The commonwealth. (Scotland Neck, N.C.) 1896-1929, 1916-02-10
R0MANCES END IN
'CUP|O'S M0RGUE"
Many a Token of Affection Finds
Its Way to the Dead
Letter Office.
Every Year Thousand Of Valentines
Fall to Reach Their Destination
Because Of CareIessness on
the Part Of Those Who
Send Them.

HHE failure to dot an 'i'' or
cross It" helps to I'LL Cupid
morgue" and often places in
jeopardy the real romance of
many a man and maid who go through
life thinking that the anonymous out
pourings of their hearts were not ap-
preciated, or that the intended recip-
lent lacked intuition. Thousands of
these votaries of St. Valentine lose
out every fourteenth day of February
and wonder why, little thinking it
was only the slip of the pen in ad-
dressing the valentine to the chosen
one that caused it to go astray and
finally reach "Cupid's morgue," as it
is called at the dead letter Office at
Washington.
Or it may be the lost valentine was
sent to a Mike post Office" which
sounds like a place for only mysteri-
GUS letters which are sent to little
brownies, pixies and fairies by small
children, but is in reality just flag
station on the railroad, and not a post
Office at all. In this case it is left at
the nearest post office, and il the ad-
dressee fails to claim it the valentine
then reaches "Cupid's morgue" at
some one of the sixteen division head
quarters of the railway mail service.
When it reaches the morgue. If it
bears a written message, every means
is resorted to to find for whom it was
intended, for Uncle Sam has a lot of
sentiment, SO sometimes by the post
mark and a wonderful astuteness in
unravelling the secret intentions of
people which characterizes the clerks
in the dead letter Office through whose
hands it passes, the fair one or gallant
is reached. As real valentines are
never signed-for that is their myster-
ious charm-it takes a kindred feeling
and the cleverest sort of detective
work to unravel the mystery of their
destination. In the event of failure
he who thinks these messengers of
sentiment and love are ruthlessly de-
stroyed or sold 1T auction in one of
the several dead letter sales which
take place each year is mistaken, for
in the case of valentines, with some
exceptions, what is ones loss is an
others gain, and while trifle belated
reach a happy destination where they
are thoroughly appreciated.
On the II of February all over the
country the mails increase about ten
per cent, and while this is not as
large an increase as at Christmas and
Easter, it IS very noticeable, recurring
longer time to sort and deliver the
valentine matter. The special deliv-
cry and parcel post service help to
facilitate getting out the mails on this
day, and the latter is particularly in.
teresting in the variety and unique
ness Of the articles it carries as SOU
venirs of the celebration.
With each year styles change, and
the old-fashioned, large, lace paper val
entines in the embossed envelopes of
the last century, and the fancy cards
in pasteboard boxes which used to be
sent and were such a trial in the
stamping machine, have now given
place to thousands of post cards, while
books, candy, flowers, fruit and other
articles requiring careful wrapping
come by special delivery or in the
parcel pos.
There is no live stock Of any de-
scription carried by parcel post except
by accident. though there is under dis
cussion at this time plan looking to-
ward an extension of the service in
this direction. that the farmers and
country people generally may have the
benefit of sending their live poultry,
and perhaps game. to customers d.
rect.
However, on last Valentine day a