Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1885-03-04
81 Valentines Day.

"Many years ago" sending a valen-
| tine 10 ones love was by no means the
simple thing It has grown to be in these
days of hustle and hurry. Then the
7 signing swain of the love lOrn damsel
I had to retire within themselves and
with much travail in spirit, bring forth,
after mighty struggles with the muse,
a sonnet or madrigal or whatever the
I Courts of Love decreed in those days
l to be the proper and correct thing in
which to express the all consuming pas
/ sion.
Then a valentine meant something
more than 1t does now. 1t was, indeed,
an open declaration that Cupid had
wrought great things in the slender'S
heart, and that the recipient was the
one person above all others to whom the
I true love of the author went out. 1t
was good old fashion, and in many
! happy households to day the good wife
cherishes among her dearest treasures
the queer looking three-cOrner packet,
sealed with waxen dove or bleeding
heart, and containing the halting
rhymes of her bOy-lOver.
1t is very different affair in the year
of our Lord one thousand eight hum
dred and eighty-five. Gas the day
dedicated to the lovers patron saint ap-
proaches, the young man who loves
maiden fan counts over his pelf, and
having decided to stay away from the
theater for week or so, and to eschew
| billiards for the same time, determines
that he shall send his sweetheart some
token of the season. So he visits
store where the vOtive offerings to his
salntship are sold, and having gone
over the stock buys, according to the
limits of his purse, something that he
thinks will just about suit his lady love.
Unlike his father and mother, who in
their valentine days carefully endeav-
ored to conceal their identity, he has
the gift boxed up with his card inside
and mailed or sent by messenger to his
inamorata's place of abode. And what
a vast variety of articles he has to
choose from, too. Lovely handkerchief
cases made of the rarest shades of the
most costly satin and plush hand-painted
aud embroidered Jewel boxes the like
Cf which none but the very richest
could enjoy IN our forefathers' days
costly knicknacks of all descriptions,
and of valentines proper everything
that can by any possibility be made of
swsnSdown, flowers. satins, silks and
plush. Beautiful little boxes of the
most expensive woods filed with rare
combinations of costly materials and
bearing in the center some verses of
poetry chosen from the very best
authors or written for the occasion by
a poet in the employ of the makers. All
of these things and many more can be
found on the shelves and counters of
al the leading stores in the city, and as
the superintendent of the valentine de-
partment of one of them said recently,
the cost will always suit the purchaser
pocket. For" continued he, ''if one
does not wish to pay 500 he can buy
one for $50, and if that is too high then
S25 will pay for something beautiful, or
lie can choose, il all these prices are too
great, beautiful little triiles Tor SI5,Sl0,
s., 81, So, 81 or 81, or if he still wanted
to go lower, here he can find valentines
that will express the tender passions
just as thoroughly as the other for 3
cents. OF course, if he wants to pay
more than SlO0 we can accommodate
him in that, too. As a rule we do not
keep in stock valentines or gifts suita
ble 10 the day that will cost more than
$50, but We can easily make anything
that Is wanted.
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