St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1886-02-25
THE SCHOOL MA'AM'S VALENTINE

the hgn stone steps Vi IlO no" Wv"
hall in the pale warmth of the winter
snow waiting for the school bell to
ring. when Una Rounds and Madge
wilson came up the broad, hard snow
path hippety- hop, and exclaimed in
one breath
"Obi Saw! Did We know Feber-
werv's Valentines day ?"
"Feb-er-wery's Valentines day y
mimicked Charlie Hull, with his mouth
full of apple Just bitten from a fair
checked Baldwin held up in the slim
fingers of Orie Potter. "Isn't Febru-
airy but a day long, | should like to
know 2"
"Why, of course it's" said Bertha
Farnum, "can't you say, thirty days
hath September p"
"Oh, yes, of course" put in Arthur
Potter, 'Eand Febuerwery which alone
has twenty eight days and one day
more"
ooh, / know, now" cried Una, in
terrupting the sing-sOng recitation,
"the one day more is when they send
Valentines"
The older children all laughed and
Hattie Robbins asked: "What do two
little hippety hops like you know
about st. Valentines day, any way 7"
"Oh, nothing, much" replied Madge,
brushing the snow off her scarlet stock
ings with her blue mittens; "Only yOn
know we forgot to give Miss Clifford IA
present, New Years, and heard sister
Helen say she hoped she should have Il
valentine, and | thought twas a pres
ent, and didn't know but we might
give the teacher one"
The idea caught the fancy of the
older scholars, and as they looked
questieningly into each others bright
ewes, Mamie Eldridge said: 81 wish
we could make her believe she had got
q valentine from her beau. L heard
mother tell Aunt Jane that she had
one once and he Tilted her or some
thing, don't know what she did say"
ooh. know that story" said Madge
Wedge, "and | would tell it, only the
young ones will keep forever talking
about it,"
"No, we won't talk about it forever,
NEITHER" said Daisy Sparrow.
True as true,
Black and blue,
Say it every one OF you
The young voices Obediently plped
up i'm concert, the gray -stOckinged legs
keeping time as they danced up and
down the gray stone steps.
"Well, you see," went on MIdgle,
"teacher had bean once and she was
really and truly going to be married.
and his name was Purple-PrOfessor
Purple"
"Did he die 2" "Purplew "What a
queer name !" Greatly, a beau !"
"Where is he now ?"
81 can't tell that" said Midgie all
| can tell is what teacher told our Lee
ma the night she staid at our house
and | had Group and mamma was
away, SO | slept on the lounge in Lee
mas room, and they talked and talked
when they were taking down their
hair and putting up their crimps. She
cried some and said she never expect
ed to keep school, but her father died
and because she was poor this beau
never came near her again"
.'Oh let's surprise her by every one
of us sending her a purple bow for a
valentine" spoke up Bell Weld.
"NO, I'll tell you," said Mamie Hull,
"we'll put our pennies together and
buy bow of purple satin ribbon, nice
and pretty, and send that for the val
entine; and on St. Valentines day,
that is tomorrow, we Will. every one
of us, wear a purple bow"
"That will be huge joke" said
Clearance Berry. "What do you sup
pose she will say ?"
at might make her mad, said Char
lie Carpenter. at may make her feel
bad" said Pinkie Lawton, gently,
"perhaps we had better not do that"
But Matte Long turned the scales by
saying:
"WOn't she wonder though how we
found out her secret-and it's such fun
to find out secret. Oh, let's do it,"
The school bell rang just then and
they all scampered away up the beaten
path, under the bare brown branches
Of the huge elms, between the great
drifts of snow OH either hand that were
waiting to be dissolved by the Febru-
airy thaw that the south wind seemed
to be bringing close to hand. They
lodged without giving him a thought
an elegant looking gentleman in a seal
skin coat who stood Oh the. walk near
smile the heller SHELTER group as they
within the door of the dingy
village schoOlhOuse.
ed, ''tO think that after losing sight of
her utterly for so long, | should by
the merry prattle of these thoughtless
children come upon her, while pursu-
ing my scientific Investigations as to
the branch growth of trees. Bless the
one who first acquainted me with the
wonderful trees in this village | +
might as well fall into the children's |
plot, as st. Valentines day is only to-
| wender what sort of hotel
| shall find here, for
in order to make a valentine of myself, |
must stay over" and the grave faced |
gentleman with sudden illumination
in his fine eyes, turned down a cross !
street, pursuing his scrutiny of the
tree tops that were outlined against
the pale blue winter sky and casting
lovely outline shadows on all the wide
white sunlit fields of snow beneath.
The next morning subdued air of
pervaded the group on the
own hall steps, where at all seasons,
n fair weather, the children were in
he habit of awaiting the morning call
Of the school bell.
"Mine's one of Billy's old neckties,"
'aid Charlie Campbell, unloosening his
muller and showing a bit of purple
silk. 'It's faded some, but i couldn't
ind nOthin' else and | thought it.
would do"
al tied mine in my buttonhOle," said
Will Leach; "it's one of the strings of
,randma's best cap, and Mamie Tut
les got the other one-she's going ter
ron 'em out and pin 'em on again to-
"The real valentines a stunner.n
aid Robbie Hull. 81 saw it when
damie was doing it up. Oh, there
,Oes teacher into the school house
What do YOU s'pOse she'll say Z She's