
in my life.
"Let me see: What brought it about
was, we were going home from school
one day, a lot of us girls. 1t was three
or four days before Valentines, and
the windows were full of just beautiful
ones. We were looking at them and
picked out those that we'd like to have,
when Belle Howard (she's dreadfully
proud and stuck up. never did like
herr, she spied one of those horrid
come valentines, with a picture of a
little hunchback on it and some funny
verses, and said she was going to get it
to send to Manly Wheaton.
Hes humpback, you know, but
he's Just as nice as he can be, and so
smart Mr. Raymond says he's the
best scholar he has in his school. And
we think lots of Manly, and never no.
tice that he's lame, or anything. And
we begged of Belle not to do it; for we
knew it would make him feel dreadfully
to get any such thing. He's awfully
sensitive. | know he is, for his mother
saws so. She has school for little bits
of children, you know, so Manly didn't
have to 90 away to school till he got to
be big. And then he dreaded it at first
But Mr.. Raymond was so good to him.
He's just splendid, think. And we
didn't think anything about his being
lame. So his mother said he didn't
mind it bit, after awhile.
"Well, you see how it was. We
thought it would be dreadful for Belle
to send that to him. But all we said
didn't make one bit of difference. She
said there wouldn't anybody else send
him valentine, and she was going to;
and it would be such fun to ask the
next day if he had any, and see what
he d say. She was going in then to get
fo, only she hadn't the money.
"Iwas real glad, for thought L d ask
Burt to 60 down and buy it before she
had chance. He always does every
'hiiS VAIN hlIl w. anu, w YOU
think, he did go. And they had half a
dozen or SO of the same kind; and he
bought them all, and said if he saw any
more downtown he'd get them. But
he didn't see any, believe.
belle was awful mad because it was
gone; for, after all we'd said, she was
bound she'd have it. l more half be-
lieve she said it, at first, for fun; and
then, when we leased her not to, she
was determined to do it. l told the rest
OF the girls what Burt did and they were
real glad. But somehow don't know
how-Belle found it out, and what dc
you think she did? The very next day
she sent Burt one of those comic things,
Just the hatefulest one she could find.
Vi course he didn't care bit He knew
she sent it, for she told Annie Allen she
was going to and Annie told me.
"Well, about the valentines. Some
body suggested believe it was Hattie
Foster-that we should each Of us girls
send Manly a valentine. That would
make just eleven, leaving out Belle; for
we knew she wouldn't send anything
pretty, so we didn't say word to her
about it. But all the girls fell in with
1t and they came down to my house the
! next afternoon and brought all sorts Of