The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1882-02-11
VALENTINES VALENTINE.

VALENTINES VALENTINE.
On across street, just off an aristocratic
avenue, stood row of tenement houses
In one of these lived widow and hel
daughter, having only lately moved from
q better part of the city. ....
The autumn before Mr.. DAYTON had
died, and Mrs. Dayton, never strong, had
been complete invalid ever since. Now
winter had come, and Rose was watch
ing the snow grow deeper and theil
means grow less with an anxious heart.
Her name was Rose, but Lily would have
been better suited to her delicate beauty
and slenderness of form; but under the
fragile exterior dwelt a brave heart and
a vast amount of practical good sense.
She stood by the window, one day, watch
ing the storm drive past in white whirl-
winds, and, as she was engaged in re-
touching the pictures of frost with the
point of her scissors, her mind was busy
planning how she could increase theil
slender income. Suddenly she turned
away, and said, quite deeisively for day
dreamer, II have an idea, mamma"
''Have you, my dear, just one?" asked
her mother.
''Only one, just now," she said, "and
it's this. Do you remember the verses
| used to write for poor papa, and how
he praised me, and called me his little
poet, and said l would be famous some
day?" She smiled pitifully, remember
ing. every word he had spoken in those
happy days, and contrasted them sadly
with the loneliness of the present. ''It
| have any talent in that direction" she
continued, I'm going to turn it to some
use now. Eye heard of professional let
ter writers-people who write letters for
other people for money, you know, and
I'm going to write valentines. There's
only a short time now before Valentine
day, and we must get my sign ready"
Mrs. Dayton helped her with a sad
heart, she, too, remembering how it had
not been necessary once for her to puz-
zle her brains over ways and means.
By the first week in February sign
appeared upon the street door, and Rose
was busy devising rhymes of the sort in
which loves and doves, flowers and bow
ers and happy hours completed the coup
lets. She was very scrupulous in the
matter of authorship, and the verses
We're always of her own coinage, and as
original as the inspiration of such a
threadbare theme could make them.
Her customers had been numerous,
principally shop boys and girls and peo-
pie of the neighborhood, with whom she
had some acquaintance; among the rest
one or two elderly victims called, whom
she found the most difficult to suit in
their selections of verses.
Valentine Day had come and her little
couplets of sentiment were flying in all
directions over the city, and she was
thinking that she might as well bring in
her sign now, when it attracted the ewes
of two passers-by. valentines Written
to Order" exclaimed one. 81 declare,
Val, here's chance for an adventure.
Let's 60 in and get some verses-the
writer of them is spinster; know Just
how she looks elderly, about forty, say,
tall and thin, and wearing cork screw
ringlets; undoubtedly she has for COM
pany cat, and canary, and geranium
plant. Suppose we interview st. Valen-
tines Laureate; I'll get her to write
some verses for me to send to Fan, but /
don't know who you can send yours to,
poor boy, for you're heart-whole" The
one thus compassionately addressed re-
piled that he guessed he could dispose of
them in some way. So the two Young
men, Valentine Clark and Frank West,
rang at the door and were as much sur
prised at the beautiful young girl that
admitted them as if an apparition had
confronted them on the threshold, but
there was no retreat now, and after they
had made known their errand with CON
siderable embarrassment in place of their
usual nonchalance, she asked with an as
sumption of professional dignity in a
wonderfully musical voice: "What would
you like for the subject of your valen-
tinesP' Frank was the first to recover
his self-possession, and said, ''You make
mine the IastAppeal, something about
Cupid's darts and bleeding hearts" She
looked at him half doubtingly, but pro-
ceeded to search among her papers, and
make selection therefrom, which she
offered him. He read it over and pro-
nounced it capital ''Now for Val,n he
exclaimed, ''give him declaration OF
first something modest and retir-
ing" She searched Cupid culver again
and found a stanza which she thought
might be appropriate. 1t was the best
of her stock indeed she quite prided
herself upon it as metrical compost
ton, which fact, had he known it,
would have been delightful piece OF
lattery
80, mine are worth double that to
me- said Frank, as he named the price,
and he carelessly gave her dollar, sand
I'll know where to come when want a
verse or two on blighted love, or trans
ferred affection, if this shouldn't prove
successful. Come, Val,r he added, ''let' S
go and send our valentines now"