The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-02-01
WOLETS FOR VALENTINES
Florists Are Coaxng the Fragrant Little Blossoms Into Bloom
Serve as Love Tokens on St. Valentine Day.

Just at present the florists are paying
special attention to their violet beds.
that there may be plenty Of purple and
white blossoms to carry messages on
Feb. IA. There never have been enough
vlolets to satisfy impatient young men
on that day and, as the demand increases
every year, the florists have reason to
think there never will be-
Violets are the most popular Of valen-
tlnes, and every girl hopes to receive at
least one great bunch of fragrance, the
stems wrapped in violet tin foil and tied
With violet gauZe or satin ribbon. OF
course, other flowers are sent as yalen-
tines-roses, carnations and sunny DAFT
fodils-but they never carry the message
OF love so accurately as the modest vio-
let, which breathes 1t long after It's beauty
Is faded. The wise young man realizes
this and has already left his orders.
1t is rather sad to think that in many
cases the young man is tickle as we'll as
wise, that his order is for more than one
bunch Of flowers and that more than one
girl Will receive his card on which is in
scr1bed the same quotation culled from
that subdivision Of Familiar Quotations"
labeled Love" Just what will happen
II the girl from Lowry hill and the one
from Park avenue compare cards, who
can tell?
young man, whose sentiment proves
his foreign parentage, has a florist coax
ing pot Of forget-me-nots into bloom
The pot IS a small one, and will be slip
ped into tiny copper jar which the SEN
tlmental young man found at a second
hand store. The whole affair will be
charming valentine, providing the winter
sun succeeds in persuading the forget-me
not to blossom. 1t is one that practical
y,fn 80
until his German friend had the poetic
fancy.
In with the pOsies are tucked all sorts
Of messages, more or less sentimental
Minneapolis men are rather clever at
rhymes and some of the verses are de-
cidedly good. Valentine verses bring all
sorts of unpleasant recollections to one
young man in town. In some way the
story got round town that he wrote
poetry. He never denied it, and neither
did he confirm il. Indeed, he did every
thing he could to foster the idea and
basked as a callow poet for many a day.
1t happened that he had a friend who
could put his thoughts in rhyming lines,
but concealed the fact as best he could.
Shortly before last Valentines Day the
Would-be poet found few sentimental
verses scrubbed on the back of discard
ed envelop. He copied them on a card
and slipped them in a box of violets for
the lady Of his fancy. She accused him
Of writing the lines and he pleaded guilty.
Unfortunately she had a sister who also
received, per st. Valentine and the flor
lists wagon, box Of violets and a card
scrubbed with the same verse. 1t would
be difficult to say which was more embar-
raised, the young man or the young wom-
an, when the evils of plagiarism were dis
cussed. But this may explain why one
young man mas lost his interest in poetry.
But other things beside sugary verses
go In with the flowers, and they must
cause the florist many a quiet little laugh
by himself as he tucks the packages un-
derneath. A great gilded wishbone went
with a bunch of American Beauty roses
last year and the luck that is promised
in dealings with Cupid was surely full
filed, for the recipient was one of the
most charming of fall brides. Neck scarfs.
handkerchiefs, gloves and an occasional