The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1890-02-08

Myself your former Valentine
'"There," exclaimed Jack, cycling his
fair copy with proud satisfaction. Now
that's something like what fellow
would write. Any body'd know tother
one was girls doin's. Now for the
seal; it must be done up before Nell
gets back" And with much care and
pains, after various experiments neat
round patch of azure wax was impressed
with the big D.
Nelly was much disguised when she
came back to find her valentine irremedi-
ably fastened. What did you seal it
for, Sam?" she inquired, angrily; Il
wanted to see how it looked"
''Well, supposin' you did; you couldn't
have told Laura It you'd never seen the
thing, and now you can"
"That's So, answered Modified Nelly,
and Sam chuckled to think how true
such an answer would be, in spirit as
we'll as letter. At Nell's direction he
wrote the address and inclosed the note
to Jenny Dauvray, asking her to post it
from Rome, where she would be when
| the double epistle reached her.
In due time the verses returned to
Laura; her heart beat wildly as she per-
ceived the foreign stamp, the Roman
postmark; she was heartily thankful
that she had gone to the village post
Office herself, for her father would have
been sure to comment on the letter.
She took it at once to her room and,
locking her door, sat down by the win
dow and carefully slit the envelope.
Judge of her consternation! She turned
to the envelope and inspected that once
more; the postmark was distinct; so was
| the great ID, that filled the azure round
of the seal. What could this mean?
was it deliberate insult? or had he so
lost his manners, his feeling, by asso-
ciating with rough herd of artists
that he took this way to let her know
he cared for her no longer?
There was another and worse alterna.
| tive; she had read in novels, often, how
young men coming into the possession
of money became dissipated; could Jack,
her Jack, have taken too much wine and
under its degrading influence sent her
this disgusting, cruel set of rhymes?
Lauras face famed with anger; then
she threw herself on her little bed and
cried bitter, hot tears; cried for her
past and her future. She went down to
dinner with very red eyes indeed, and
| told her father that she had a headache.
| Indeed she had; and heartache too!
She was glad now that she had lost her
| forget-me-not ring months ago; it
dropped off her finger while she was
pulling water-lilies out of Swan lake,
and she had cried over the loss sadly;
but now she rejoiced in it; she could
have sent that back in a letter, she
would have been obliged to return it;
but the little books, the bits of bric-a
brac, the bronze frog that held stamps
on her pretty desk; the china turtle that
lifted its square-fgured shell to contain
her few trinkets, she could not send
these to Rome! She put them all into
an old starch-box and hid them far
| away under the caves of the garrett; a
tiny grave in the house!
Sam Damon, whistling along the
streets of Traverse, little knew what he
had done. Nelly waited in vain for
Laura's confidence with regard to that
sweet, sweet valentine, from you know
who?" as she had fully expected the let
| ter to run; but Laura gave no sign.
Sam grinned to himself after hearing
Nelly express her Impotence at this I'M
heard-of silence and muttered to him
self: -,r So.
81 guess not! That amt the sort of a
valentine to tell Of; not much" o.,
Yet, after all, Sam, like the rest of us,
was but mole grubbing in the dark;
he brought about results far from. his
own expectation, above his own under
standing even, though he went all his
days in ignorance thereof; conscious
] only of slight vexation, whenever he