The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1870-02-14
VALENTINES DAY.

C.
ish portion of creation is here; ana sat
urday, to-day and tomorrow have added
and will add largely to the revenue OF
the United States in the way of postage,
and many a three cents will be squan-
dered on enclosures containing no sense
at all, particularly those high;,colored,
gilt-edged missives illustrative of love
lin TALL variety of shape and stages of
intensity.
Dropping in at the store of'a dealer in
these missives, on Saturday, we took
eur eye and placed it upon some of the
astonishing designs of these messengers
of love, evidently got up for some de,
signing purpose by the inventor. In
the upper corner of one, surrounded by
a filigree net work. resembling lace,
was very plump representation of the
blind god. He looked like an infantile
butcher boy stripped for a mus. The
small quantity of clothes Cupid can
wear and be attractive is wonderful.
If the style were adopted generally,
what would become of secondhand
: clothes dealersi He had just discharged
an arrow, about as big as bridge tim.
Der, from his bow, which, passing over
slim looking beau, Gan arrow escape
for him, too,) transfixed the heart of
young lady in green and gold, standing
beside him.
The dimpled god had the shaft of an
other arrow to his Bonded string, and
number of others in a culver on his
back, evidently bent on putting all in
a culver that came in bis way0 but the
effect Of this young pair, dressed in the
height of fashion, and with an immova-
bility of countenance quite marble Gus
to behold, she shot "plumb through the
buzzom," and be, gazing On the wound
ed maiden, was suggestive of the calm
ness with which he would view the
shooting of his lovyer by that other
archer, be of less flesh and even less
clothing than Cupid, that very bony part
of archers-Death. Beneath the green
sward at their feet were some glded
lines traced purportng that being
"mutually attached" they should be
"happily matched" m
Another one must have been intended
for large-hearted individual, possibly
butcher. 1t was an extensive paint
ing of the scat of life-and love-large
enough to have done duty in the breast
of prize OK, transfxed by three brutal
looking showers, with the sanguinary
tide-that's tidy expressiou-dIipping
from the horrid orifices like the first
drops of thunder shower. It's tender
lines were apparent. We imagined it
must have been cooked, for the whole
affair was evidently orerdone. Whatever
the ability of the designer of this bleed
ing trophy, no one could doubt his al
ent of execution.
There were a series of variously
tinted, brilliantly embossed and gor-
geously decorated valentines, emblem.
atical of love in variety of forms,
phases and faces. Oae represented an
extensively hoped damsel with an in.
tensely passionate lover at her feet, with
CHI awfully tight strapped pantaloons,
that we imagined it would be impossi
bic for him 10 regain bis perpendicular
without breaking the paper. The ar
lists purpose may have been to keep
him eternally Oh that knee as an evil
dence Of bis alteration of that gal.
Alb, we'll, it is excet dinghy sensible to
mOralize or caricature such visionary
affairs, but time was when we ourself
acknow lodged to share of the same
kind of stock, and felt that
! Love rules the camp, the court, the grove
And esrth below and Heaven above
For Love is Heaven, and Heav en- is Love-"
Not over a quarter Of century ago
we penned our own first valentine.
How many sheets of giltedged laven.
der colorcd and sky blue paper, how
much thought and head scratching, and
pursuing of eyebrows we expended on
that production, we don't mean to say,
at this remote period.
The young lady was Styles-Anna
Maria Matilda Sophia Styles. She diff.
fered materially from the styles of the
present day. We got on very well with
"bewildering wiles," and we devoted
to that gal an innumerable quantity of
wiles and smiles, but tiles aud files and
guiles, would not make reason of our
rhyme to the angelic Styles. So we
made short work Of it by boldly filching
from an old book of poems something
suitable and bewitching. We watched
her go to the postoffice, observed her
break open the missive, and, to use a
romantic and gushing expression, de-
YOUR the contents. We hastily trotted
down an alley and met her, accident
ally, at the street corner. Her face
cleaned with the smile she smole on us,
like the departing rays of the setting
sun on ripe pumpkin, as she said, "Oh,
you duck of 8 fellow, what a dear, de-
lightful, love of q valentine" The reader
will understand that the young lady was
a gushist. All our hopes of mystery were
at an end, Iu the evening we went to the
post office-got her's-devoured it, and
felt very much relieved, but not CORES
pondingly enlightened after the repast,
as she had neglected to dot her is and
cross her is, teasing sort of a billet
doux for On ardent lover.
But We wish all young hearts joy
upou the anniversary of st. Valentise.
May those who have mstured and en-
riched life with q confiding love, enjoy