The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1902-02-08

brought the good
sleighing of the preceding weeks to
an untimely end, and the gray clouds
seemed to be weeping over the calam-
ity, thereby augmenting its dolorous-
ness, as undue liquid lamentation has
a way of doing. The old green and
yellow stage "body" had been trans
ferred from the runners on which it
had glided so gayly over the smooth
white road to the summer running
gear" with broad-tired chocolate-col-
ored wheels that labored along with
q subdued rattle and asthmatic
creaks, throwing such profuse
splotches and streaks of mud over
the dingy panels and cracked win
dows that even the steady downpour
was unequal to washing them.
BY the way, the unusual bulginess of
the old mail bag may have had some
thing to do with a certain pleasant
twinkle in the old stage drivers gray
eyes, and the frequent whistled
snatches of kathleen Mavourneen"
and "Black-Eyed Susan" with which
he shortened the tedious way and
helped himself to ignore the small
but persistent rivulet that was trick
ling down his back through the aper-
ture in the rear of his tarpaulin's
brim.
1 cannot say that the state of the
mail bag was not responsible also for
the pathetically hilarious flourish
with which Romulus and Remus fla
miliarly known as Rom" and
'"Reem'o, the why veterans who had
drawn the old stage for IA years, took
the sharp ascent from the main road
and drew up before the implanted
building that was village store and
post Office combined.
Caleb Skipp, selec'man, storekeeper
and postmaster came out in the lat
ter capacity with friendly salute.
"Keep yer settin', Elb! I'll take out
the mail. Git home an intew dry
buds quick az We ken. Sairy'll be on
pins an needles till we dew! Sho,
now" Qifting the mail bag); "heavy,
amt it?"
"Thank'ee, Gale. Heavy? OF
course! Thirteenth o. Febewary, we
know. Young folks will be young
folks-human natur' about the same
as twas 40 year ago."
"Jes' so! Dorry's been talkin'
val'ntines all day."
"Guess she won't be disapp'intid,
whoever else is" responded the old
stage driver, with gallant touch of
his tarpaulin in the direction of Dor
ny Skipp, whose rosy face just then
appeared in the doorway. "G'lang,
Rom! Git, Reem!" and with pro-
digious splash and clatter the stage
disappeared around wilkins Bend"
A goodly number of the village
young folk, well protected with wa
terproofs, rubber coats and rubber
boots, were already waiting for their
mail around the rusty box stove.
Owing to the one delivery a day,
Meigs valentines always arrive on the
afternoon of the 18th; for it would,
of course, be too muchto expect that
the Meigs boys and girls could wait
until the last part of the day itself.
At last, amid much laughter and
good-natured teasing, the merry
group dispersed and no reinforce
ments appeared, nor would they until
later in the evening; for the Mcigs
supper hour had come, and of course
the postmaster and his family wished
to spend 1t undisturbed, as well as
other people. Mrs. Skipp was distrib-
uting the remnant Of mail; and Dick
and Derry, "the Skipp twins" occu-
pied the long wooden settee and
talked alternately about skating and
valen valentines in general and
valentines in particular.
"wall, nowl" suddenly CALCULATED
Mr.. skipp from behind the tiers Of
post Office boxes. "Ef here amt
letter fer old Miss Jerushy Dunlopi