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About The North Platte semi-weekly tribune. (North Platte, Neb.) 1895-1922 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 13, 1914)
THE NORTH PLATTE SEMI-WEEKLY TRIBUNE. i i 4 F nil this holidays on tho calendar, St. Vnlcntlne'a day Ib, of courMo, tho Icaat conspicuous. Unllko Christinas, EuBt or. the Fourth or July or Memorial day, It makes no direct appeal for our serious consideration, lnstoud, It la closely nkln to Halloween a day of pranks and larks. It Is, more or less of a pliantuHinagorla of sentiment and noiiBenso combined. It Is, pre-eminent-ly, the day when Cupid rolgna supromu and every form of celebration necessarily harks back. In one way or nnother, to the little cherub with tho bow and nrrow. Tho attitude of tho averngo grownup toward St. Valentino's day Is one of good-natured tolerance and endurance In the light of niaturer years, tho wholo business of tho celebration is apt to look mighty foolish. When ho was younger-well, perhaps It was different then but ho has long since put aside child lah thingB. It ig nil right for tho youngsters, who consider tho giving and, rocolvlng of valentines In much tho samo light as they regard Christmas pres ents from Santa Glaus. Hut not for him, a grown-up. A modern celebration of St. Valentino's day, con nldored from vnrlous standpoints, really makes a difference in the day's work of a surprising numbor of people And not all of those so nffected aro inter ested In Cupid or tho ran- lom shots from his bow. In facL many breathe as when tho day Is over as they do after ChristnuiB, tho Fourth of July, or any of the rush-season holi days. If St. Valentino himself woro alive today, or If, by chanco Eusapln Palladlno Jould bo persunded to conx tho old man back from tho other aide of tho Styx, ho would, In nil probability, throw up his Iinnda In astonishment and lady of tho Red Skirt In tho fable: "Land sakes! Can this bo I?" In tho old dnys It was most serious occasion attended by all sorts of fluperatltlon nnd painstak ing observance of quoor formulas and customs that seem more llko He lion thnn fact. Youne men nnd young maidens imraded nil over country churchyards, by tho light of tho moon, nnd held serious converse with owls nd hobgoblins, in spirit at least If not in letter. In fact, it was quite tho propor thing In England lor ft lovelorn lass to Hie hcrsolf Into the church yard at midnight nnd as tho clock struck 12 run around tho church nnd play tag with horHolf among tho tombstones, repeating anon tho on lightening nnd touching llttlo doggorel: "I sow hemp seed, hemp seed I sow; he that loves mo host come after mo now." Imagine Just imnglno If you enn a cortaln typo of twentieth century mnld conducting horself In a fnshlon so violently nt vnrlnnco with tho In structions of tho Indies' Hum Journal and other Anthony ComstockB of femlnlno propriety! It cannot bo Imagined not oven in ono's wildest dreams! It might havo been all right for her ancestors nlmplo folk nt best but not for her! Nothing of that sort in her family! Instead, it's ilowera and "bonbonB and "renl grown-up" presents for hers tho aforesaid flowers nt ono dollar per, tho bon-f l)ons dorfb up in a fancy, sllkllncd box nud tho TrosentB nnything that poor William can ho por undcd Into coming across with, from a Jabot ' an noroplane. It would bo pleasant, indeed, to picture a cer tain Miss St. Valentino of tho present all In a flutter over what tho patron saint of tho day will firing her. It appeals to the monjnl nppotlto to .picture all tho fair sex as the same gentle, shy, re tiring creatures of former days. As n matter of fact, howover, such Is by no means tho case. Of course, the nverngo wholesome, mentally healthy girl Is Interested in St. Vnlontlnu's day. Of courso, sho believes In It. Hut there nro, It must bo confessed, many who And but llttlo mys tery about It for them. If Alfred sonds u girl of this sort n five-pound box of bonbons, you can but your last dollar he Is going to let hor know In KOino way that it came from his, not from Tom or from Will. And if sho, in turn, bonds him a tie or n package of shaving papers Inclosed In a valen tine cover you may be equally sure sho will Inad vertently aeo to It that tho young man Is awaro of tho proper person to thank But not all our girls are llko that not by a great deal. There aro somo still who onthuso over tinsel nnd gauze bearing dancing cuplda nnd Wooding hearts. Tender verses still appeal to them, and old favorites are still popular. "Tho rose Is red, the violet blue; sugur Is sweot nnd so aro you," still cnuHes a fluttering of tho heart and a tell-tale blush. "I had a heart and it was true; It flow from mo nnd wont to you. Trent It as woll iib I havo done, for you havo two, nnd I havo uono," Ik still certain of eliciting an ecstatic sigh from Its fair recipient Hut tho lad who will car ry off tho candy this St. Valontlno's day and put ono over on tho other chap Is tho "broth of n fioy" who manages to securo a dainty bollowored inlsfllvo bearing the words "Oh, you kid!" Maybe they havo boon manufactured, and may bo they havo not. They ought to he, at all evoutu. And don't forgot llttlo Jane, tho dear ton-yonr-old mlto, who won't trust hor Valentino oven to tho postman, but insists on delivering them hor uolf In porson. Sho Is In somewhat of n quandary hh to whether she had bottor remain in hor own liomo for tho exqulalto Joy of Hying to tho door t tho flrat ring of tho bull ou SL Valcutlnu's ovo, m v v wtiwkmk' imu svl.s m,a a ii .k RUSSIAN BLOUSE SUIT FOR THE LITTLE FELLOW flinging it wldo open and rushing wild ly out to detect, If posslblo, tho fleeing donor of tho whito missive lying on tho floor of tho vestibule, or whether to Join hor little companions In a sim ilar crusado to tho doorsteps of others whoso mammas will not let them come out. Nor must wo overlook the comic valentines not because wo aro on tho subject of children, bo It under stood, for, though It doea seom evi dent that they aro distributed by tho little lads nnd lnsses, it would never do to accuse thorn of It outright. No, indeed, not oven for one single little minute. Theso comics havo como to bo an im portant featuro of tho modern celebration of St. Vnlontlno'a day. Some people call them horrible distortions of clodhopper humor; hut that de pends on tho condition of development of tho recipient's funny bono If he's ticklish, ho will most likely smile nnd let It go at that. If ho doesn't, you havo found a man without a saving -aenso of humor. Watch papa when ho gets his on St. Valentine's ovo. If ho Just grins and makes somo remark to tho effect that tho manufacturer of tho valentine is certulnly up-todnto In placing his cnrlcntured flguro In an aeroplano, you may bo suro ho'a a pretty good sort of a papa who bolleves In boys wearing their stockings out at tho knee. Hut If ho doesn't, If Instead ho makes a wry face and wrycr remnrka nncnt tho unwholosorno lnfluenco of such hideous ntrocltlos upon tho Juvenile mind; he isn't woll It might not hurt him to bo romlnded of tho days when ho wan a kid himself. Tho reul. good nnturod, boloycd papa Isn't apt to mind In tho loast being labeled by tho multi-colored carlcn turo pushed under tho door n "Nervy Nat," n "Grim Old Money Hags" or a "Walking Jewelry Store." Ho Just grins and sort of says to himself with a lump In his throat, "Well, I guess boys will bo boys." And Sister Lu? It Isn't altogether a pleasant occasion for her, tho receipt of a comic portray Ing hor as a vain vixen who spends most of tho day nnd a good part of tho ovenlng admiring her self In her mirror. It's n trlflo trying on one's dignity. Maidens In tho popular romances of tho day never havo unploasnnt oxporloncos of that sort or, at least. If they do tho author forgets to mention them. But how different It Is when n "roally, truly" Valentino nrrlvos! Sister Lu Is all smiles and ox cltomont. Who could It havo como from? Stop that, you Jnno, It isn't yours at all, and you hnvo no business opening It. My, how beautiful how bo-n-u-t-l-f-u-1! Violets! Umu-m! Aren't they fragrant!" l'npa and mnmmn aro called In to see what a gorgeous valentine Lu has rccotvod. Pa makes some remnrks nbout bolng willing to venturo a guess as to tho Identity of tho Bender, with the added Insltuntlon thnt tho $2 tho violets cost might holp aomo, at least, lu furnishing an apart ment. Hut ma Just smiles nnd la pleased. "1 know who It's from! I know who It's from!" cries little Jane, dancing up and down nnd teas Ing hor siHter, with ono chubby llttlo forefinger working diligently back and forth in "Pshaw! For ahumo!" fashion upon tho othor. Sister Lu makes a gront show of trying to think who In tho world could hnvo sent thorn. And alio appeals to mamma for her opinion In tho mattor. Yes, mamma agrees, it might havo boon Alfred, or It might hnvo been Will, or It might havo been any ono of a dozen other young men sho knows Hut Tom? Why, Tom'a namo Is tho very last of all montloned, though both she nnd mamma know porfectly woll tho violets came from him. Humph! Llttlo Jano know It was Tom right away! Just us this moment, porhaps, tho joung hope ful of the family comes stamping In. Ho Is n sight! His Btockings and trousers nro dirt-stain-od, whero he ovldoutly fell down, his hair is all CLOTHES for llttlo boys small nnd actlvoyoungBters from three to six yicnrs old havo not changed much in design for many years. This is be cause they have been cut and made to suit his needs, and It transpires that nothing could look better than tho IlUBHlnu blouse suits which protect nnd udorn tho body of tho most rest lose and frollcsomo nnd daring of young animals. Therefore suits for little boys are to bo mndo In two pieces and of plain and durable materials. Small kneo pants, put together to hold against tho strain of play nnd bnttle, nnd the easy-fitting, well-cut Russian blouse, such as appear In tho Illustration given here Linens in the heavy or strong weaves, naturnl or dark colors, ging hams, and arious cotton weaves that tousled and his hands, and face nre uanawer ablo testimony to the fact that the rising genera tion occasionally gets back to Mother Earth even in tho private city streets, pessimists to tho con trary, notwithstanding. He has been having a great time. St. Valentine's night Is almost aa much fun as Halloween! Vnleutlnea? Sure, he's been giving valentines but they aren't exactly tho kind Slater Lu or even little Jane received. Ho's presented the almond-eyed Celestial down nt tho. corner with a most touching reminder of how he looks when ho Irons a shirt and he's had a thrilling, hair-breadth escape- from tho aforesaid washee-washee, who couldn't see It as a Joke at all. Pshaw, n Chinaman never could inn anyway! Then there was old Pennut Caruse, who kept tho fruit stand on tho opposite coiner. Poor, ex eitablo old Dago! It there hadn't have been quite so many llttlo American devils In tho gang he might have run ono of them down nnd gotten hla revenge. Hut, if he did, what would become of hla peanuts and his smooth, sleekly-polished ap ples In tho meantime, with all those other little pests swarming nround and yelling like Comaneho Indians? And grandma and grandpa. They sit quietly by in their big armchairs and smile complacently at the enthusiasm of tho youngsters. In their hearts aro memories of other St. Valentine's eves ''way back In other days, In tho dim and dis tant past, when thoy both wore young and tho fever of lovo bent strong in their breasts. There nro valentines for them now. for thoy aro old and gray nnd their course of lifo Is almost run, nnd, somehow, St. Valentine's day Is a day for tho young. Hut wait What Ib that on grandma's lap? Can it be? Yes It is It's a Valentino! Ornndpa has remembered! It Is not ono of those gaudily-painted modern ones of olaborato manu facture; no, but an old-fashioned one of many layers of carved and curly-cued paper, framing a tiny picture of the Mndonna and bearing tho simple message: "Ho my valentine." It is tho kind grandma know and learned to lovo long yenrs ago when grandpa, then as lino a young dandy as was to bo found In nil the country round, camo sparking hor. Sho smiles happily nnd nods across at tho old man, who understands all that sho feels rfnd remembers. In tho morning tho mail man comos loaded down with moro valontinea. Indeed, It scorns just like nnother Christmas to llttlo Jane, when she beholds hla pouch full to overflowing. Hut ho can't boo It lu that light at all, or in any other light except thnt ho has been lugging thnt blamed old pouch for ten aquarea, leaving something at almost every door, and the darned old thing Is heavier thnn when he tirst started out with It Christmas Is bud enough, and tho people who mndo these fool holiday stunta ought to lie satis fied with plnguelng mall men onco a year, but Instead, they don't give him time to recover from the Christmas avalanche of mall heforo they Jain all this crazy Valentine foollahneas down hla throat. After that pouch has gotten to a re spectable, convenient slzo bo that It feels moro llko n mail pouch nnd less like a ton of coal tho mail man may appreciate tho sentimental sldp of tho day. Ho may recall tho flushed, eager faces that fairly hurled themaolves nlmost through tho door In their engorneas to snatch tho mysterious letters from hla hands. He may re call his own boyhood when he himself both gnvo nnd rccolved valentines with childish glee nnd couldn't undftTBtnnd why In tho world, on this of all mornings tho mall man waa bo late. If so ho amllos good natundly and remembers that eery task, however onorous It mny be, has Its own re ward when viowod In tho right light. Watch your newspapers on St. Valentino's day for ono particular news Item eloping couples who choao tho dny because it Is especially Cupid's. Somo yeai thoy nro many In numbor, and somo tlmos but ew and far botweon. Hut tho.o la al ways a half-dozen nt least. Cupid sees to that himself. And to the lovera thomBelves, It Is a day of all layB, for each gives hlmsolf to the other na a renly ruly valentluo for llfo. will withstand constant tubbing, are chosen for everyday wear. White and somo of tho strong and medium light blues, and natural linen color, prove best for those moro or leas painful oc casions when the youngster must be "dressed up." All his garments should be made plain in design and the materials: shrunk beforo they aro cut. Tho best bohnved young man will -.fqrgqj wnll nbout caring for his clothes and romp as freely in white linen as in khaki. Llttlo boys aro loss conscious of their clothes than llttlo girls, nnd much soap and water falls to tho lot of their apparel. Thoroforo their clothes nro to bo made easy to wash nnd iron. Tho problem that confronts tha mother Is that of teaching her son to wish to bo clean and neat looking without interfering with his romping. There is only ono way, it acorns, nnd that Is to provide him with plenty of plain, strong, well made suits llko that shown here, In order to provide a fresh ono with tho recurrent: of hla need for It. Very llttlo material will make a suit. Plain box plaits add to tho strength of tho blouse and also some thing of adornment. Collar, cuffs nnd belt aro usunlly In a contrasting pat tern. That Is, n plaid blouso Ib finish ed with collar, cuffs and belt in a plain fabric. Or a plain blouso Is finished with theso accossorloo In plaid or fig ured material. After all, it docs not require a great deal of work to keep a llttlo fellow presentablo enough. Summer and winter ho wears a union suit, a waist to support his Btockings and pants, his ahoes and a blouse. In cold weather he Ib protected fom tho cold when ho is out (which should be a considerable part of tho day) by heavy coat, cap, loggings and mittens. In midsummer he may shed all but his waist, pants and blouse, It Is fine for him to run barefoot. All tho standard pattern concerns provide suitablo paper patterns for suits. In making a selection chooso tho plainest designs, for in the long run they look best. JULIA BOTTOMLEY. Pretty Collars. Pretty collars, to be worn on blouses as well as outside tho coata, are aeen now In tho shops, and few aro so In tricate J,hat they cannot bo fashioned by the girl with a tasto for needle work who wants to look well but can't afford high prices. Tho upstanding frills tacked insido low rollars are very dainty and av charming finish to tho bare neck un der a coat. Tho frllllnga aro qulto cheap now, and you can buy them ns wide or as narrow as you wish. An attractive round collar to bo worn with a Dutch necked blouso can ba made of a quarter of a yard of fine batiste. Ono seen recently waa in tho shape of a crescent moon, and tho pointed ends and sldo that wero laid down on tho back of tho blouso wero embroidered with a scallop drawn with a 10-cent piece just a plain scallop, nothing more, but so carefully and beautifully embroidered that tho stitches fairly melted together. New Dress Accessories Made of Ribbon &B -" " f', yftWk M nil flin lilatnrv nt tVinlr m.innfnr. I 8. ture ribbons havo never occupied bo prominent and Important a place in the belongings of womankind as they do today. Old Father Time: whoso daughters do not lovo him any too well nllowa them ribbons nnd furbelows from tho cradle to tho grave. From tho baby ribbons which bo gayly adorned the layetto to tho purple rosettes on grnndmama's break fast cap, everyyear in tho progress of tho Bplendor-lovlng femlnlno ono Is marked off by variations In her ribbon adornments. Certain ribbon novelties aro brought out ench season, and things that were novelties havo become sta ples, vurled each year to suit now condltion8. The ribbon rose Is no longer a novelty but la shown In new colorings and in now perfection of detail Everyone must own a bunch of ribbon violets, nnd this senson thoy nro made up around a mllllnory gar denia. Llttlo ribbon rosea In nosegaya and wreaths, In nil aorta of ornaments, nre blooming everywhere. There aro vests or waistcoats of ribbon, and all our lingerie is ribbon-decked. In this last field tho liking for rib bon decorations has made tho most rapid stride8. Baby rlbbona nro not bo much used, but wider rlbbona from one to ono nnd a half Inchea nro made up into bowa and roaettea, nnd any number of penannt pieces, to be sewed or pinned, on to undormua lins. The next atop nnturally will bo rib bonB made up In the body of small garments. Alternating rows of rib bon and lace, nnd very wldo soft rib bono, already aro used in making dain ty corset covers. The bright brocaded ribbons aro so well adapted to making ribbon bags that many new and lovely models aro brought out by designers, who aro In spired by tho beauty of tho rlbbona Hags for all purposes aro made. A very handsome party bag Ib shown In tho picture, mndo of white brocade. It la cut after tho fashion of old-time purses and has two compartments. Ono of theso will carry slippers and the othor fan, gloves and other things that aro required. It Is provided with two covered ringa for handles and fin ished with Chenille fringe. There aro any number of bags of brocaded and printed ribbons made in ' different ways for the same purpose. Tho latest addition to tho cap fam ily is tho Tango Cap, made of ribbon and lace in one of tho Tango shades, which aro about like the nnsturtlum yellows. It la bedecked with abort floating ends of ribbon and keeps tho hair in placo during tho strenuous tlmo of tho dance. The tango Ib real ly a romp to music and will develop tho need of small caps as It grows popular. Of all tho adornments for which ribbon Is used, ribbon flowers, and pre-eminently ribbon roses, remain tho moat wonderful nnd beautiful. It is a enso of the design fitting tho ma terial to perfection. Ribbons are tho rosea among woven fabrics in them selvesthe queen of all others. Theso little accessories aro well worth while, for it is remarkable how a pretty adornment of this kind will capture and hold tho attention nnd mako a plain costumo nppoar qulto Bplendld. JULIA BOTTOMLEY. 1