The Republican., 1898-02-10


ST. Valentines true heart can move;
For he and Cupid long ago,
Before they left the courts above.
Went into partnership, you know,
To try and keep mankind in love.
And Cupid travels far and near
To get his patrons well in trim.
Then sends his partner once year
To finish up the work for him.
All hail the saint beth kind and dear,
And may his luster ne'er grow dim!
ELLA Wheeler Wilcox. in N. Y. Sun.
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AWEI6tT ~ pooty good story
"A in IN bout thet haouse
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try on my bicycle.
1 had just passed through the pretty
village of D., and here on the out
Found bpantiful hOnSP.
with a wide driveway leading between
big stone posts and up to the pjllared
portico. 1t was such a beautiful place,
up there in the sunlight, that | wanted
to look longer at it, so L dismounted,
and, leaning on the stone wall, L was
admiring its fine proportions when l
heard the rattle of a farm wagon and in
moment the rattle stopped just behind
me, and then a voice which announced a
story in connection with the mansion.
A good-natured looking old gentle
man was sitting in long farm wagon,
such as is used to bring the potatoes
from the field or the apples from the or
chard. The horse was dapPled gray,
so fat he could hardly move, and GER
tainly if l had been in any hurry l
should have kept to my wheel, but then
time with me was of no consequence,
and |, did like stories, and there would
be an unusual charm about this, for the
old man had the peculiar pronunciation
and queer nasal twang of that part OF
the country. So l loaded the wheel in
behind and climbed in myself with the
driver.
Coin fur, be YEP"
"Well, friend, l don't just know how
far. I'm out for fun, taking my vaca-
ton on my wheel, partly because |
want to be out of doors and partly be-
cause | haven't the money to lay out in
car fare"
"Sho. meow. Wal, ye ken ride weth
me fur's go, an thet'll save yer whee!
some"
I'm sure you are very kind to help"
and right there l had such a spell of
coughing that the sentence never was
finished. 1t seemed so funny that he
never thought of the wear and tear on
his equipage, but in his generous heart
only sought to save me and my wheel.
"Consumptive, be YEP" and he looked
at me anXiously.
l FASTENED to say that it was the dust
or the neat that made me cough so.
"Wal, I'm 'tarnal glad ter heart. I've
heard said consumption, the kind the
hev meow. wuz ketchin'. | bet
wouldn't hev lived ont half my days eff
hedn't er ben keerful ter steer clear er
them diseases't l knew wuz ketchin'
I amt but 80. but bet eff scarlet fev'r
er diptheree should git holt er me I'd
never'd git overt. Youth don't count
fer nothin' weth them things"
! looked at him to see if he was jok-
ing, but not a smile on his face as he
spoke Of his youth and the uncertainty
of his recovery from either of those dis
eases. Did he really think himself
young man? could not tell.
Haven't you had any of the diseases
common to children?"
Wal, should say't 1 he'd When
James baby he'd ther chick pox | went
down't Mollie's ter live in the village,
an I'll be pizened eff them blamed pox
didn't ketch me ther'. tell ye the blis-
ters wuZ suthin' ter see. an amt never
got overt yit an l never she'll 1t
ketches me somewheres every little
while. Jane says it's rhumatiz. but
low young folks don't hev rhumatiz;
my granther wuz over er hund ed an
he never he'd it an | say it's the re-
mains er them pox."
thought it time to bring his mind
to the story he was to tell. so cas-
ual.y asked il he was personally ac-
quainted with the inmates of the great
house.
wal, should say't wuz. ! went ter
skeool weth the old man. bur | amt
seen i'm fer years. He shet himself
up an don't go nowhere bet he amt
nigh ser smart's be, an he amt ser old
by two year; no sir. he amt"
His name was"