Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1913-01-24
Two Valentines
By F. A. Mitchell

my trousers and two rows o. little
round brass buttons on my jacket, one
on each side o. the row I use to but
ton 1t up with. The gentleman
works for took me from sellin' pa
pers. He used to buy>a paper Of me
every mornin' when he took his train.
l standin' just outside at the end O.
the street he come down. One day he
said to me: "You's a bright lookin
boy. How'd you like to be pager"
"Wot's a pager l asked. "Oh. q lit
tie Teller dressed up mighty fine to
answer the doorbell. run errands and
all that" said Id like that. So he
tole me to come to his house that
evenin'.
The next day after l went to him
he sent me with Tom Gummage, the
butler. to git rugged out Then when
| got back before put 'em on I was
put into a great big white bathtub
and told to soak myself for an hour.
l did this. and when l come out and
put on my uniform and looked in q
glass I wouldn't "a knowed myself, l
looked SO fine.
When l went into the kitchen the
cook said l was too illigant for any
thing, and the housemaid give me a
kiss. She was lookin' mighty fne her.
self, with her black dress and ruffies
on her cap and apron. to beat the
band. Right OF l liked her better
than any one Of the help. and l haven't
had any occasion to change my mind
since. for II made any mistakes she
once when | broke some chiny she
give me the money to 60 and git an
other jist like II. and nobody knowed
l did the breakin'.
One thing bothered me lot. Gum
mage and the housemaid. Ellen. hated
each other like poison. Sometimes
when Ellen would give me somethin'
Gummage would give me somethin'
better. Just to show his spite, reckon.
Then Ellen would say. III you're goin'
to take presents from that fellow. Dick
ey. won't give you anything more"
And sometimes Gummage would say:
II saw Ellen givin' you kiss for TAX
in letter out to the mail box for her
yesterday. don't think that much
pay. I'd rather have nickel any day.
II l was you"
II wouldn't. think Ellen's mighty
fine girl. and you don't show good
taste IN runnin' her down."
Then he'd give q grunt. and that
would be the end Of It. And when e.
len would run Tom down I'd say: "El-
len, Toms 6rst rate. He give me 10
cents yesterday. Just for carryin' some
hot water upstairs that be was told to
bring himself" And Ellen would make
face. and that would be- the end Of
what she had to say about Tom.
Well. they was both a-snarlin' 1t
each other when Valentines day come
round. The day before It come Tom
showed me one Of the comics-a maid
dressed in her white and black uni-
form. only she was awful ugly. and
there was some mean poetry on Il
He said he was goin' to send It to FL
len. told him be needn't waste any
stamp on it; I'd got some stamps that
had been used. I'd stick one Of EN-
on the valentine and hand II IN when
took the mail from the postman.
which ] always did.
That same night Ellen she showed
me comic. too, with pictur Of I
man struttin' round like q turkey
cock. asked her II she was goin' to
send It to Tom.
'.The 7ery thingr' she said. ut
looks just like him. ri do It"
told her the same thing I'd told
Tom-that I'd put used stamp on It
and pretend to take It from the post
man. But didn't tell her that | was
going to do the same thing for Tom.
She said that would be first rate wan
and she gave me the valentine.
I'd just got 80 cents for tip. and l
went out to Z store and bought two o.
the lovenest valentines could flnd.
They was all covered with bleedin'
hearts and little boys with wings and
not a stitch Of clothes on 'em. and I
wrote Toms name on one and Ellen's
on another and put an old stamp on
each of 'em, and the next mornin' when
the postmGn come. after leavin' the let
tiers for the family on the library table
l took the valentines for Tom and El-
len to each Of 'em. pertendin' Id got
'em from the postman.
During the day Tom came to me
and asked me II l knew who sent him
his valentine. said I had no bust
ness to tell. Then he give me quar-.
ter. and that opened me up. told
him Eller sent It. Then went to FL
len and told her I'd seen the valentine
she'd got In Toms room. She was
awful surprised. Tom he was so full
O. Joy at gittin' valentine from Ellen
that he couldn't think OF anything else
He broke two plates and one o the
small teacups that come from some pot
terry or another In Europe.
1t beat anything ever seen the dit.
ference them valentines made between
Tom and Ellen. 1t wasn't more n
three days when ] caught em behind
the draw win room window curtains kiss
in for all they was worth.