Valentines of 100 Years Ago

One of my favorite things is looking through antique stores.  Lately, I've been foregoing spending time examining Depression Glass and linens in favor of smaller items that tell clearer stories about the owner:  photographs, and especially, postcards.  This last weekend I found a romantic treasure:  a Valentine sent by a lonely and lovesick wife in Penticton, British Columbia, Canada, to a husband away on business in Calgary, Alberta.  Judging by the fact that Willie kept the postcard, since it ended up in an antique store over a hundred years later, I suspect that he loved and honored his wife very much, and that there was no cause for her to worry.  Still, what lovers have not felt the insecurity associated with being out of one another's sight for too long? Ah, young love!

Dear Sweetheart,

I love you... Why are you not writing?  Have you another girl?  Remember your promise.  I am well but I can't live without you, Willie.  Please write soon.

Your wife,

"Dolly"