Dakota farmers' leader. (Canton, S.D.) 1890-19??, 1906-02-16
A HAPPY VALENTINES Day.
BY II. c: STEIN.

errand one February morning, stood look
Ing with wistful eyes at the gay dlspla.
of valentines in the window.
Folks give them to folks, for pres
ents," she relected-'sends them tt
friends in envelopes, and surprises en-
folks that has friends does" she limited
herself YEARLY.
Lonely little lilly fell to dreaming
How nice it would be if some one should
send her a valentine, Oh Valentines day
one of those lovely blue and "hite ones,
with a wreath of pink roses surrounding
some verses, and cunning little baby an
gels peeping over the edges of the wreath,
and her name on the envelope.
But who was there to send her one!
lilly felt her enthusiasm ebbing away at
this puzzling thought.
There was Kate, the cook, but Kate
was so cross, she wouldn't; and Mrs.
O'Keefe who came to wash, but it was
not likely she would send one. And there
was Mrs. Skaggs, the landlady, and-and
the boarders-'none of them wouldn't"
lilly gave her head a decided little shake
at that idea.
She shifted the heavy basket to the
other arm and trudged soberly along.
"Ihere isn't anybody" she thought.
To - sure, since she wanted a yalen-
tine SO very much, lilly could nave
bought one herself with the twenty cents
she had in the little black purse she wore.
The pocket was a very large and deep
one, and the dress that it belonged to
nae been one of Mrs. Skaggs', now made
over for lilly.
Old Mrs. Skaggs had a queer habit Of
always carrying her valuables around
with her, including, among other things,
k--o silva ,1o-- c-.:k 1x:-a- ~:--
design, IN old gold belt buckle, and a
stout buckskin purse filled with dimes
and nickels with which to make change
for her transient customers.
So you can see for yourself that under
the circumstances, Mrs. Skaggs really
needed a large, strong pocket.
, When the dress passed down to lilly
It had been altered enough to prevent her
from getting quite lost inside of it, but
the dimensions of the pocket remained as
before. 1t was so large and so deep that
lilly had almost to go down on her knees,
camel fashion, When she had occasion to
use it. -.r
But it was not the inconvenience of the
pocket that prevented lilly from buying
herself a valentine that morning. 1t was
not even economy, though she would have
thought twice before spending her hoard
ed-up money.
Just a valentine itself, was not what
she cared for so much. She may not have
fully realized it herself, but 1 think it
was rather, some one who cared for her,
for which the friendless child longed.
lilly was twelve years old, and an or
phan. Her mother had died two years
before, while the family, in very poor
circumstances, was living at Mrs. Skaggs'.
uor fofhar ho1 1oft hor rr;+1 A. = :,
after her mothers death, to work for her
board and clothes and 60 to school until,
an he said, he could get work and come
for her.
But the days went by and he did not
come back. lilly learned after that he
had died in the hospital.
Mrs. Skaggs had taken lilly out of
school, and, gradually, she had come to
be the little dish-washer, and knife-and-
fork-scourer, and potato-peeler and errand
runner, and help-in-general in Mrs.
Skaggs' somewhat dilapidated boarding
and lodging house. 1t was a hard life for
a little girl.
No one was positively unkind to her,
but on the other hand, those who lived
In the house were too much occupied in
eking out an existence for themselves to
give much thought to the welfare of ouiet
unobtrusive lilly. ~ E-
And lilly had grown used to beinp
neglected, and to keeping her thoughts
and wishes to herself. But she a a
cheerful. hopeful nature. Things will be
better some time" she would say to her
self. 90 - 22R-
And then she would remember Tho
words her father had said to her at part
ing:
"Be useful and faithful. Ti1x .na
you'll be SURF to find friends in the I'm.
run"
But perhaps lilly had unused too lon,
by the window for her good, that valen'
tines morning, for as she walked sIou,lv
along. and her fathers words came into
her mind, she almost, for tue first time
doubted the truth of them.
What was the use of being faithful ~
useful or anything else-no one cared for
her.
But there are sayings-"It's a long lane
that has no turning"-and cts ALWAYS
darkest just before day''-and oh ! If de.
spondent little lilly could have known
what was going to happen that very, very
day
When she entered the Kitchen with the
basket, Kate exclaimed: well, it's Ions
enough we've been afther bringing the
soup bones J"
1.-THE new drcssmaker upstairs was ask
in for ye again." she added.
"She wants me to stand on q DO,
while she drapes peoples dresses on me-
lilly explained.
-Sure / just wouldn't thin" replied
Kate, GROSSLY. The more ye wait OF
her, the more she'll AK ye, and no thank,
nayther"
For q moment lilly nesitated. It WASH
much fun trying on other peoples prett,
things when she had none Of her own.
But father told me to b useful" sh,
thought, sand Mrs. Skagss wants me to
and 1 WON'T let myself get ugly and eros
just because I haven't got amy folks-Tt
just be worse OF thar ever !"
well, I like that dressmaker, Katie
she said. "and / like to help her"
Gloomy little lilly had resolved to b
gloomy no more, and OF she dew up til
stairs.
Eve come 70 seand for . q Mis Dem