Press and daily Dakotaian. (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1880-1889, 1889-02-14

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found it. I wasn't any too soon, ror
Algy came out in two or three minutes
and put on his coat. He took the letter
out of his pocket, and struck an attitude
while he looked at it. Jennie wanted to
see the address, but he wouldn't let her.
"Not yet" he said, and then he sighed.
"Ah, it is a fragment of my soul" Then
she giggled, because she knew it was the
valentine, but simply gazed over the
bannisters and smiled to think whose
soul those lines we're really chopped
off of. -
The next day | made it a point to get
down to the postofice before anybody
else and get the mail. had begun to
have some suspicious. Jennie might
know my handwriting, in spite of all the
pains I'd taken with it, and if she did, /
was afraid | might not live to see the
fun in the evening. So / took the mail
for the family and went off and had a
SNOWFALL battle. Jim Hewitt gave me a
part of his supper, according to an ar
rangement We nave in case one of us is
afraid something is waiting for him at
home, and | didn't show up at the house
till after. Z o'clock.
l gave Jennie the valentine Just as
-Algy rang the door bell. She put it
into her pocket and / ran and crawled
under the sofa in the parlor, where l
could see the fun. It's easy enough to
hide in that parlor, because they never
have light enough to see a fellow with.
At first they didn't say anything
about the valentine; they just talked
nonsense. Algy appeared to think that
himself loose. He talked sentimental
cf1rff 5oYJ1 rI1ota1 ppat,.x, ti1l ~, not .vot
up off the rug, crawled out to the medi-
cine closet and pulled the stopper out of
a bottle of Jamaica ginger with her
teeth.
Finally Algy said: "Did the post bring
you me linesl'
Yes" said Jennie, and I could see,
that she didn't feel easy about it. She
was afraid to confess that she hadn't
read them.
The poet hove a sigh with a question
mark after it.
..They were SO sweet said Jennie.
$50 like you; so full of souI."
"Ah, yes murmured the poet, "that
is it; brief but full of soul. How sweet
is appreciation
t'They were sort of brief" said Jennie,
catching at this scrap of information.
why didn't you make 'em longer
'The museeth9 muse" said Algy, ''she
babe me whisper only one soft word into
your shell like ear"
The shell like ear .tickled Jennie nearly
to death, but she didn't understand
about the one word. Could it be possible
| one word in it? That was the question
she was thinking of SO hard that could
almost hear her brain go. l didn't won
der that she was in doubt, because Algy
is capable of anything when he gets
| started.
1T was Observation-Disclosures"
she stammered, finally, '.the soulfulles.
word l almost ever saw"
1t was getting too warm for her, and
she had to excuse herself for a minute. l
knew what she was after. She went out
and read my soulful poem under the hall
lamp. There wasn't much light, and
Jennie was pretty web muddled in her
mind, 80 that she didn't notice that any
thing was the matter with the verses.
She got an idea how long they were and
that there was a poet mentioned in the
first part of it, and a gun in tile last.
II thought my idea of Cupid's arrow
and the fateful shot was rather clever"
said Algy, as soon as she got back.
eyes, 1t was clever, awfully clever; SO
like you," said Jennie, more confused
than ever. 81 noticed right off that
somebody got shot, but / thought it was
with a gun"
The poet evidently took this for a bash.
full maiden's joke, and he smiled a weird,
sad smile.
"No, it was a bow" he said; "Cnpid's
bow. Venus calls to Cupid, don't you
rememberT'
WAS his other name johnny asked
Jennie, who isn't very well up in my
thology. 81 thought she called him
Johnny"
"No, his mann isn't Johnny. After .
little experience with your brother,
can't imagine how you could think any.
thing nice could be called Johnny. | an
afraid you would make mock of my
lines
Jennie was almost in tears.
"Oh, no; indeed I'm not she said
sit was ever SO sweet, and I'll keep Il
always. 1t was SO fine in its sentiment
never saw anything S o Idelicately
worded as that apology for your ulster
But You needn't have said a word.
think it's a pretty one"
MY ulster" said Algy, opening his
eyes very wide; ~''excuse me, but If the
poets cloak of dreams is going TO be
called an ulster, and If the poet is ex'
pected to apologize for wearing it, per-
haps we would better part even thus"
mo, no; don't CO." pleaded Jennie
sim sure you said something about youl
ulster. Please let me read it to YOU
The poet subsidized into a chair and
Jennie took out her little valentine ant
sprung it on him. ] could see his fact
all the time. AT the first line he started