Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1902-02-12

.4&>7 wa. late that day.
- n dismal Febru-
~ airy thaw had
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 it's 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 VIM
dows that even the steady downpour
was unequal to washing them. There
were no passengers, so the battered
old mail pouch had one rep-cushioned
seat to itself, which was fortunate,
perhaps, as it owned to several thin
spots that might have protected it's
unusually abundant contents poorly
from the pelting drops had it been,
as usual, an outside passenger -
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.
cannot say that the state of the
mail bag was not responsible also for
the pathetically hilarious flourish
with which Romulus and Remus (fa-
miliarly known as ROM. and
"Reem'), the wiry 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. But I am in
clined to think that the latter phe-
nomenon was due to their apprecia-
ton of the fact that the remainder
of their road was short and down hill,
with a certainty of 'scalt mash" lin
Difference to their venerable grind
er9 and a warm stall at the end.
Caleb Skipp, selec'man, storekeeper
and postmaster, came out in: the lat
ter capacity with a friendly salute.
Keep yer settin', Elb! I'll take out
the mail. Git home an intew dry
buds quick az ye ken. Sairy'll be on
pins an needles till We dew! Sho,
now" (1ifting the mail bag); "heavy,
amt it?"
'sThank'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'
valntines all day." ..s+
'Guess she won't be disapp'intid,
whoever else u.s." responded the old
stage driver, with gallant touch of
his tarpaulin in the direction of Dor
ry skipp, whose rosy face just then
appeared in the doorway. f''G1ang,
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 alwayssarrive on the
afternoon of the 18th; for it would,
of course, be too much to expect that
the Meigs boys and girls could wait
until the last part Of thesday itself.
At last, amid much laughter and
i good-natured teasing, the merry
group dispersed and no sreenforce
ments appeared, nor would they until
! later in the evening; for the Meigs
supper hour had come, and sof course
the postmaster and his family wished
to spend it undistur bed, as we'll sas
other people. Mrs. skipp was distrib
luting the remnant Of mail and Dicl
/ and Dorry, the Skipp twins, 4 occu
pied the long wooden settee anG
talked alternately about skating and
Wi ntines entines i'm general sani
valentines In particular. !. Y
Wall, now! sud denly calculated
& Mr.. Skipp from behind the tiers .,
post office boxes. IF here aim
b later n, old Miss Iernsl1Y niln1nn]