The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1900-02-15
CHILDREN'S DEPARTMENT

valent1AO Nay 0f Long Are.
The thirteenth Of February was .
wild stormy day. The wind howled dis
mally as it tore round the cosiier Of the
house, whirling the feathsry flakes OF
snow into drifting maasea>1 Inside the
house, though, In Mrs. Browns warm
kitchen, it looked snug and cosy enough
and the three little girls bhsilt engaged
at the big kitchen table gaze little heed
| to the weather outside. III
Carrie and Susie Hale, who lived next
door, had come in to spend the after
noon with Nellie Brown, and they were
busy AZ could be, making valentines.
for was not tomorrow the festival day
OF good st. Valentine, whom all child
rem love? No this was a very long time
ago. when no one thought OF, such, a
thing as buying valentine; indeed: I
doubt II such thing could have been
found In the village store, with the ex-
ceptiOn Of the comic sheets which sold
for penny; no one had ever heard Of
! the beautiful valentines which fill the
store windows nowadays.
All the children made their own val
entines to give away, and every scrap of
bright-colored paper was treasured up
through the year for that purpose.
Carrie and Susie and Nellie had quite
a collection of colored paper spread out
upon the table, besides a few pieces Of
gilt, which were highly priced, and
few choice bits Of lace paper, which the
village milliner had given Carrie one
day for doing an errand, and which she
generously shared with the others.
They also had sheets of white writing
paper, which they cut into squares or
hearts or rounds, and ornamented with
the brfght-colored bits in as ifanciful
way as their imagination could suggest.
Tomorrow they would start Tor school
early, and slip them into the desks of
the favored recipients before school be-
gan. They were going to make just as
many valentines as they had paper for
and they worked and chatted busily.
each little girl keeping one valentine
carefully hidden from the others, and
working upon it at intervals upder the
table, or under cover of newspaper,
hoping the others would not notice.
They were all through by supper time
and Carrie and Susie were just getting
ready to go home when Mr.. Brown
came in and brought word that they
might stay all night, as it as too stormy
for them to go even as far as next door.
OF course, that was good news for the
little girls, and after one of Mrs.
Browns nice suppers, they had jolly
time playing Hide the Thimble,"
'Blind-man's Buff" and Hull, Gull:
How Many" and when they were tired
of games Mr.. Brown brought out the
corn pepper and they popped corn and
roasted apples by the bright kitchen
fire, and by bedtime they were so tired
that they dropped right off to sleep
almost as soon as their little heads
touched the pillow, although they had
just assured each other that they did
not feel sleepy one bit, and knew that
they would not go to sleep for long
time.
When the awoke in the morning. oh!
how it looked out Of doors! No paths
hardly any fences, even, could be seen;
nothing but white snow, and still snow
ing; no chance of going to school, nor
of giving away or receiving any valen-
tines, and three little girls with sober
faces took their seats at the breakfast
table; but as they lifted their plates the
faces quickly changed and the happy
laughter rang out, for under each plate
was valentine t<d
Carries was quite an elaborate one:
sheet of paper folded i'll the middle
scalloped all around the edges9 and then
around it first row of bite stars, then
a row of yellow ones, and then one of
pink stars, and in the center was
rosette of red tissue paper, while on the
inside was printed in a very painstaking
fashion: O.
The rose is redsf o.
The violet blue, j. T.
The pink is pritty,q
And so are YOU
Susie's valentine was both gorgeous
and patriotic, the sheet of folded paper
being cut into the shape Of flag, with
strips Of red paper pasted on for stripes
and piece of blue in the corner dotted
with gilt stars, and inside it said:
When this you see,
Remember me.
Nellie had very dainty affair, cut
from blue paper in the shape of heart,
with border of lace paper and big
gilt star in the center; and her verse
read:
II you love me
AS l love you,
No nife can cut
Our love In two.
The pleasantest thing about it all was
that each little girl thought her own
valentine was the prettiest and was