A VAUENTINfc-
fWrltten by married msn.)
Into my presence csine Just now
A little child 1 know not bow.
Famlllsr, too. be reined: sod yet
I could oot Ull where i had met.
RIs mien wss Innocent snd mild
I never raw fairer child
And yet. In moit unseemly glee.
rip rwkru uuc w i j ... ... . .
I knew blm then. The pretty Iwiy
Took aim with tbe same sliver toy
That luj Ita tboumnda. "Walt:" cried 11
"Don't about at me. my aon; oh. fle"
"For yon forget It was your dart.
Sent once wllb your own matchless art.
That nindo me like the rest ool.
"Since tbeii. sins. I've been at M-ho.il!
"For ahe. ah. yes! ahe m ill la fair;
Untouched by (tray her dusky bnlr.
Once ahe waa loving; now you aee
She rule the bouse, and she rulea me."
Re aald no word, but Juat took aim.
Straight to tny heart the arrow com.
"Korget uie now. sir. If you dare!"
Cried Cupid, runulng down the atalr.
Deep In my heart there la a pnln
Methlnka I am In love again!
Sweet, sweet, my pet. It Ih not true;
Tbuae fuolUli words I deeply rue.
I wonder If you are In league
With Cupid? la It Love's Intrigue'
I know not, cure not, hut I'll sign
Myself your bumble Valentine.
-Puck.
I MhO'S VALENTINE, g
MEG was only one of the "hands"
in the (.'root factory of Weaver
&. Co., and with about the same
regularity as the machinery ahe perform
ed her dnily taaka.
Nobody in the factory had ever given
her bo timch 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 juiet, even
timid, and her companions, after the first
day of now and then a half curious, half
critical Inapection, paid no attention to
her.
And yet Meg's "trouble" had been a
romance; a sort of a flower which blooma
sometimes along the hedgerows with the
same beauty and sweetuess aa In the con
servatory.
Born w aa all Meg knew about her orlg
In: brought up, at brat in a charitable in
stitution, later as the chore girl in a
boarding house, which always smelled of
dirt and rancidity; and still Inter aa a
boarder at the same place, because it waa
more like home to her after her long, hard
day's work at the factory, where Bbe had
secured employment at the age of 15.
Meg's life had been an uneventful one.
Meg was ignorant, her "schooling"' hav
ing been encompassed by a aix months'
course at a grammar achool in the neigh
borhood, and for which "educational ail-
vantage" she had toiled for the mistress
of the boarding houae until her health
threatened to give way under the strain.
But since somebody, back in the past
of Meg's unknown ancestry, had sent a
drop of ambitious blood (lowing through
her veins, within the six months she had
learned to read easy worda, 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 hooka
as cftfiie in her wav. and once, hnvinir
watched a postman deliver a letter across
the street, she waa seized with a wish
that was somewhat akin to pain to re
ceive a letter from somebody just to see
If she could frame nn 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
Meg's 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-fusnnry 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-day, until one
morning Meg overslept herself, by some
method of calculation which did not con
aider time in the light of dollars and cents
added to her Income, and she went to her
breakfast lale. The landlady was usu
ally pleasant when a boarder happened
to be late nt breakfast and, as became
one In her exalted position, she made an
offense of this kind on Meg's port an af
fair of great importance.
Not that Meg lu all the years she had
worked for Weaver & Co. had been lale
to breakfnst more than three or four
times, but the landlady never quite forgot
that Meg had at one time lieen ber will
ing slave and any dereliction on her part
A TIXT CLI STKK OF V10LKT8.
which was savored of Independence was
Dot t thing to lightly pass over.
On the morning in question, the land
lady, much to Meg's 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
d In being a grimace, as she told ber to
take her seat at the table and then pro
ceeded to Introduce her to a new boarder
who had Just paid a month's board In ad
vance.
Meg acknowledged the Introduction, and
after the landlady had gone out Tentured
to look at her vis-a-vla. and discovered
that he was a Ull young man with a
bronted complexion and a pair of brown
tin which met hers frankly, and seem
ad to look right down Into ber foolishly
beating heart, and after the tough aUek
had been served and he had gallantly til
ed a glass of water for her Meg made op
ber mlod that he waa different from thee
whoa akt constantly met beneath that
mt, m4 ih uasealeMy "alea-
ABRAHAM
On the 12th of February. 1S00, In the wilderness, h T.arue County, Kentucky, was
born one of the best and grcnlist men that ever lived Abraham Lincoln. His father waa
a poor farmer, and In the rude life of the backswooda bla entire schooling did not eiceed
s year, but while at achool he wai noted as a good speller, but more particularly for
his hatred of cruelty-hla earliest composition being a protest agalnat putting coals of
Are on the backs of the captured terrapins. He wore coarse, home-made clothes and
a routiskla cap. arid bla trousers, owing to hla rapid growth (before his 17th birthday be
was at his maximum of M feet 4 Inchest, were almost alwnya nearly a foot too short.
Hla Inst attendance at school waa In lCfl. when he waa 17 yeara old, but after leaving
It he read everything readable within hla rfiieh, and copied passages and sentences that
especially attracted him. His first knowledge of the law, In which he afterwards be
came eminent, waa through reading the statutes of Indiana, lent to him by a constable,
and he obtained a tolerable knowledge of griimnnr. also from a borrowed book, studied
by the light of burning shavings In a cooper's shop, after hla family had. In 1H,'I0, emi
grated to Illinois, lu be was elected to the Illinois Legislature was three times
r,,.Potd was admitted to practice law In 1K".tj, and then removed to Hprlngfleld, the
Mtate capital. In IWI he was elected to Congress, where be voted against the extension
of slavery, and In 1K.M was a recognised lea iter In the newly-formed Republican party.
In ISiup he whs nominated for the Prcsld"iiry, received a majority of votes over any of
the other candidates and was Installed In the President's chair March 4, IHIil. His elec
tion was followed by the secession of eleven Southern States and a war for the restnra
ti, ,n of the Colon. As a military measure he proclaimed .Inn. 1, LUiS, the freedom of all
slaves In the seceding Slates; and was re-elected to the Presidency In 18(4. The war
brought to n close April 2. llo, and on the l!itb of the same month Abraham Lincoln's
life was ended by the band of an assassin. Thua. when he
Had mounted Kiinie's 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 aide 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 nnme was At-
wood "Mr. Thomas Atwood," as he was
culled by the landlady was disposed to
talk as he went on eating bis ttreanrasi,
and ns Meg was the only one at the
brenkrast table he naturally talked to ner,
and she soon learned thnt he was head
brakeman on one of the trains which roll
ed out of the city on the iron mils be
longing to a great railway line, and tnnt
his home was ill an Eastern city. She
told him that she also lelonK('il to the
toiling masses, and before lireukrnst 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 Meg's love story began, and as
the time flew away it was apparent to
everybody that she was growing abso
lutely pretty happiness caving mucn
power in this direction and that the time
was approaching when the honest young
brakeman and herself would cease to be
lovers and become husband and wife.
Indeed, they hud talked it a'l over, and
Mcl' had told Tom that she hud saved
JliHl from her meager salary, and Tom
bud confessed that "before be baa Known
her he hail spent all his earnings, but
since that time he had begun to put by
a little, ami now hnd $:W0, 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 $1X) and the $.'100 to
gether, and, as that nas the 1st of Feb
ruary, they would get married Feb. I I
a "valentine wedding," as Tom anid, and
then, when she said "she never hnd hnd
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 nnd she would be
his," and then he kissed ber, and Meg
was In such a state of delight that she
forgot she ever had been lunely, and ahe
wouldn't 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 affnlr
which had gone forward directly under
ber 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 ''Bride's
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 'pea red to be a little teched In
her upper story," and gave as her reason
for her conclusion that "She was a-mak-In'
cake to beat sixty."
A few days lief ore the time set for the
wedding the weulher, 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 ber
as his bride, he had a powder of snow on
hla 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 conies natural to wimen when
they love, she asked him to "be very care
ful and watch his footing aa he ran across
the topa of the cars, which were sure to
be slippery because of the snow," aud, at
last, aha let him go.
It Valentine's mora dawned clear aad
LINCOLN.
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
(old 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, bad 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 hnd been merely us
a piece of the machinery, that It seemed
to her she had never known freedom and
vnguely wondered If It really were she
Meg who walked on air and was so hap
py thnt now and then she caught at ber
heart lost It should beat aloud.
No. 207, which was Tom's train, would
lie in at 3:20 o'clock, and at 0, 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 hnnds pointed to 4:30 she
concluded that the train was an hour late
and she would don the pretty gown so as
to be all ready when Tom enme. She smil
ed at her Image in the glass aa for the
twentieth time she shook out the rustling
skirt and then ran hastily down to again
look at the clock. It was 5 o'clock now,
and still Tom had not come, and all at
once something like a cold hand grasped
Meg's heart and she trembled aa 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
A.NK. AT LAST, SllK LKT HIM OO.
when he handed her an envelope contain
ing a letter her first letterthat some
thing had befallen her lover, and she felt
her way back to the little parlor and with
shaking hands tort; the letter often and
slowly spelled out its contents. It was
not long, but was written by Dr. , of
the company's hospital, and it stated that
Thomas Atwood, a brakeman, had fallen
between the cars while on his regular run
anil had been so badly Injured that he
had died shortly after being brought to
the hospital. Before his death he hnd
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 Tom's last message which,
with many breaks and almost illegible
tracery, ran aa follows! "Deer girl: I
have made my last run and hare got to
say good-by keep a tlte hold on the
brakes, and with love forever and tvtr,
1 am your valentine,"
J uni was all; only the story of tw
humble lovers, and to-day Meg is again
in the factory. But, as I said, back of
ber soft gray eyes is a something which
is too sad for speech, too deep for tears,
and it will go with ber all her days, and
who knows? will fade only wheu she
is no more lonely, no more heart-hungry.
LVath is not the end; it is the leginniug.
I'tica Globe.
MAKING LINCOLN PRESENTABLE
Hn. Lincoln "Fixed Up" the Treet-
dent-elect to Meet a Ilelegation.
In narrating "When Lincoln Was First
Inaugurated," in the Ladies' Home Jour
nnl, Stephen Fiske writes interestingly of
the memorable journey from Springfield,
111., to the national capital, and tells of
Mrs. Lincoln's efforts to have her hus
band look presentable when receiving a
delegation that was to greet thera upon
reaching New York City.
"The train stopped," write Mr. Flake,
"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 for
these city folks.'
"Mr. Lincoln gently lifted her upon the
seat before him; she parted, combed and
brushed his hair and arranged his black
uocktie.
" 'Io I look nice now, mother?' he af
fectionately asked.
" 'Well, you'll do, Abraham,' replied
Mrs. Lincoln critically. So be kissed ber
nnd lifted ber down from the seat, aud
turned to meet Mayor Wood, courtly aud
suave, and to have his hand shaken by
the other New York oHIcials."
Love Lottery 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 celebratious to commemo
rate Christian eveuts.
One of the festivals, dear to the heart
of every Homan, was the feast of Luper
etilia, when they did honor to their gods
Pan and Juno, not only with the ban
quet, dance and drama, but with a pecu
liar ceremony which provided a billet
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. This
festival usually occurred in February,
and was therefore made use of by the
Christians to commemorate the birth
day of the martyr, Ft. Valentine. In time
it came to be called Valentine's Day and
retained the love-lottery as Its especial
feature.
WHERE ABE PRACTICED LAW.
Old Courthouse at Lincoln, 111., Maui
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 "Postville" court bouse,
although that village was long ago ab
sorbed by the present city.
The first county seat of Logan County
was Postville, and the old court bouse,
which still stands In the western part of
Lincoln, was occupied as such from 1830
to 1848. In the latter year the courts
were removed twelve miles south to
Mount Pulaski, which village was the
county seat until 1S55. At almost every
term of court from the time of the organ-
tention of the couuty 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 hia legal acr
vices tn 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, Monnt
Pulaski, nor the old one of Poatvllle, but
it did pass within a mile of the latter
town. At thia point a new town waa
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 loti In the new town on
Aug. 20, 1853, Mr. Lincoln waa present
and expressed his regrets at having no
money with which to buy some of the
town lota. However, two lota opposite
the block aet aside -aa the court honaa
square were given to him by Messrs. Gil
let, Hlckox and Latham at an attorney
fee for services In the work of securing
the charter and deed for the new dty.
These Iota Mr. Lincoln owoed until his
death and were not sold by his heirs un
til about seven yeara ago.
Honest Abe and tha BnIL
Crossing a field on day, the late Presi
dent Lincoln, It It said, waa pursued by
an angry bull. He made for the fence,
but soon discovered that the bull waa
overtaking him. He then began to run
round a haystack In the field, and the bull
pursued him; but. In making the short
circles round the stack, Lincoln was tha
faster, and, Instead of the bull catching
him, he cn tight the bull and grabbed blm
by the tall. It was t firm grip and a
controlling one. He began to kick the
bull, and the bull bellowed with agony and
dashed across the field, Lincoln hanging
to his tall and kicking him at every jump,
and. as they flew along, Lincoln ahouted
at the bull, "Hang you, who began thia
fight r
Grace's Valentine,
ooh a dainty valantlnel
Ouplda, mottoea, lace.
Boat, satin Mils In Una,
Just the thing for Oraeel
the aatla MUa aamtt.
Li Besjaata tae ssoe
urn a IMaa. aael
OLD POSTVILLK C0UKTHOU8B.
TIGHT FITS IN FAVOR
REACTION FROM THE LOOSE
BLOUSE HAS SET IN.
Winter Colore in Tailor HiK-Pc.iUon
of Waist Fastening and Its Effect
Advantages Derived from the Vogue
for White at the Throat.
Fads of Fickle Fashion.
New York correspondence:
LANCING over the
fashionable promen
ade one will observe
that a eoocessslon to
winter Is made In
many of the tailor
rigs tn the matter of
color, and was made
In the rig pictured
beside tbe Initial.
Certain it U that such
a gown of warm
brown, made snug
ly fastened at the
throat and spread
lng over the bust
Just the least to
show Its line of scar
1 e t waistcoat, does
seem warmerand more winter-like than
would the same design carried out In
some other combination of color. A
row of close-st braw buttons added to
this rig and gave a dash to the scarlet
waistcoat. The little tam-o'--hanter
to be worn with such a dress should
have Ita soft crown of some warm tone
of dark red, and the brai 'jftg on the
dress will be outlined with red, or per
haps the ornamentation may be red
velvet applique outlined with narrow
braid.
Because the Russian blouse has been
used Impartially as either a bodice or
an over garment, there is rather a re
volt agalnt It just now, especially
when the stylish woman wishes It un
derstood that she Is out without an out-
ONE TO WIDEN, THE
side garment. So the tight-fitting bod
loe Is again In favor. It Is made so
frankly tight-fitting that no one Is go
ing to imagine It comes off to show an
other bodice underneath. It may be
cut In Jacket fashion, but It Is also
nmde of very heavy material because
U is Intended for a winter street gown.
Almost always there Is braiding, not
only following the edges of the gown,
but making conventional ornamenta
tion about the bust line. In considering
the two models pictured here side by
side the left-hand one of which was
sketched in red cloth, the other In
green, black braid for both one point
as to the fastening of such garments
should be understood. Fastening up
aad down the middle of the front of
th bodice tends to widen the figure,
especially If at either side of tbe fasten
ing there be bust ornamentation, while
tbe aide-fastened Jacket always adds
te the round of the bust and the slen
4erness of the walnt. Therefore the
acbool girl who follow mamma's ad
rice and retain a long a possible a
certain wide and fiat effect of figure
that goes with English schoolgirl ahy
mm, will have her Jacket fasten down
fjvat. Her elder akrter, for wan
ULAZBH, V1JITA0E OK '98.
I '
a taper waist !s of more value than tha
ugs;estlou of extreme youth, wit
fasien hi-rs lo one side. There moat tf
either case be braiding at the cuffa aoi
collar, but tbe sleeve should finlah U
plain coat fashion.
Blazer and open Jacket effect w
out only to be reviewed for tb ackt
of the women who think they look bod
with white linen at the throat, ftaci
women continue to wear opes fro
TUNED POR LOOKS SOLELY.
Jackets over stunning waistcoats and
faultless Uneu and ties, and If the day
Is cold and their cheeks are red the
wearers will get a lot of credit, for the
linen "looks cold." A pretty new notloa
In ornamentation was employed on the
Jaunty Jacket in the third picture. All
Its edges were finished with a two-locfl
OTHER TO NARKOW.
band of scarlet cloth, over which waa
laid an open net braid In black. The
red showed through with very pretty .
effect. The same Idea carried out with
black braid over white Is stunning, but
Is colder-looking. As sketched. It was
put on green cloth.
Though furs that are worn for
warmth are scarce, rather more than
the usual quantity of peltry is worn be
cause of Its dressiness. A great many
fur garments that are little more than
accessories are worn, and handsome
affairs most of them are, their richness
suggesting stores of other fine furs that
the wearer may not possess at all. Lace
yokes are frequently finished with a
deep edge of fur, from under which a
lace frill peeps, thus bringing the yoke
to tbe dimension of a cape. A pair of
long tabs haags from under tbe front
of the cape nearly to the knees, and
these are lined with satin to match the
foundation of tbe yoke and finished all
around about with a frill of lace. The
garment of this sort pictured here em
ployed Persian lamb, red satin and
white lace. Of course there 1 yery lit
tle warmth In thds sort of thing, even
though the collar be high, but tbe effect
is delightfully dressy. Sometimes,
since It Is so very swagger to combine
furs, the yoke, Instead of being lace, Is
a fur contrasting to that used for bor
der and tabs. As many a three furs
are often used In the construction of
these fancy accessories, the furs
mounted, besides, in lace, velvet or
satin. The collar Is always fur, but
must be overlaid Inside with eoft white
stuff, lace or mull laid In frill close
about the face. Few design In the way
of overgarments are quite complete)
without a touch, a billow or a regular
deluge of white at tbe throat
Copyright. 108.
Scissors and Corset a an Kaontobeon.
One day In 1730 a beautiful carriage
appeared on the boulevards of Pari
with an escutcheon In the shape of a
pair of corsots and an oiK'ii pair of
scissors painted on the panel of each
door. This was tbe coat of arms of
Rhombcrg, tbe first man who made a
name as a woman's dressmaker. Rhom
berg, who waa tbe son of a Bavarian
peasant from tbe neighborhood of Mn
nleb, owed hi rapid success to hla
genius for concealing and readying de
tect of figure. Be left an aaaual la
tome of 00,000 Cbsjms M Ma beta.
