River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1904-02-11

ing at his desk, nor was it of bright
crimson color. He did not wear
Grass-green coat or red and blue
checkered trousers and purple-striped
shirt cuffs, and, being rather mod
est and weIl-conducted young man.
the charges of snobbery and bump
tiOusness in the atrocious doggerel be-
low the valentine seemed singularly
fiat and inappropriate. But it was
true that he was a clerk, and, though
he had never considered that dis
graceful, it somehow seemed to him
now TO afford ground for the sheer.
At the least, Pooley thought. 1t
showed that somebody disliked him
probably honestly believed that he
was snobbish and bumptious, so that
his maligned ears tingled and he
burned with resentment every time
the comic valentine met his eye.
That was quite frequently, for he had
taken particular pains to have it
pinned above his little work table IL
the itting-room-just to show how
little he cared. When friends came
in he was sure to call their attention
TO it.
In addition to this, Pooley spent
much time specializing as to who had
sent the thing. He compared the hand
writing on the envelope that had con-
tanned it with the handwriting of his
friends and acquaintance. and came
TO many conclusions, the result OF
which was that his friends began to
complain among themselves of GER
tain change in his manner-a lack of
the old warmth and frank kindness.
and a cold and distrustful air. The
evil influence lasted for exactly one
year. For some months before the ST.
Valentines day following he had been
more than slightly under another in
Huence 1t had pretty golden hair and
blue eyes and its name was Margaret
Margaret was a friend of his sister.
and had been to PooIey's house several
times.
SO it happened that just before St.
Valentines day Pooley spent quite an
extravagant sum of money in the pur-
chase of an arranger' ent of laces, rib
hons. violets and amatOry verse, which
he directed with his gloved left hand,
and mailed secretly. On the morning
of st. Valentines day he himself re-
ceived a modest little card which
seemed to give him inordinate delight.
His sister noticed it, and wanted to see
what his card was. but Pooley firmly
refused to crafty her curiosity.
Its another comic one" declared
the sister. You're afraid to show it. .
Her remark somehow dashed Poo
Iey's pleasure He was nervously ap-
prehenSive for the rest of the time
that he was in the louse He start
ed at the sound of the postman's Sec
ond knock, and felt IN unaccountable
sinking of his spirits when he re-
turned home that evening.
1t was a pleasant surprise to him.
therefore. when he found nothing
worse than Margaret-not that she
had the appearance of awaiting him;
in fact. she seemed rather surprised
than otherwise to see him, though, OF
course, it was natural enough that he
should be at his own home.
The sister was good-natured. and she
went away and left Pooley to entertain
Margaret The talk, somehow. turned
on valentines, and she said she had re-
ceiyed one that she liked very much
indeed. She described it, as consist.
ing of violets, lace, ribbons and poetry
The poetry, she thought, was sweet
but she blushed as she said it, an6
it sounded better than that. Pooiey
said he had received valentine. too