The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1910-01-31
A USEFUL VALENTINE
By BERTHA 0. ALsop.


Copyright 1919 BY American Press Asso.
ciationl
Della Thorpe was passing out Of the
age when girls send Or expect valen.
tines. at least she personally CON
sidered them as more fitted for CHI.
dren than for grownup young ladies
Of seventeen like herself. But Della
was rather dignided young person
with old ways
There Is q place IN all girls hearts
vacant until It IS filed By some young
fellow. This place had been filed for
Della, but neither be who hlled II nor
any one else knew Of the fact. Della
herself was afraid even to breathe his
name m her prayers, fearing some or
binary mortal without sentiment or
sympathy would hear.
Henry Robbins, a bank clerk. was
the yauth whose image had found a
pre-eminent place IN her vision. Aft
or all, In youth Is II not the image
that makes the impression? Marriage
among very young people il certainly
q lottery.
When Della On the morning Of the
14th Of February received a valentine
addressed in Henry's handwriting she
had received one note from him and
treasured It, locked in her jewel box
she was surprised She tried at first
to make herself khink that she was
displeased. I2enry was Eve years her
senior. and Il occurred to her that his
sending her a valentine indicated that
he considered her a chit There was
one redeeming feature-it had been
mailed in a plain envelope. But pres
emily this feeling wore Of and there
was something very delightful about
the little stamped thing bedaubed with I
cupids, notwithstanding that she dep
recated Henry's having sent It to d
person 81 such advanced age as her
self. Pasted to Its center was d little /
silver gewgaw star, underneath which /
was written "Star Of Hope. While +
the address on the envelope was I'M
mistakably Henry's. Della was not T
quite certain that the writing under /
the star was bis Il looked more like +
the hand Of a much younger person.
But she preferred to think that i was
Henry's work. and why shouldn't L i
be since he had addressed the enyel /
ope? why had be called It the star
Of hope? Because it expressed a hope I
that she would be his valentine, Of I
course. Well what next? Why. be
expected that If there was hope for
him She would lei him know. And /
how would She do thisg BY sending I
him the star IL was all plain a. The /
sun il heaven after she had thought /
it ont.
some crusty bachelors, most Of them |
woman haters, assert that women have I
not logical brains. This process Of rea-
goning on the part Of one Of the sex
no older than her eighteenth year is
an excellent refutation Of these mems T
assertion. Ten to one If a man had re-
ceiyed such a missive he would never t
have suspected that the star had any /
meaning whatever; would have thrown
'the thing into the wastebasket and /
left the sender to find out whether Or I
no there was hope for her by asking
him point blank
Pardon this depression. Della Thorpe /
knew ii her heart chat there was I
great deal of hope FOR Henry Robbins,
and she deemed It her duty ~ was
certainly her pleasure TO inform him
Of the fact So she detached the star, /
put it In little envelope. such as Is I
used for sending cards, and slipped i
10 a letter box
aim. said Henry Thorpe on the +
morning Of the 18th Of February 70 I
an Office boy. There is some mistake
here. You were sending valentines the
Dther day. Do you know anything
about thisg'
sIts star that was on one Of the /
valentines 1 sent"
Henry had been very busy with the
mail Oh the 18TH Tim Butler had