The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1883-02-17
AUNTIE MAYS VALENTINE.

may little girl ever since. Auntle IS
just as lovely as ever she can be, with
big blue eyes, that look so sorry some
times, as if she wanted to cry and the
tears wouldn't come. / think it, dread
full to have an ache in your heart and a
lump in your throat, when you can t cry
and let the bad out Auntie let's me cry
when want to, and sometimes | scream
like everything, then | feel so much
better afterwards. My papa's gone to
Heaven, and my mamma, and every
body [ ever loved-very much-b t
just my Auntie May, and | know such
q pretty story about her. and she says
helped to make it so beauti-
fully that I'm just going to think it all
over again, here by myself, in my pref
ty white bed, with the gas making such
atinv light in the room.
This is Mr.. Archers house, and its
great big house, and we don't have to
economic one bit any more, and auntie
wears silk dresses every day, and her
eyes have lost the sorry look they used
to have, and my valentine did it all.
We used to be so poor. auntie and |,
we lived up ever so many stories, in a
little room at the very top, and when
used to cry because the stairs were 81
long and dark, auntie would tell me
that we were away up above all the
noise and dirt of the street, and it was
worth the trouble to get even a very lit
tie nearer to God. | guess she said it
TO make me feel better, but then she al
ways found the bright side of every
thing.
Well, Valentines Day came at last,
I 1n' - 10
and the windows were so beautiful at
the shops, with cupids and angels and
birds and everything lovely, and l did
want to get one for my auntie; but the
pretty ones were five cents. and the big
ones were ever so much more.
1t was nice, warm day, and I'd been
out looking at the windows, cause
auntie said that fresh air would do me
good. There was a little hole in the
window that | guess the shopman didn't
know about, Just big enough for my
hand 10 slip through, and 1 do really
believe Pd have got the valentine that
lay Just inside if somebody hadn't been
watching. 1t was all blue and gold,
with two hands and two hearts, and
ever so many little baby ange's, and l
wanted it so much for auntie, but some
one was watching, you know. 1t wasn't
the shopman, he was awfully busy, fly
ing back and forth inside, doing up the
loveliest valentines, for people with lots
of money. 1t wasn't the p'liceman,
cause he was tending to drunkard
man down the street. 1t wasn't the
folks who were gong past, cause they
were all peaking at their own
valentines, and didn't care one cent
what poor little girl like me was
doing; but it was God and auntie told
me all about Him, and | was afraid that
He'd punish me dreadfully, and so 1
didn't dare.
When | went home l thought L d ask
auntie for few pennies Sometin es,
when we've done lots of sewing and
feel real rich, she gives me some l
put my arms around her neck and kissed
her first; that's the way | do when l
want something real bad.
| what is it, dear?" she asked, lean
ing over her work little more so that
/ couldn't see her face, and l thought
her voice sounded as if she had u cold.
IL want penny, auntie, so bad, oh
so very bad" l said giving her a
squeeze with my two arms. 1.-THE val
entines are beautifuler than anything,
only the beautifulest are as much as five
cents"
"You want valentine" said auntie,
catching her breath quick, like do when
the cry is in my throat and | can't keen
it back another minute. ''My poor lit
tie girl, there isn't penny left and
I'm afraid that, for the first time, you'll
have to go to bed hungry tonight"
She took me up in her arms, and her
tears kept dropping and dropping on
my hair and on my face. After awhile
she put me down.
II haven't moment even for tears, "
she said, as she wiped them away. al
VIII be impossible for me to finish this
shirt tonight, and / must try to get
it done before the poor child wakes
up in the morning."
1t was lonesome in the room after
that, with auntie looking so sad over by
the window. Besides 1 was getting
awfully hungry, and there wasn't to be
any supper, so | thought Z drum out and
look at the valentines once more, and
may be could get a smell of the bakery
when the door opened.
Twas standing half way between the
window and the bakery door. They were
such teenty way apart that whenever
anybody opened the door l could run
up close enough to get a good smell,
and, oh my! wasn't it splendid. Folks
were eating in the back part of the
room, and there was baked turkey and
oyster soup, and got the biggest kind
of smells, too. Between times watched
the valentines.
While | was standing there mar
went past, a big, handsome man. will
black whiskers and brown eyes.
Don't wish l had it," said !. anC