the front doorbell rang furiously and mary, knowing that it was snowing and blowing a gale outside, answered the ring as fast as she was able.

two shivering little figures stood upon the doorstep, one a small boy, 10 or 12 years of age, who surveyed her a moment quite as coolly as she surveyed him. deliberately stepping into the lighted hallway, he dragged with him his little companion, a shivering mite of a girl, almost hidden in the folds of a ragged coat. this coat he suddenly jerked from her shoulders, saying:

"here's a valentine for the lady wot lives here!" then, turning, he ran rapidly down the steps and disappeared around the corner into the snowy darkness.

aunt dorothy at that moment entered the hall, but, before she had time to speak the little waif thrust a piece of paper into, her hand, with the simple explanation, "dick writ it."

aunt dorothy took the crumpled note and unfolded it carefully. after a few minutes she managed to read the scrawling letters:

"this little girl ain't got no folks and no place to stay; so she's been staying in a box with straw in it with me nights. i've fetched her to be your valentine. she's hungry.

"dick."

aunt dorothy's eyes filled with tears. "mary, take the child into the kitchen and give her something to eat. i will come presently and perhaps i can find out what is the best thing to do."

mary led her down the hall.

"a valentine!" she ejaculated. "blest if i don't think this is the queerest piece of business i ever seen!" her manner softened a little as she watched the greediness with which the child devoured the big slice of bread and butter, and when aunt dorothy came down she found her "valentine" seated in mary's own rocking chair before the fire, while mary herself, down on the floor, had the almost frozen feet in her lap.

aunt dorothy sat down near them and watched mary for a few minutes in silence. "now that you feel better, my child, tell me where you live?"

"i don't live nowhere," answered the child, "'cept with dick—he's got a big box with straw in it. i crawled in one night after they took father away—the police, you know."

aunt dorothy sighed, "give her a warm bath, mary, and make a bed on the lounge in my room. i will try to find something which will do for a nightdress."

the poor little, wondering child was soon wrapped in a warm shawl and curled down on the lounge. suddenly she raised herself on her elbow:

"dick said there was angels that lived somewhere and took care of folks. are you one of them?"

"no, no, child," said aunt dorothy gently, "i am only aunt dorothy. go to sleep."

"yes'm; but i do wish dick was a valentine, too! it's very cold in his box."

aunt dorothy and mary sat up late that night hastily making warm garments for the small mite; but they considered themselves well repaid by the delight with which they were put on in the morning. while the happy little waif was taking her breakfast in the kitchen the bell rang, and when mary answered the ring she found dick standing in the doorstep. he shambled bashfully in, and in a moment the child's arms were around his neck and her face pressed close against his cold and grimy one.

when aunt dorothy came down she found her "valentine"-bringer refreshed by a breakfast the like of which he had never before tasted, sitting by the fire with the "valentine" at his side. dick rose as she entered, still holding both of the little hands of his small companion.

"i ain't got much to tell you, ma'am. i'm dick the boot-black, an' this here little girl i found one night last week. me and joe rafferty had been to a movin' picture show, and when i comes out it was late an' pretty cold, so i runs all the way to the box. the box is a big box down by higley's warehouse, an' i sleep in it. an' i finds this little girl a-curled up in it asleep. i felt kinder sorry for so small a mite, so i covered her up with some old carpet rags.

"i seen folks sendin' valentines for presents an' thought some one ought to like a little girl better than a picture. i seen you one day, ma'am, give a lame man some money, an' i followed and seen where you lived. an' i says to myself if you was so kind to a man you'd be kind to a little girl that had no one but me to look after her."

"i think i'll keep my valentine, dick," she answered, looking into the fire with a smile. "i never heard of sending one back, i believe. and i think i'll send one myself too. i will give you a letter to a man who i think will give you a position as an errand boy." and so dick had a good job as a messenger boy in a big dry goods house, where he grew up to be a very useful man.