The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1879-02-19
Bessie's Valentines.

Bessie Dale. 81 spose nobody will think to
send me one Gauss I'm SO poor; rich girls
get everything nice"
"Then why don't you see that at least one
poor girl gets valentine" asked Mrs. Dale.
me, Mammal HowE
Suppose you send valentine TO the poor
est girl you know"
THAT would be Hannah White. She's
awful poor, and no mistake, her toes came
right through her shoes the last time saw
her; but don't see how could send her
valentine; haven't cent, you know your
self, mamma, dear"
MAKE valentine, child, if you have no
money to buy one with; but can't you think
of another little girl whom this st. Valentine
is likely to neglect?
why there's Grace Warren, Mrs. War
ren's little lame girl; I'm sure the postman
won't go near her the whole day long. But
the idea of my making valentine; that's
ridiculous"
would say, and went out of the room.
| Pretty soon she came back with two sheets
of pink paper, prettlly embossed, and her
big scrap book.
Bessie watched with wide open eyes, for
that pink paper was her delight and she had
often wished that her mother would give her
some of It.
Now get some foolscap," said Mrs. Dale,
''and copy the poems that l find for you.
| When you have practiced till you can copy
them neatly, will give you the pink paper.
and you can make your valentines"
But can't write"
"You can print the words, and that will
be all the better. The children will know
that the valentine came from child. 1t
will make them happy to know that some
child thinks of them"
So the poems were found in the scrap book,
| and Bessie went to work IN earnest. It was
] two or three days before she could make the
verses look well enough to be copied upon
the pretty pink sheets. At last the valen
tines were done, and this Is the way they
read.
The first was to Hannah White, the girl
whose toes were out Of her shoes. See ii
you do not think it was suitable:
My little love is poor
As poor can be;
Her dress Is torn and worn
What's that to me?
Her tiny toes peep from
Her ragged shoe;
But what sweet soul fills
Her eyes of blue.
My little love is good
As good as can be;
Her heart is pure, and that
Is much to me;
And so / chose her from
The rich and fine,
And gladly sign myself
Her Valentine.
The next was for the little lame girl:
saw a little body
Creeping on the ground,
Scorned or forgotten
By all the world around.
This brown little body
Was strangely changed one day
God gave 1t wings of glory;
1t rose and flew away.
J All tired little bodies,
Take this thought to heart;
The body is the wrapping,
And not the nObler part.
Though scorned and forgotten,
1t w IL be changed some day,
And on its wings OF glory
Will rise and fly away.
Just as Bessie was printing the last word
of her second valentine, Captain Fred cam
in to get Mrs. Dale to do some mending 70
him. Captain Fred was retired militar
man, with loose change in his pocket. II
looked at the valentines and whistled Iii
tie. Then he inquired about the lame CIR
and about the little toes that were peepin
out of somebody's shoes, as IL to see whs
was going on in the world.
On St. Valentines day the postman wa
, very busy. Two valentines for YOU" h
= said, as he stopped al. Hannah Whites doc
r land one is q mighty big one" how su
! prised little Hanna wasi You will cas-
guess that the big valentine was a pair {
shoes, and that Captain Fred sent then
!, But the pretty printed verses did her almo
= as much good as the shoes; indeed, l thin
: = out, but she remembered the verses as Ion
= as she lived.
And the postman did not forget lit
y lame Grace Warren. He carried her, besd
!. the pink valentine, lovely book Of storie
= And did Bessie Dale get nothing? you as
yes; Captain Fred sent her a magnificer
= valentine, one of the daintiest to be foun,
I and she is so proud of it that she shows
= to this day. So 1t often happens in th
y great world that great deal OF good fov
= from a little act of kindness, just as a bea
= tiful, poisoning plant comes from littl
!, humble seed.
l.