The great West. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1889-18??, 1893-02-24

Helen'S own name was signed to
this, and it was her plan to try to get
every boy and girl in the room to fol-
low her example. She began with her
brother Hugh.
''Huhv he said, Il can't sign that
| thing; it won't match" Then he gig
gled over the thought Of the caricatlire
| which W;ts already in the postO11ice.
Yet he signed the paper after ALL II
am sorry for him. he sad to himself;
Il only made the picture for fun
I;nt Clay Peterson would II IT sign it;
| he wanted to be Consistent he said
Three valentines for Webster Briggs.
| OF course he opened the largest first
1t was the picture and the poem.
Have you any idea how angry the
boy was? He almost checked in his
effort to talk fas. enough. He had
called all his schoolnlatcs a mean hor-
rid set, and declared lie never would
speak to any of them again. Then
he cried, Door fellow-hot, angry tears.
He had been. excused from school
that morning-his mother thought he
didn't seem Well-sO there was plenty
OF time to read his valentines He
didn't open the next one for half an
hour. When he did, and saw the
long list Of names-twenty- eight of
them. only one missing he cried again,
but this time the tears were not so
bitter, bis heart was growing setter.
They were friends, after all, and he
hadn't desired that they should be; he
had done a mean thing; what was the
use OF pretending it wasn't?
With these thoughts coming thick
and fast into his heart, he opened the
third valentine. A wee, white note,
with pisture of white dove in the
corner; and these words carefully writ
ten:
Dear Webster:
love you, but you will not be happy
any more, nor shall l, until you ask
Miss Parkhurst to forgive you. I
know that it SO, for when do wrong
it is the only way to get back the hap
py feeling. Dear Webster, know you
will do it. MAMIE.
Then Webster buried his curly head
in his hands and cried hard for five
minutes; then he went in search of
his mother. An hour afterward he
went to school, taking an excuse from
mother for hardness. Just before re-
cess Miss Parkhurst announced that
one of the scholars had something he
wished to say. Up came Webster
Briggs his face quite pale, and his
voice low but steady. He wanted to
say he had told a lie the day before; it
was he who had whispered; he had not
meant to say "No, ma'am," when Miss
Parkhurst asked him; he did not know
why he had, but he felt almost certain
that he would never say such a thing
again. Would Miss Parkhurst forgive
him, and give him the punishment
now that he ought to have had yester-
day?
What was the matter with Miss
Parkhurst? She was brushing a tear
away from her eyes, What she did,
was TO ask all the scholars who be-
lieved that Webster Briggs had re-,
ceived punishment enough and wanted
to have him forgiven, to rise. Up
came every scholar as though they
were connected by electric wires!
The moment recess was announced
Clay Peterson bounded over the top
Of his desk and reached Webster's side.
Look here he said, II want to sign
that valentine you got this morning
My name belongs there, and [ want
the other one to burn it up; do, hon
est We. only did it for fun, but it was
mean. Helen had the best fun I
think. And. look here, I'll lend you
my jack-knife-two of 'cm If you want
them. The Pansy