Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1856-07-19
EVENING STAR.
.. VALENTINES EVE;
Or, fhe Way Uncle Sam Popped the One.
.. tisn Fifty Years Age,

-. isn Fifty Tears Age.
We were q merry set that night at Union
Hill as ever played lost my glove yesterday,
round the big fireplace of q cabin way out
West" ....s.....
We had all come together to spend Valen.
tines Eve, in merry making at Squire
| Whites, who had just moved out of the old
| log into the new brick, and made a "house
warming" as they used to call the first party
| in new house. 1t was just twenty years
| ago, . warm, genial February, and the sugar
trees had been tapped, and a nice run of sap
| had filled the buckets, tubs and troughs,
and Madam White, who had as kind heart
| as ever beat under a homemade gown, set
the big kettle of rich syrup before the FIRE and
said we should sugar Off" We had all got
ciroled round the big FIRE place, each with q
| saucer or wooden trencher, and q spoon or q
paddle In hand, ready for an onslaught, as
soon as Aunt Polly should say, Fall to and
| help yourselves" when in came Uncle Sam
| from the field; his round, rosy, happy face,
radiant with mirth and glee, and bis heart
beating as genial and warm as the great fire
in his chimney that sent its glow over every
| brow in the room > ...
"Oh Uncle Sam, Uncle Sam-Now for that
long promised story-Now for popping the
| question" cried half dozen voices at once.
"Do father White" said Lawyer c.,
| who had somehow got out into the country to
| spend Valentine. :" Let us have the story by
all means. L have been on the point Of pops
| ping the question these five years, but did not
know how; and if you will give us your ex-
perience, may find in it the way and means
Of escaping from single blessedness
Do, do: como now, uncle Sam" cried a
pretty black-eyed rogue Of sixteen, as she
sent a stolen glance over the shoulder of the
stately Miss Ellen, the belle of the village,
who stood Patting her spoon in the bottom Of
her saucer, as If unconscious of the deep mean
ing in the lawyers last words.
well, well, bless my stars, boys and girls,
don't ell talk at once. Marin, is your sugar
most done? Sit down, or stand up-don't
care which-but keep still for once in your
lives, ten minutes, and I'll tell you all about
it"
cob! Uncle Sam, I'm SO glad, I won't
speak a word -
I" Here Ned Wilson, take Jenny Lee under
your care, sit down by her side, yonder on the
settee, and see she don't trouble me agin, If
she does, zeal up her lips, Ned-you know
how, and Uncle Sam took his seat in the old
armchair, in the centre of the group, took the
quid from his cheek, and threw it into the
fro and began:
"Thirty years ago tonight"
/" Laws a me, Mr.. White, what's the use
don't be telling the youngsters any of your
yarns" said Aunt Polly, as she lifted up a
ladleful Of syrup, and let it run out slowly
into the kettle again, to see if it was getting
ropy;;,
"Never mind, never mind, wife-you tsnd
the lasses. Just thirty years ago tonight, /
made up my mind I'd 60 to Squire POrter's
and pOp-the question to Polly. l had been
trying six months to get at it, but somehow,
just as L was going to out with it, my heart
would take to humping, and my tongue would
cling to the roof of my mouth, and there was
the end Of ii. All nonsense, boys, nonsense
the girls are willing enough"
"Oh Uncle Sam how dare you? ?"
"Ned Wilson what did tell you to do?"
There was report like-no matter-the
cherry lips were sealed.
81 had failed, as said, as often as once
week, for the last six months, and now 1 was
determined to get through, somehow, so got
sister Ruth to cut me a valentine-(she was
well at, L tell ye)-all hearts and darts, and
true-love knots, with varses around in among
'em-such as
"The ring is round that hath no end,
So is my love for you my friend''
And
"Roses red, and violets blue,
Pinks is pretty, and SO are you"
s'Sure as the vine grows round the stump,
Sc sure you are my sugar lump"
To which I added a rhyme out of my own
head, all the one ever made, boys, L guess,
but it went to her heart, reckon
"Oh, what can cure my melancholy,
Nothing on earth-but you Miss Polly"
1 sent this by Bill in the morning, as he went
up to school. He went rite by So uire Porter's,
and l promised him a red handsled if he
would tell nobody. keep shady, Bill, !" said
I. ''Tight as clam" said he. Thinks to
myself agin she gets that all read over, she'll
begin to guess what l N arter when / get up
there, tonight.
81 and father had to go up into the dead
ening that day to chop wood for the district
Bless my stars, how cold it was-the wind
blew through the bare limbs Of the old oaks
and naples like wrath. But my heart beat
double quick time, you know, boys, how it
goes, and l chopped away like blszes.
" You re in q hurry, Sam, amt you, said
the old man
"NO other way to keep warm, father" said
/, but / warnt cold not a bit. We kept At
it all day, and long day it was tell ye.
Just before sundown We turned in, and shoul-
dering our axes started for home.
" Sam, said the old man, " l IN right tired
myself, and you may go down to the lower
meadow and fodder the stock"
OFF L struck like mad, for I knew it would
take me till pitch dark to get done if L had to
do it alone and then I'd have my supper to
eat, my beard to take off, and FIX up, and
walk a mile and half, and it would be nigh
On to eight o'clock when I'd git up to the
Squire's. The snow was falling a perfect
sheet, and the wind blew harder and harder,
and knew that marin would be up about my
going out sich a night for mothers used TO
know something about boys in them days; l
thought their never was sich a night, and
guess there wasn't neither.
Old brindle didn't get any more than full
dose of nubbins; and like as not dobbin
found the hay rack empty fore morning
Marin had mush and milk for supper-and
hang the mush it wouldn't cool, and / burnt
my mouth to blister first dash slammed
down the spoon and pushed back the stool.
Whats the matter, Sam"' said father.
"Nothin' - said ],
Sue looked at Tom, and Tom looked at Bill,
and Bill couldn't keep in Sans going up
to the Squire's," he snickered out. Father
looked at marin, and she blowed her mush,
and they didn't speak word. So put up
the ladder to put on my butternut breeches,
striped vest, and blue hunting shirt. Warnt
| there giggling when L started Dill had
told
All the way up was thinking how / should