Year: 1875




splendid Sheet. garlanded with roses and
garnisheG at top and bottom with two fat
Cupids, one dressed in the simple drapery
of red and yellow bandana handkerchief
about his middle, very bent bow in one
hand and scroll in the other, while his
brother was attired in an insufficient
American flag and held a portly quiver,
bristling with arrows, and another scroll
inscribed with q legend like that above
the first verse being at the top, the other
below:


There is but only one,
And am only he,


Who loves but only one,
And thou art only she.
''Requite me for the same,
And say thou unto me;


I love but only one.


And thou art only he.'"


But lest Melindy should consider this
declaration as merely conventional and
uncertain, John inserted in the small gar
! landed space between the scroll-bearers
terse but comprehensive sentence of his
own, in good set terms:


DEER MELINDY:


| meen it all as true as deth. VIII you mar
ly me? / am commin tonight too know


Your Valentine, JOHN PERKINS,.
50 morning came, traught with fate.
Mr.. Griflin's head did not ache; but he
was cross unspeakably. The fire burned
bright in his CRATE, his toast was crisp, his
coffee clear; but he growled and snapped
''like real live bear" as NIelindy said
However, poetic justice overlook Mr. Grill
fin then and there. Melindy hal gone on
to the root to take down her clothes,
chiefly to get out of reach of that tongue
so he himself took in the letters Judge
of his rage when he beheld only two
valentines. Unmistakable-plu doves
and torget-me-nots in the corners, and
even shameless Cupids cumming down the
flaps. One was directed to Melindy; one.
though BLURRED and blotted and apparent
| ly redirected, to himself This was adding
insult to injury. He had laid matters in
such train the day before that he fully eN-
pected his ten thousand check by post.
and, in lieu OF it, he got two paltry dis
gusting valentines! Rage entered into
his soul and the fire burned clear before
him. On to its bright surface went both
epistles in one second from their entrance
lie did not stop to consider till the flames
had curled about them. devoured them ut
terly and the light cinder tloated upward
Then Mr.. Griffin put on hat and coat and
fled down town to his office, 50 disgusted
and vexed that it gave him a certain saw
age pleasure to think that he had burned
Melindy's too for what business had She
with such toolery? First one knew she
would be marrying some idiot, and he
should have to board again Well he
knew how much more comfortable and
quiet his home was under her guidance
than Mrs. Blivins' house had ever been :;
and, as he had kept estimates down pretty
well, it was nearly as cheap. An angrier
man he was when he got to his office than
! before. His clerk gone without word of
explanation and q postal card in his letter
box, announcing the failure of his poor
debtor whose creditors had taken the
alarm from Mr.. Gritfin's own uncOncealed
anxiety the day before, and all closed in
upon him. Let us leave him and 60 to
| Melindy


All the morning she watched tor the
postman; but he did not come In the
afternoon he brought only circular She
| did not know before how she had set on
John Perkins. But she was bitterly disap-
pointed at this sudden fall OF all her day
dreams, and went ah0ut her work with a
choking in her throat and a heat i'll her
| eyehds that made this saints day ANYTHING
but holiday to her Nevertheless, her
work was done faithfully as ever-the dim
ner cooked and served to her grizzly and
/ groWly master and the dishes washed and
| her kitchen made bright and neat a. ever
! before John Perkins came; but when he
did come she turned upon him the coolest
of shoulders She was a woman who had
no acting about her; her thoughts paraded
on her face for general review always.
and she had not brooded all day ON her
disappointment and Johns shortcomings
for nothing. So lie, little conyersant with
| the ways OF the sex, was hurt past speech.
! His simple soul took her curt manner Ior
manifest rejection; he was cut down utter
| ly, and made but short stay leaving with
the remark, flung back through the closing
door, that he 'did wish She had thought
better of it ?"


Il don't know what had to think bet
ter of?' tiouted Melindy, with a Jerk OF
her head Then she flung her apron over
her face and had a hard cry, forgot to
turn off the water, though the night was
down in the zeroes, and went to bed a
miserable woman. | don't know what
John did do; but | know MI Griffin used
very torcible language the next morning.
when Melindy told him the pipe had burst,
and how furious he was to have to stop at
the plumbers on the way down and Send
John up for repairs | also know that
John went about noon and found Melindy
| sobbing 50 hard she did not hear him come
in. Like Il good many big, soft-hearteG
men. WOman's tears washed down all
his detences He fell to consoling her at
once. The lost valentine came out, and
he mustered courage to recollect and re-
peat its contents. | am afraid Nelindv
was e1ectually consoled, for John quite
forgot the water pipe for an hour. and her
cheeks We're much brighter than the dying
Goals in his little brazier when at last he
put her down and went to work. But
great was her curiosity about the lost
treasure; and they both concluded Mr..
Griffin probably had it in his pocket, hay
ing forgotten to deliver it.


But what words shall paint the helpless
mans rage when, finding his clerk re-
turned, he demanded explanations and
received them? Quirk Il Quaver, as well
as all the world, knew to-day Congress
had passed the appropriation, and the
Kanawa and Desert stock had, as Joseph
Jones predicted, gone up like rocket
MI Griffin rayed, he swore, he rampaged
he talked Of the poor-house, he discharged
his clerk on the spot, he would have wept
had he known how and when at last he
went home to dinner, exhausted and NUT
tering like a spent thunderstorm, who
should receive him, but Melndy, eager
and hurried with the question:


did you take valentine for me from
the postman Yesterdays


He was not too far gone to swear a
vivid oath before he answered. Yes, | ddn


''Please give it to men'


''Give it to you? You internal fool l.! |
flung it into the fire and nine thousand
dollars with it."


you mean old thing What business
had you to burn my letters? | amt 90
ing to stand being sworn and cussed at
and starved and stinted any more, give
warning on the spot. | won't live with a
man like you Your soul amt big enough
to lose any way, for you can't so much as
I