Show awn u 1 ORCAS dreaded Valou tines D DORCAS day he most of all pink eel cel lubold hearts and blue rib boned gewgaws that other lit tie tic girls received with blushes and giggles from the boys across the aisle were not in her line dorcas did not take after her moth er mrs carter always explained when apologizing tor for her daughters wall lower flower tendencies dorcas was like her father thin brown serious eyed and sensitive her fathers side of the house FI adso 0 wua to alisme for her name which the school children derisively shortened to dor ky the namo name belonged to mr carters aunt a killjoy sort of a poison pel son who sent dorcas union suits and mil mit tens at christmas time although dorcas being eleven years old bad had und undergone five live ordeals of 0 the valentine box airs mrs carter never wb able to understand why her daughter came home each etch time without any trophies of masculine dd adoration oration sometimes dorcas fancied her mother bad had been like clara jane a freckled tomboy girl when clara jano june was winked at aho she immediately waved her hanl hand in the air indignantly and blurt ed out that old happy finne ls l at me and it you don dont t make him stop III slap his face miss alias stanton interrupted sentencing the impetuous clara jano jana to fifteen minutes stay after school tor for her rudeness but at clara jane found tha the same freckled urchin who had winked bis his blue eyes at her waiting outside to carry home her books and so it came february 13 mrs carter made the discovery at the dinner table why honey she exclaimed do to dorcas and speaking in the confidential tone of one girl to another honey tomorrows valen tine day have you landlin laid in yours tt t tor for the box 1 I got them this aft afternoon ernon the child replied trying to speak naturally you did didt why you tell me met who are you going to send them to tot dorcas replied with her eyes still on her plato plate miss alias stanton aby morgan genevieve and ive got a little one tor for mose tho the janitor ho ile never gets any and ho he always fixes our box up in the morning and oh but dearie dearle interrupted her mother what about the boys I 1 was hoping send you some this thim year and it if trey tey do feel cheap not remembering mem bering them why dont you jou send happy finnegan one anyway why when I 1 was in school my aly dear would you mind retting getting me another cup of coffeo coffee mr carter had seen dorcas sudden ly cram bread between her quivering lips and a vision of his own sensitive bashful boyhood came before him hlin As quickly as she safely could dorcas slipped away to bed it if I 1 could just set get one valentine from a boy she pleaded in her prayers 1 I ask tor for an thing else for a long long time its not for ajr m self but for mother I 1 cant disappoint her again tomorrow delow below in the sitting room mr air carter suddenly lost interest in the embrel dery club 1 I believe III go down to the drug store and get a cigar be he told bis his wife handing her tho the evening poper paper its pages neatly turned to the dry goods advertisements how long it took to get the cigar mrs airs carter did not know she was aulepp when her husband camo came home and ho he never explained to her that he had visited five drug stores and ended up with a call at the back door of 0 the little shanty b belonging longing to mose the school janitor A spirit of tit santa claus anticipation fallad miss room the next mo morning little girls with bobbed hair took little girls with ith brada and big bows in cornero ano anu showed them fancy creations creat lone of rd lace and tissue paper and pert round faced little girls tittered whenever one of ot the boya boys across the aisle tramped in smiling cons consciously clouspy with a queer shaped pack age under his coat tho the arrival of happy finnegan Fin Fint hegan iegan his coat having a mysterious square ef feet in front was the climax of the morn morning ing coradell and clara jano jane their arms about each other broiled smiled knowingly each confident in her own mind that his smile his blush and his square shaped box were for nor her happy decided yet himself at last finding that billy everett was sending an expensive winced cu pid to coradell he sent bis his gem to the same shrine the dread of tho the box opening bad had grown crown upon dorcae dorcas all day it was wa bad enough to ait alt for forty minute while everybody was van being showered with daou lines but facing her bar mother afterwards afterward sher her blonde dimp linic mother ahn would come running to meet bor her and whose face would fall all like that of a disappointed child bild when whom she saw only the little token from miss allas stanton and tho the girls aa As the distribution began acas dm caa sat resignedly hor her brown hands bands folded trying to figure how many minutia until it would ie be tomor ruT to him hint thim hath shall be given la is always the rule of a school valentine box and even miss toos tactful care in providing hand painted carda cards with quotations for the leaa less popular onea ones even things up for dorcae dorcas luck vent went little better this year than usual genevieve bet seat mate cave gave her a atar star shaped missive in a big box like the boya boys sent and abby whom she had bad helped lot to two w 0 years in arithmetic sent her a string of r d hearts each one pierced with a silver arrow the box wae was nearly empty now miss dorcas carter tim was calling the last valentine in the box then be he pulled and tugged and tearing away part of the tissue paper drapo drape ries drew forth a big white box al moat most aa as wide and long ae as tho the valentine box itself and which would have bade two of the one containing cora dells pink violin back at her seat ebe she undid tho the knotted string with trembling fingers then bho she lifted the lid the children crowding about her desk were silent at ut first in and then misa tiles stanton joining them they burst into a chorus of ohe oho and as in a bod bed of cotton lay a sparkling heart beart shaped affair billows of pink chiffon were draped about it and out elde iside of this were paper lace ruffles at one side was a sheath of celluloid ar rows tipped with gold and attached to L fa tag F 1 I got the fullest valentine of anybody ih lh school these a small card bearlie in gold letters to one I 1 love on the back of 0 this was printed in a half bal teasy easy balf half labored mancul lne band hand from your socket admirer dorcas von wondered dered how bow ebo she over ever acot slatted homo home that night long after the dismissal bell rang children crowd 1 ed about her desk pleading for just one more look and only a toucin A half halt doceu at least boys aa as well as girls begged for the privilege of carrying it lome tor for her and just as she stood hesitatingly trying to decide happy picked up the box and marching resolutely away with it corn com handed dorcas to hurry up ond come on n 1 I m coln to cut out the fellow that sent it he announced mrs carter waited expectantly at the sitting groom room window she saw them as they turned the corner and was out to meet them dorcas with one glad rush was at her mothers side her arms outstretched her shyness vanished 1 I I got the fullest valentine of at anybody am body in school she cried out and now mamma be happy its 4 tom a boy happy grinning with both pride and embarrassment followed with the box boy its some valentine mis carter he said dorkas Dork ys sure got some guy going but be he vas as toj toi bashful to see her he r home mrs tire carter dimpled it was the HS rl event of her life she was receiving her daughters daul liters first brat admirer in the kitchen mrs carter urged cookies on happy until he declared he was ready to bust later with dorcas on her lap she congratulated her little daughter on her beautiful valentine I 1 its just like a valentine I 1 got when iwas 1 was L sirl girl she said ellen thompson in the kansas city star the hearts of pretty women aro like bonbons bonbonis bon bons ased rs ed up in la enig mas aJ J petit senn |