The Newtown bee., 1897-02-19

which Romulus and Remus (familiarly known as "Rom" and ''Reem'), the wiry veterans who had drawn the old stage for fourteen years, took the sharp ascent from the main road, and drew up before the unpainted building that was village store and postoffice com. bined. But I am inclined to think that the latter phenomenon was due to their appreciation of the fact that the re- mainder of their road was short and down hill, with a certainty of "slalt mash" Gin deference to their venerable grinders) and warm stall at the end.
 Caleb Skipp, selec'man, storekeeper and postmaster, came out in the latter capacity, with friendly salute.
 "Keep yer settin, Elb! I'll take out the mail. Git home an intew dry dudi quick as ye ken. Sairy Il be on pins an needles till ye dew! Sho now" Qiftine the mail bag) "heavy. ain't it?"
 "Thank'ee, Gale. Heavy? O1 course! Thirteenth O Febewary, y' know. Young folks will be young folks-human natur' about the same al twas forty years ago."
 s'Jes'so! Dorry's been talkin' val'n tines all day.
 "Guess she won't be disapp'intid whoever else is," responded the olt stage driver, with gallant touch of hi tarpaulin in the direction of DorrI Skipp, whose rosy face just then ap peared in the doorway. "G'lang, Rom Git, Reem :" and with prodigious splasl and chatter the stage disappeared around "Wilkin's Bend"
 A goodly number of the village youni folk, we'll protected with waterproofs rubber coats and rubber boots, wer' already waiting for their mail around the rusty box stove; and the genia postmaster hastened to "sort" it, snail ing with unselfish qualification when ever he came upon an unusually large square envelop.
 Owing to the one delivery a day Meigs valentines always arrive on tn afternoon of the thirteenth; for would, of course, be too much to ex pect that the Meigs boys and girls coul' wait until the last part of the day itself
 At last, amid much laughter and good natured teasing, the merry group dis persed and no re-enforcements ap peared, nor would they until later in. tn evening; for the Meigs supper hour hal come, and of course the postmaster an' his family wished to spend it undis turbed, as we'll as other people. MT Skipp was upstairs getting supper; NJ Skipp was distributing the remnant o mail; and Dick and Dorry, ''the Skip twins," occupied the long wooden settl and talked alternately about skating and valentines valentines in genera and valentines in particular.
 
 "Wall now i' suddenly calculated M Sklpp, from behind the tiers of post office boxes. 'Ef here ain't letter fe old Miss Jerushy Dunlop, Why-why, lingering It gingerly; 1T b'leeve it's valentine! ana beat!''
 Dorry skipped over to the little win dow: "Let me sec 1t, Father! Oh? with two wrinkles coming on her smootl forehead. ssIt's comic'l Some meal boy has sent 1t. Why, it isn't sealed Seel Dick, you can see the pictur right through the thin old envelop! It. horrid--a hideous old womanl Aun Jerusha Dunlap does not look like that It's mean shamel Look, Fatherl" ssScme smart Alec sent It, 'spose, growled the postmaster. with as mucl gruffness as he possessed.
 Chivalrous Dicks face had grown yer. red.
 That's Jack Stacey's writing. know 1t. He's been to the city to-day and mailed iu from there. I wouldn'