Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1890-02-13
MERRY MIsSIvES.

WIN mlcu tuc M1hhS VIII NC h<"uOH
Tomorrow, ~. Valentines Day..
The Comic Affair.
Tomorrow-Feb. Twill be st. VAL
entire's day. The years as they rolled by
have ratified and improved many GUS
toms and observances, but among these
we cannot count In that of sending the
sweet smelling, flimsy. pathetic paper
valentine. wherein are blood red hearts
trsnsf1xed with arrows, violets, johnny
jump ups and hearts ease. surrounded by
an embossed border of smyrillis or ma
deris vines. a mysterious and often de.
fective verse resting naively under q
trap door of an Inner page. which being
ingeniously lifted up. disclosed the secret
contribution of an unknown to dear VAL
entine:
IF you can guess this name OF mine,
Sweet one you'll guess your valentine"
Oh the rosy bushes and the ice water
chills. playing tag up and down the
spinal column of the blue eyed miss or
dark-haired youth. who. after watching
from snowy window>sill ages for the
postman were grstified at length by be-
ing handed this wonderful epistle from
cloudland. while the thought, ''can it
be hef" lis it really she'" makes the poor
little head wabble like top on its last
rounds. And 1t is incumbent on the re.
cipient of so much paper ardor to read
this delicate onslaught twenty times day
and to wear all Its selvedge off by hauling
it to and from its hiding place. How
often tried and tired lovers, too bsshful
to advance under any other ensign, have
boldly marched to the enemy's works be-
hind old st. Valentine carrying flag of
truce.
Once upon time. long, long ago. a
little freckled faced girl sitting on a
cricket in the twilight of her native vai>
ley at the foot Of high mountains was
awed and overjoyed by the entrance OF
her beau ideal-a tall, bunchy kneed boy
with home cut locks. who came with his
hat In one hand and valentine in the
other. The little girl was so exquisitely
homely as 10 feel all her soul going Out
in one great throb of gratitude tc
the awkward boy who could thus
forgive her all defects and pick hel
out OF a settlement of pretty girls.
Alack and alas; poor big eyed
great>hearted Julian. He has passed
over the ridge whence there is no lookins
back, and time has brought around man.
valentine ewes 10 the plain little cir
grown up, but nothing has ever caused
her heart to fill with fervor and her vein
to beat to music as did that FIRST blossom
on the vine
Her first, lsst-only valentine
The pathetic valentine has almos
ceased going about the country unde
half-rate postage, and 1.-THE custom il
more honored In the breach than the OBJ.
servance" if any of the yellow and REL
csricstures seen in windows are to tax,
the place as the barbed arrow instead o
the already slaughtered heart. Next t.
an anonymous letter. the sending of so
called comic valentine Is the most mere
tricious and insulting to the receiver
These vulgar productions constitute on,
of the offshoots of friendly custom tina
has grown from an element of fun to on
of righteousness, whose motive is not TO
merriment, but rather to give q sting ant
slur behind the screen of misrepresentet
innocent fun. The comic valentin,
is the missive of coward who is not oil
hand to witness the result of his attacl
or to let himself be known. He prefer
to witness Its effects from a safe distsnc,
and to permit his Imagination to hell
him enjoy it.