The weekly times-record. (Valley City, N.D.) 1912-1922, 1913-02-13
Two Valentines
By F. \. mitchell

iii
works for swell family, does
1 wears gold cords down the legs o
nv trousers and two rows o little
round brass buttons on my jacket, one
on each side O. the row use to but
ton it up with. The gentleman
works for took me from sellin' pa
pers. He used to buy paper Of me
every mornin' when he took his train
standin' Just outside at the end .
the street he come down. One day he
said to me: "You's bright lookin
boy. How'd you like to he pager
"Wot's Il pager I asked. "Oh, a lit.
tie Teller dressed up mighty fine to
answer the doorbell, run errands and
all that" l said I'd like that. So he
tole ME to come to his house that
evenin'.
The next day after went to him
he sent me with Tom Gummage, the
butler, to git rugged out. Then when
I got back before put 'em OH ! was
put into a great big white bathtub
and told to soak myself for an hour.
did this, and when come out and
put on my uniform and looked in a
glass wouldn't "a knowed myself, l
looked so fine.
When went into the kitchen the
cook said was too illigant for any
thing, and the housemaid give me a
kiss. She was lookin' mighty fine her.
self, with her black dress and ruffles
on her cap and apron, to beat the
band. Right of I liked her better
than any one Of the help, and I haven't
had any occasion to change my mind
since, for II I made any mistakes she
always helped me out Of 'em, and
once when I broke some chlny she
give ME the money to 50 and git an
other jist like it. and nobody knowed
I 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 s0methin'
Gummage would give me somethin'
better, just to show his spite, reckon.
Then Ellen would say, IF you're goin'
10 take presents from that fellow, Dick
ey, won't give you anything more"
And sometimes Gummage would say:
Il 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 a nickel any day,
If was you.'
81 wouldn't think Ellens mighty
fine girl, and you don't show good
taste in runnin' her down."
Then he'd give grunt, and that
would be the end Of it. And when Ell
len would run Tom down I'd say: eel
len, Toms first rate. He give me 10
cents yesterday just for carryin' some
hot water upstairs that he was told. to
bring himself" And Ellen would make
a face, and that would he the end Of
what she had to say about Tom.
Well, they was both a-snarlin' at
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
here was some mean poetry on it.
He said he was g0in' to send it to FL
EN-. told him he needn't waste any
stamp on 1t; I'd got some stamps that
had been used. I'd stick one Of 'em
III the valentine and hand it in when
took the mail from the postman,
which l always did.
That same night Ellen she showed
me comic, too, with pictur' Of a
man struttin' round like turkey
cock. asked her if she was goin' to
send it to Tom.
THE very thingr' she said. 1T
ooks just like him. III do it,"
told her the same thing I'd told
Tom--that I'd put used stamp on it
md pretend to take it from the post
man. But I didn't tell her that was
going to do the same thing for Tom.
She said that would be first rate way,
and she gave me the valentine.
I'd just got so cents for tip, and l
went out to a store and bought two O.
the lovenest valentines | could find.
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 postman come, after leavin' the let
tiers for the family on the library table
took the valentines for Tom and FL
len to each of 'em, pertendin' I'D got
EN- from the postman.
During the day Tom came to me
and asked me II knew who sent him
his valentine. I said I had no bust
ness to tell. Then he give me a quar-
ter, and that opened ME up. told
him Ellen sent 1t. Then went to e.
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 glttin 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
tory mr. another. in EuroOa