The morning times., 1897-02-14
A NOVEL VALENTINE

The story of the young man who was in
an agony of indecision whether to send
his girl a creation in lace paper or a grand
piano on st Valentines Day illustrates but
hardly exaggerates the ridiculous cost of
these modern InisSives of love. This, with
the fact that besides the expense they a-e
SO made as to outrage every canon Of art
and good taste, led one fair maid to revolt
against them. She determined to revert to
the method OF our grandmothcrs, who made
their own, but with o difference The
result was dainty variation on the
conventional valentine, which, with some
| modification, may serve as a model for
future use.
She took two rectangular pieces of birch
bark from quantity which she had
brought as sylvan spoil from the Adiron-
dacks the summer before These pieces
were about inches long by inches wide,
and served as the covers of the little
booklet The front cover was adorned
with pen-and-ink sketch of three lovely
heads, inclosed in q medallion, which was
labeled, "Yc Norns" The back showed
q medallion Of Father Time in boat
carrying his usual baggage a scythe, and
the hourglaSs. Other decorations might,
OF COURSE be substituted, but subtle
rather than an overt treatment is most
effective.
But IL was the contents OF the book itself
which showed the most originality. The
first leaf had a broad black band across
the top, bearing in white letters the
name, Y e Book Of Fate" The second leaf
contained 'Ye Horoscope" This was in
| tie form OF a cleft apple, marked out in
twelve sections and having the signs of
the zodiac represented by seeds and by
| initials supposed TO stand for maids upon
| whom the receiver bestowed his smiles
| Above the horoscope, running across the
| top of the page like frieZe, were addi-
| tional apple seed signs mingled with small
| miniatures, initials and stars. The next
| leaf was treated IengthwiSe, for it held
''Ye Formula which was too long to
be given the ordinary arrangement
| The formula was the familiar ''one /
| love, two / love, three | love, they say"
| and so on, but il was treated in new
and artistic way. Instead of numerals,
| the apple seeds themselves showed the
1count, and small sketches We're inter
| spersed TO add emphasis. The six he
| loves was a very well-satisfied young
man out walking; the seven she loves"
| a maiden dreaming by an open fire
| Eight they both love- was the two
| hearts with but a single thought idea
| portrayed by two heads very close to-
| gether. mime he comes was a snappy
| drawing of young man in hot haste,
| while ten he tarries' showed him dis
| spating at a billiard table
Indeed every count had it's appropriate
| illustration down to fourteen a happy
| life,'' which was beautifully lettered and
| Illuminated.
The next leaf showed the most strik-
| ing feature Of all. This was "Ye Invo-
| cation 1t consisted of verse
"Jove conquering love, thy pity / i'm
plore!
Spare me the painful pleasure OF thy
dart!
| Too many maids already l adore.
Oh, puncture not again my doting
heart,''-
which was supposed to refer TO the pc.
| culiar characteristics of the youth to
| whom it was sent Any other verse
| could be substituted which originality
| might suggest or the occasion seem 10
| reqire. Tie way it was placed on the
| page, however, is what makes IL worthy
| OF special attention This was in imita-
| ton OF that fantastic school of which quaint
| old George Herbert, with his poems in
| the shape of affairs and wings, is the chief
| exponent and some modern poets ate cheap
! Survivals.
The first line OF the verse was lettered
| in the shape of drawn cord. The second
| made the arrow-wth the first word il
| Illuminated and letteTcd slightly larger
resting against the taut string, and the
! last word, also done in red, with letters
| shaped to make the arrowhead. The
| last two lines made the bow, one of them
| being done in large letters and the last
| one printed inside 1t in smaller type. The
| whole thus represents a bow with an ar
| row drawn TO the head and aimed at a
mans face, pictured as if III CONSERVATION,
| on the extreme right.
| The last leaf contained the valentine
| proper, and, as it was supposed TO be
| only for the eyes of him who received
| it, it was ingeniously folded TO conceal