Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-02-13
THE LITTLE LADY AND VALEN-
TINES DAY.

|
| Her Book. Copyright, 1901, by Henry Altenius
| Co. Used by permission OF the authorD
| The Little Lady is always very busy on
| Valentines day. In the first place she has
great many friends that she has to send
| valentines to- so they won't be disappoint-
ed and then she always gets quite good
| many pretty ones herself, so that looking
at Them and trying to guess who they are
! from. and all, makes pretty busy day for
| the Little Lady. This year she got very
nice one with little white dog on it all in
! fancy clothes and a verse under it which
| said:
Here I ah. dressed up fine.
Come TO be your valentine.
When the Big Man saw it he said it re-
| minded him of story he'd been writing
about little boy named Fred and that he
| would read 1t to the Little Lady when she
went to bed. The Big Man quite often
writes stories about little boys. for other
| little boys to read, and the Little Lady
nearly always has to hear them, either be-
! fore they are printed in the papers, or just
| afterward.
So this Is the first Fired" story and the
| Big Man calls 1t
| LITTLE FRED'S VALENTINE.
Little Fred and his mother sat side by
| side before the fire. Fred's mother had
| been reading, and little Fred who was
| eight years old. or would be in June. was
| reading too. in book that he had founu
| in his stocking on Christmas morning. 1t
| was story of another little boy and
beautiful white dog that could do number
| of tricks and was brave and fond of his
master. Ever since he had read this book
| through the first time Fred had been wild
| for just such a dog of his own, ana had
| been saving every penny to buy one that
| he had seen at the dog fancier's down
| town.
| But Fred's little heap of pennies seemed
| to grow very slowly. He had not even q
| dollar yet, and the beautiful white curly
| dog, with a blue ribbon around his neck
| would cost several times this amount. He
closed his book with sigh and looked into
| the fire. Then he rocked backward and
| forward in his small rocking chair, think
ing;
| mamma he said at last. 1T will take me
a hundred years to save enough"
Freds mother looked up. She was think
| ing of her story, and did not notice what he
was saying.
What is it, Fred" she asked.
II said it would take forever to buy a
| dog" answered Fred, still rocking.
oh, no, Freddie, not that long. You have
quite a great deal already, and you know
| papa says when you get half enough he
VIII put in the rest. I'm sure you'll have
it in time for your birthday"
Fred thought about this for a few mo
ments: then he said:
But it's most Valentines day. and that'r
take a little money, and then l won't have
so much AGAIN.
Il will give you little money for yaIen-
tines Fred. You needn't use any of yours
Fred s mother went back to her story
and Fred read a few more pages too tina
told how Snow, which was the dogs name
IN the book. had one day been out with his
master, and they had passed poor woman
turning a little hand organ that nobody
listened to- and how Shows master haC
stopped and told Snow to do all his tricks
and then people had stopped too anG
Shows master had passed around the wo
mans little tin cup, and the people had hal
filled it with pennies. To Fred this was
tie noblest act he could think Of and he
knew where there was just such ?
poor woman who played Just such ar
organ He thought he must save his
pennies if it took a year and buy tn
white dog, and then he would name
him Snow. too and have him give a per
formance. as Shows master had done. for
the poor old woman. Fred remembered ius'
how she had looked when he passed he,
the day before. huddled close to stone
wall, half hidden by a thin. faded shawl
and grinding away all day at the little
organ, that made a sound weak that one
had to listen very close to hear it at all.
And then Fred thought how long it would
take him to save enough to buy Snow anT
how, all that time, the woman must turr
ana turn at the little organ, and perhaps bf
sick and starving. as the woman had beer
III Tic Dooh linen ne rocked and looked
into the fire again, and thought how warn
and cosy he was, and how cold it wouf
be without a fire, even if one did not have
to st all day in the cold outside After
awhile he went to bed and then he dreamed
he was passing the woman who played the
little organ, and she had asked him for q
penny, and he said to her Il am sayinr
my pennies to buy a white dog named
Snow, and then 1 will have him perform for
you some day. but that will be in June
Then the woman kept holding out her cu1
to him and said, 1T Will be summer then
and warm, and l won't need so much
am cold now, and hungry" By and by the
little boy woke up and lay there a long time
thinking. He knew by the feeling of the
air that it was very cold and he thought
how terrible it would be if he did not have
a nice warm bed. When he started for
school next morning he was very sober On
his way home to luncheon he ran a block
out of his way TO pass the old woman who
was turning the little organ in the bitter
cold. He scarcely spoke through luncheon
and his mother wondered what made her
little boy sober
But that night at tea his face was very
bright.
what is it, Fred? What makes you look
happy?" asked his mother.
I've given up buying the dog" said Fred
why, Fred said his father II thought
you wanted it more than anything in the
world
YES" said Fred, but it was too slow,
and she was cold and hungry now
The parents looked at each other.
'.Who was cold and hungry, Fred?" asked
his mother.
THE organ woman-I gave her my pen
MES Il made her cry" and suddenly Fred
forgot that he was SO happy and burst out
crying, too.
Fhere was another quick glance across
the table.
Don't cry, Freddie - said his mother
1.-THE pennies were yours to do with just as
you pleased. I have no doubt they made
the Door haDDy"
The next day was ST. Valentines and the
little boy stopped on the way to school and
bought two pretty ones with the dime his
mother had given him that morning They
were for two of his Schoolmates and he
addressed them with great care and drop
ped them in letter box outside. Then he |
ran on laughing and happy. When he re-
turned to luncheon he found under his plate |
two almost exactly like them VIII oh the |
postman had brought. And that night when |
he came home to tea his mother said:
There is another valentine for you In |
tie parlor, Fred
Fred flew In to see it, and there sitting |
before the CRATE, and looking Straight at |
him. was beautiful white dog, with a |
blue ribbon about its neck. and a card |
which said on it:
sscNOm