The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-02-09
0S
BY HELENA DAVIS.

The boys and girls of Dashtown were making great preparation for St. Val entine's party. Two of the town girls May Bruce and Stella Jones-were the ''chief promoters" as they styled them selves. The project was of their planning, and they got together every evening after school to talk over the forthcoming fes- tivity.
 It had been unanimously voted by the boys and girls to accept the kind offer of Jack Downs to have the party at his home, for Jacks mother was a royal chaperone and hostess to her boys young friends and the Downs house was a spacious one, being finely fitted for the entertainment of guests.
 ] Have you made out the list of gusests?' | Jack asked May and Stella one evening as the three walked from school together "Oh, yes, Jack" answered May. And | as the party is 10 be at your house we want to submit the list to you, it being | your privilege to add or subtract names, you know. Stella and l have tried to omit none of our friends, and hope we have included no one you will object to-"
 'Oh, as for my objeetlng to any one, l ihuShto Jdtk, du sure lutle lSu Il | boy or girl in town who is not welcome at my house. I only hope you haven't | forgotten anyone It is hard 10 be left out, you know. And I shall avail my self of the privilege you have granted me and add any name or names of those whom you might have overlooked"
 As Jack said this he looked rather knowingly at the two girls and his look | was not lost on them. But they pre- | tended not to have noticed anything un- usual in his tone or manner. and Stella Il handed him the sheet of paper containing the chosen list of names for the yalen- tine party.
 Say, wasn't Jack nasty, though P asked May, as soon as she and Stella were out of bis hearing, having parted with him at the corner. 'I know what he meant, all right. He greatly admires Lily Long, and as sure as fate he'll want to add her name to the list
 Well, we'll never, never consent to have her invited" declared Stella. .Her sancti1ed face, her very proper manner and narrow -mindedness make me disgust ed The other day she caught me cheat t. ing at exam, and the way she looked at me would have made one think I had committed an unpardonable sin. I hate her. And how the teachers and a few of the boys do dote on her. She's a de ceitful little rat That's my opinion of her."
 You can't dislike her more than I do," asserted May. Why, she had the inn | pudence to offer to assist me with a problem couldn't do the other day. turned up my nose at her smartness, and told her l was capable of getting my own lessons. Then she remarked that she had only offered to help me because she had seen me copying my answers from the book, and that she felt so sorry to see me doing that. Now, what would you think of that? Oh. she's one of those pov- erty-stricken goody -goodyists. Her father clerks in a 1O-cent store and her mother does plain sewing. Those are reasons enough why. she should not be. invited into our set"
 Yes, I should say they are." agreed Stella. But the way Jack has taken a fancy 70 her of late is really shocking And his father a banker and his mother l the society leader of the towni Really,