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A VALENTINE
Written by a married man
Into my presence came just now
A little child I know not how
Familiar too he hecuied and yet
I could not tell where we had met
Ills iiicu was innocent and mild
1 never saw a fairer child
And yet in most unseemly glee
He cocked one wicked eye at me
I knew him then The pretty hoj
Took aim with the same silver toy
That slays its thousands Wait cried J
Dont shoot at me my son oh lie
For you forget It was your dart
Sent once with your own matchless art
That made me like the rest a ool
Since then alas Ive been at chool
For she ah yes she still is fair
Untouched by gray her dusky hair
Once she was loving now you see
She rules the house and she rules me
He said no word but just took aim
Straight to my heart the arrow come
Forget me now sir If you dare
Cried Cupid running down the stair
Deep in my heart there Is a pain
Methlnks I am in love again
Sweet sweet my pet it is not true
Those foolish words I deeply rue
I wonder If you are in league
With Cupid V Is it Loves intrigue
I know not care not but Ill sign
Myself your humble Valentine
Puck
ft MEGS VALENTINE
was only one of the hands
MEG the great factory of Weaver
Co and with about the same
regularity as the machinery she perform
ed her daily tasks
Nobody in the factory had ever given
her so much as a sympathetic glance the
whirr of wheels the grind of machinery
the everlasting hum of moving belts and
singing of spindles do not encourage sym
pathy and besides Meg was quiet even
timid and her companions after the first
day of now and then a half curious half
critical inspection paid no attention to
her
And yet Megs trouble had been a
romance a sort of a flower which blooms
sometimes along the hedgerows with the
same beauty and sweetness as in the con
servatory
Born was all Meg knew about her orig
in brought up at first in a charitable in
stitution later as the chore girl in a
boarding house which always smelled of
dirt and rancidity and still later as a
boarder at the same place because it was
more like home to her after her long hard
days work at the factory where she had
secured employment at the age of 15
Megs life had been an uneventful one
Meg was ignorant her schooling hav
ing been encompassed by a six months
course at a grammar school in the neigh
borhood and for which educational au
vantage she had toiled for the mistress
of the boarding house until her health
threatened to give way under the strain
But since somebody back in the past
of Megs unknown ancestry had sent a
drop of ambitious blood flowing through
her veins within the six months she had
learned to read easy words both in print
and writing and she was proud of the
fact
She did glory in her power to read and
spell out the meaning of such cheap books
as came in her way and once having
watched a postman deliver a letter across
the street she was seized with a wish
that was somewhat akin to pain to re
ceive a letter from somebody just to see
if she could frame an answer
She had never received a letter and
thinking it over from this standpoint
Meg felt that she was very lonely and she
vaguely wondered how it all came about
that nobody in all the thousands which
made up the big city the big city was
Megs world had cared whether she liv
ed or died
Once a sweet little girl who was walk
ing with her nurse had looked up into
her face and with that free fasonry which
knows nothing of rules and which has in
it the element nay the very essence of
fraternity had pressed a tiny cluster of
violets into her hand
And so the days went on to day as yes
terday to morrow as to clay until one
morning Meg overslept herself by some
method of calculation which did not con
sider time in the light of dollars and cents
added to her income and she went to her
breakfast late The landlady was usu
ally pleasant when a boarder happened
to be late at breakfast and as became
one in her exalted position she made an
offense of this kind on Megs part an af
fair of groat importance
Not that Meg in all the years she had
worked for Weaver Go had been late
to breakfast more than three or four
times but the landlady never quite forgot
that Meg had at one time been her will
ing slave and any dereliction on her part
S I S3 1 HUM1
A TIXY CLUSTER OF VIOLUTS
which was savored of independence was
not a thing to lightly pass over
On the morning in question the land
lady much to Megs surprise greeted her
in an affable manner and her grim mouth
quivered with something which might
under favorable conditions have been
mistaken for a smile but which had had
so little practice that it merely succeed
ed in being a grimace as she told her to
take her seat at the table and then pro
ceeded to introduce her to a new boarder
who had just paid a months board in ad
vance
Meg acknowledged the introduction and
after the landlady had gone out ventured
to look at her and discovered
that he was a tall young man with a
bronzed complexion and a pair of brown
eyes which met hers frankly and seem
ed to look right down into her foolishly
beating heart and after the tough steak
had been served and he had gallantly fill
ed a glass of water for Iter Meg made up
her mind that he was different from those
jwhom she constantly met beneath that
Toof and was undeniably nice
1 ABRAHAM LINCOLN I
On the 12th of February 1809 In the wilderness hi Larue County Kentucky was
born one of the best and greatest men that ever lived Abraham Lincoln His father was
a poor farmer and In the rude life of the backswoods his entire schooling did not exceed
a year but while at school he was noted as a good speller but more particularly for
his hatred of cruelty his earliest composition being a protest against putting coals of
Are on the backs of the captured terrapins He wore coarse home made clothes and
a coonskiu cap and his trousers owing to his rapid growth before his 17th birthday he
was at his maximum of G feet 4 inches were almost always nearly a foot too short
His last attendance at school was In 1820 when he was 17 years old but after leaving
It he read everything readable within his reach and copied passages and sentences that
especially attracted him His first knowledge of the law In which he afterwards be
came eminent was through reading the statutes of Indiana lent to him by a constable
and he obtained a tolerable knowledge of grammar also from a borrowed book studied
by tkelight of burning shavings In a coopers shop after his family had In ISoO emi
grated to Illinois In 1834 he was elected to the Illinois Legislature was three times
re elected was admitted to practice law in 1S3G and then removed to Springlleld the
State capital In 1S4G he was elected to Congress where he voted against the extension
of slavery and In 1S34 was a recognized leader in the newly formed Republican party
In 1SG0 he was nominated for the Presidency received a majority of votes over any of
the other candidates and was installed In the Presidents chair March 4 1SG1 His elec
tion was followed by the secession of eleven Southern States and a war for the restora
tion of the Union As a military measure he proclaimed Jan 1 1SG3 the freedom of all
slaves In the seceding States and was re elected to the Presidency In 1SG4 The war
brought to a close April 2 1SG5 and on the loth of the same month Abraham Lincolns
life was ended by the hand of an assassin Thus when he
Had mounted Fames ladder so high
From the round at the top he could step to the sky
the great President passed to his rest Twice elected to his high office he was torn from
It in the moment of triumph to be placed side by side with Washington the one the
father the other the savior of the Union one the founder of a republic the other the
liberator of a race
The young man whose name was At
wood Mr Thomas Atwood as he was
called by the landlady was disposed to
talk as he went on eating his breakfast
and as Meg was the only one at the
breakfast table he naturally talked to her
and she soon learned that he was head
brakeman on one of the trains which roll
ed out of the city on the iron rails be
longing to a great railway line and that
his home was in an Eastern city She
told him that she also belonged to the
toiling masses and before breakfast was
finished they became very well acquaint
ed and Meg as she pinned her veil down
close over her plain little hat thought
Mr Atwood the very nicest gentleman
whom she had ever met
And so Megs love story began and as
the time flew away it was apparent to
everybody that she was growing abso
lutely pretty happiness having much
power in this direction and hat the time
was approaching when the honest young
brakeman and herself would cease to be
lovers and become husband and wife
Indeed they had talked it all over and
Meg had told Tom that she had saved
100 from her meager salary and Tom
had confessed that before he had known
her he had spent all his earnings but
since that time he had begun to put by
a little and now had 300 and that he
meant to work hard and get a promotion
so that they could some time have a
home of their own etc just as humble
happy lovers always have done and al
ways will do and then they decided that
they would put the 100 and the 300 to
gether and as that Avas the 1st of Feb
ruary they would get married Feb 14
a valentine wedding as Tom said and
then when she said she never had had
a valentine he laughed out of a heart
just bubbling over with sweetness and
love and merriment and told her he
would be her valentine and she would be
his and then he kissed her and Meg
was in such a state of delight that she
forgot she ever had been lonely and she
wouldnt have changed places with a
queen even if the latter had insisted up
on it
As the time drew near for the wedding
Meg had a pretty new dress made and
somewhat softened by the love affair
which had gone forward directly under
her supervision the landlady had made
preparations for a wedding supper which
was to outdo any previous effort of the
kind in the neighborhood Indeed she
had resolved that for once she would be
extravagant and she got out several an
cient receipts which were headed Brides
Cake and set to work beating eggs and
weighing sugar in a way which made the
kitchen scullion to declare in a confiden
tial manner to the garbage man that
Missus peared to be a little techeiTin
her upper story and gave as her reason
for her conclusion that She was
cakj to beat sixty
A few days before the time set for the
wedding the weather which had been in
that condition known as muggy turned
cold and when Tom came around to bid
Meg good by before going out on his run
for the last time before he claimed her
as his bride he had a powder of snow on
his collar and that strange indescribable
smell of cold on his clothing which made
Meg snuggle up to him and say she was
sorry he had to go out in the cold and
then as she kissed him in that motherly
way that comes natural to women when
they love she asked him to be very care
ful and watch his footing as he ran across
the tops of the cars which were sure to
be slippery because of the snow and at
last she let him go
St Valentines morn dawned clear and
- MM-
bright although snow lay like bleached
linen wherever a heavy team or an early
pedestrian had not marred its purity and
Meg arose light of heart and light of foot
to make the final preparations for her
union with the man she loved She had
told the foreman on the previous evening
that she would not return to the factory
and that hireling of men who considered
humanity of her kind as merely adjuncts
to money getting had deigned to say in
an interlocutory fashion Going to git
married hey Meg did not answer but
she felt such delight at leaving the huge
building where she had been merely as
a piece of the machinery that it seemed
to her she had never known freedom and
vaguely wondered if it really were she
Meg who walked on air and was so hap
py that now and then she caught at her
heart lest it should beat aloud
No 207 which was Toms train would
be in at 320 oclock and at G in the
presence of only one or two of the board
ers and the landlady the ceremony was to
be performed Meg watched the clock
but when the hands pointed to 430 she
concluded that the train was an hour late
and she would don the pretty gown so as
to be all ready when Tom came She smil
ed at her image in the glass as for the
twentieth time she shook out the rustling
skirt and then ran hastily down to again
look at the clock It was 5 oclock now
and still Tom had not come and all at
once something like a cold hand grasped
Megs heart and she trembled as one with
a chill Then the door bell rang and with
the glad cry of There he is upon her
lips she sprang to meet not Tom but
a stranger and he looked odd and uneasy
at poor Meg and somehow she knew
mmm par Mm
AW ft 0
Wkn life
h v m
AXD AT LAST SIIK LET I1IM GO
when he handed her an envelope contain
ing a letter her first letter that some
thing had befallen her lover and she felt
her way back to the little parlor and with
shaking hands tore the letter open and
slowly spelled out its contents It was
not long but was written by Dr of
the companys hospital and it stated that
Thomas Atwood a brakeman had falien
between the cars whileon his regular run
and had been so badly injured that he
had died shortly after being brought to
the hospital Before his death he had
asked for pencil and paper and had writ
ten the inclosed and requested that it be
sent to its present address
Meg dropped the letter and with the
calmness of one who has fast hold of de
spair she read Toms last message which
with many breaks and almost illegible
tracery ran as follows Deer girl I
have made my last run and have got to
say good by keep a tite hold on the
brakes and with love forever and ever
I am your valentine
7 V -
That was all only the story of two
humble lovers and to day Meg is again
in the factory But as I said back of
her soft gray eyes is a something which
is too sad for speech too deep for tears
and it will go with her all her days and
who knows will fade only when she
is no more lonelj no more heart hungry
Death is not the end it is the beginning
Utica Globe
MAKING LINCOLN PRESENTABLE
3Irg Lincoln Fixed Up the President-elect
to Meet a Delegation
In narrating When Lincoln Was First
Inaugurated in the Ladies Ilome Jour
nah Stephen Fiske writes interestingly ol
the memorable journey from Springfield
III to the national capital and tells ol
Mrs Lincolns efforts to have her hus
band look presentable when receiving s
delegation that was to greet them upon
reaching New York City
The train stopped writes Mr Fiske
and through the windows immense
crowds could be seen the cheering drown
ed the blowing off steam of the locomo
tive Then Mrs Lincoln opened her hand
bag and said
Abraham I must fix you up a bit foi
these city folks
Mr Lincoln gently lifted her upon the
seat before him she parted combed and
brushed his hair and arranged his black
necktie
Do I look nice now mother he af
fectionately asked
Well youll do Abraham replied
Mrs Lincoln critically So he kissed her
and lifted her down from the seat and
turned to meet Mayor Wood courtly and
suave and to have his hand shaken by
the other New York officials
JJove 1ottery Day
One of the most charming and at the
same time plausible versions of the rela
tion of the modern valentine idea to that
devoted Christian martyr St Valentine
is the following
The early Christian fathers in their at
tempts to conciliate their pagan compat
riots with most commendable tact and
insight utilized many of the popular forms
of mythological celebrations to commemo
rate Christian events
One of the festivals dear to the heart
of every Roman was the feast of Luper
calia when they did honor to their goda
Pan and Juno not only with the ban
quet dance and drama but with a pecu
liar ceremony which provided a billel
box into which were dropped slips of pa
per inscribed with the ladies names The
bachelors drew out these slips and the la
dies whose names were on their papers
were henceforth installed as their mis
tresses for twelve months to command
them as best suited their sweet wills Thif
festival usually occurred in February
and was therefore made use of by the
Christians to commemorate the birth
day of the martyr St Valentine In time
it came to be called Valentines Day and
retained the love lottery as its especial
feature
WHERE ABE PRACTICED LAW
Old Courthouse at Lincoln 111 Has
Connection with the Martyr
The city of Lincoln 111 still contains
one building in which Abraham Lincoln
practiced law over forty years ago It
is known as the PostvilJe court house
although that village was long ago ab
sorbed by the present city
The first county seat of Logan Countj
was Postville and the old court house
which still stands in the western part of
Lincoln was occupied as such from 183J
to 1S4S In the latter year the courts
were remoed twelve miles south tc
Mount Pulaski which village was the
county seat until 1855 At almost every
term of court from the time of the organ-
OLD POSTVILLE COURTUOUSH
ization of the county as a separate local
district and until his nomination for the
presidency Mr Lincoln was one of the
lawyers in attendance and that he was a
favorite with the people of the county is
evidenced by the fact that the city bears
his name His stories are yet repeated
by surviving pioneers who were county
officials at that time and his legal ser
vices in many of the trials of those times
are still remembered
When the Chicago and Alton Railroad
was built through the county it did not
pass through the new county seat Mount
Pulaski nor the old one of Postville but
it did pass within a mile of the latter
town At this point a now town was
founded and named in honor of Mr Lin
coln who was was a friend of the men
who were its founders
At the sale of Jots in the new town on
Aug 29 1853 Mr Lincoln was present
and expressed his regrets at having nc
money with which to buy some of the
town lots However two lots opposite
the block set aside as the court house
square were given to him by Messrs Gil
let Hickox and Latham as an attorney
fee for services in the work of securing
the charter and deeds for the new city
These lots Mr Lincoln owned until his
death and were not sold by his heirs un
til about seven years ago
Honest Abe and the Bull
Crossing a field one day the late Presi
dent Lincoln it is said was pursued bj
an angry bull He made for the fence
but soon discovered that the bull was
overtaking him He then began to rur
round a haystack in the field and the buli
pursued him but in making the shori
circles round the stack Lincoln was the
faster and instead of the bull catching
him he caught the bull and grabbed him
by the tail It was a firm grip and a
controlling one He began to kick the
bull and the bull bellowed with agony anc
dashed across the field Lincoln hanging
to his tail and kicking him at every jump
and as they flew along Lincoln shouted
at the bull Hang yob who began thii
fight
Graces Valentine
Such a dainty valentine
Cupids mottoes lace
Roses satin frills In fine
Just the thing for Grace
Push the satin frills apart
Lo ben eath the lace
Lies a flimsy tinsel heart
Just the tiling for Grace I
X 1
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A PERFCCT HOME SECURED AT
LITTLE COST
lii w
Ivan and
T h e odore
S t riovski
o r m cuiy
r c s i dents
o f Michi
gan but
now living
iu Alame
da Western Canada before taking up
their home there visited the country as
delegates They reported to the Gov
ernment of the Dominion of Canada
the result of their observations and
from this report extracts have been
taken which are published below
We have visited a number of most
desirable locations and are highly
pleased with the country as a Avhole
it being bejontl our highest expecta
tions We find here a prosperous and
well contented lot of people They
have comfortable homes and their vast
fields of -wheat and other crops in addi
tion to their herds of choice cattle in
dicate prosperity in the full sense of
the word In conversation with the
farmers throughout our trip we learned
that the majority of them came here
with very limited means am1 some with
no more than enough to bring tl em
here and they are novr well-to-do They
all claim that this is the only country
for a poor man or one with little
means to get a start and make a home
for himseif and family As you are
aware we were a little shaky and un
decided before leaving Detroit but
have determined since that we Avith
our friends will make this country our
future home It is far from being the
wilderness we had pictured it to bo it
is instead a land having all the facili
ties required by modern civilization
such as railroads markets stores
churches schools etc in fact an ideal
home for those having the future wel
fare of themselves and families at
heart
The Messrs Striovsld selected the
Alameda district but what they say
of it applies in a general way to most
other districts in that vast country
They speak of the fuel Avhich is to be
had in great quantities of the water
that can be had by digging from ten to
twenty feet and of the good grazing
land to be had almost everywhere
There is plenty of wood for building
timber and for fuel while coal is con
venient and sells at low prices at the
mines In driving through the country
they passed many fine patches of wild
raspberries and say they can speak
highly of their flavor as they could not
resist the temptation to stop and eat
Having already transgressed on your
valuable space I shall defer further
reference to Western Canada for an
other issue An illustrated pamphlet
recently issued by the Department of
the Interior Ottawa Canada giving a
complete description of the country
will be forwarded free to all who write
for it Yours
WESTERN CANADA
An Underground City
In Galicia in Austrian Poland there
Is a remarkable underground city
which has a population of over 1000
men women and children scores of
whom have never seen the light of day
It is known as the City of the Salt
Mines and is situated several hundred
feet below the earths surface It has
its town hall theater and assembly
room as well as a beautiful church dec
orated with statues all being fashioned
from a pure crystallised rock bait It
has well graded streets and spacious
squares lighted with electricity There
are numerous instances in this under
ground city where not a single indi
vidual in three or four successive gen
erations has ever seen the sun or has
idea of how people live in the light
of day New York Herald
He Is Well Indicted
Down in a West Virginia county is a
grand jury which has made a record in
the matter of liquor law violation in
dictments It is not the number of
the indictments although they reached
the generous total of 300 that consti
tutes the peculiarity of the case but
the fact that the whole 300 were is
sued against one man and on the testi
mony of one man Michael Callahan is
the man who is staggering under this
load of indictments for selling liquor
without a license and the man who
testified against him said that he
bought a drink of Callahan every day
except Sundays for nearly a year on
this testimony the grand jury issued
the 300 indictments one for each of
fense
If a man is at all sharp no other man
ever tries to sit down on him more
than once
Frightened tlway
No said a man who vras sitting OH
a box in front of a grocery store 1
cant say as I know very much about
Alaska
His companions looked at liim in as
tonishment it was the first time he
had ever admitted not knowing much
about anything
I reckon then that youre not think
ing about going to dig for gold said
one bystander
No
Mebbe though as the stories of
sudden wealth keep pouring in youll
change 3our mind said another
It wont be possible Ive been
there
And came back without getting
rich
Yes I didnt much more than cross
the boundary line before I turned
around and struck for home
Scared
Thats the answer
What of Polar bears L
No
Supplies give out
No I had plenty of food What
changed 1113 plan was seeing a man
digging a hole I had these ideas about
gold being found any and everywhere
and I went up thinking to get some
points about mining I asked him in
an offhand way whether he had struck
any dirt yet and he turned around
and glared at me and said Young
feller what do you think I am digging
this for I told him I thought he was
digging for gold He glared at me
again and said Gold nothing Im
doing this for fun Ive been living here
for four years and theres one thing
that my curiosity has never been sat
isfied about Im going to dig this bole
good and deep so as to allow plentj of
room and then find out jmst how far
down tins climate will make the mer
cury go
Lake Erics Bir Fish Supply
It is claimed that Lake Erie produces
more fish to the square mile than any
other bodv of water in the world
Eruptions
e Face
I was troubled with eruptions on my
face I thought I would give Hoods Sar
aparilla a trial and after taking a few
bottles I was cured I am now also free
from rheumatism to wliich I have been
subject for some time C E BAILRY
72G Milwaukee street Milwaukee Wis
Hoods Sarsapanfia
Is the best- in fact the One True Blod Purifier
Hoods Pills cur all liver ills 25 cents
US SQ BBK
ftrprr fff11 rJUJi4TiBffH
ER
WILL KEEP YOU DRY
5svL -0 DoVt be fooled with a mackintosh Kfev51
buy
Slicker If not for sale In your
f3 iuvii wine iui iiaiuiuc iu
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PIONEER WINDMILL CO
ROCKFORD ILLINOIS
Hip
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J3nror information as to Low Bates Maps
Pamphlets etc address tho Department of the Inter
or Ottawa Canada or C J BROUGHTON 1223 3Jc
nadnock Baildinff Chicago 111 W V BESKETT IIS
Kew York Life Bnildiz Omaha Neb
iHk WINDMILLS
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WE ARE ASSERTING IN THE COURTS OUR RIGHT TO THE
EXCLUSIVE USE OP THE WORD CASTOHIA AND
PITCHERS CASTORIA AS OUR TRADE mark
I DR SAMUEL PITCHER of Hyannis Massachusetts
was the originator of PITCHERS CASTORIA the saino
that has borne and does now Sidf
bear the facsimile signature of CSS
t - T
on every
wrapper
This is the original PITCH ERS CASTORIA which has been
used in the homes of the mothers of America for over thirty
years LOOK CAREFULLY at the wrapper and see that it is
the hind you have always bought Sx J T on the
and has the signature of fzZ wrap
per No one has authority from me to use my name except
The Centaur Company of which Chas K Fletcher is
President
March 8 QUUj fX r p
Do Not Be Deceived
Do not endanger the life of your child by accepting a cheap substitute
which some druggist may offer you because he makes a few more pennies
on it the ingredients of which even lie does not know
The Kind You Have Always Bought -
BEARS THE FAC SIMILE SIGNATURE OF
rM
-
Insist on Having
The Kind That Never Failed You
TKl CKMTW COM WV TT MlmitAT
THCT
NCW TOUR CITY
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