The mountain sentinel. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1844-1853, 1850-06-13

Mrs. s. came forward with pair
OF the required articles. Charley took one
and held it on his hands in his lap. Miss
H made similar use of the other,
still looking Charley in the eyes,
After a pause, Charley withdrew his
right hand from beneath the plate, and with
a slow mystical motion, passed his fingers
across his face.
Miss H gravely initiated the move
ment. AS she drew her delicate fingers
from her brow to her chin, yell oflaugh-
ter burst from the spectators. Without
smiling, Charley replaced his right hand
under the plate, and rubbed the left hand
over his face. Miss H as gravely fol-
lowed his example, and another burst of
laughter followed. Charley turned his
plate around in his hands, and with his fin
gers made passes across brow, crosses on
his chin, a long line down the middle of
his nose, circles about his eyes, and all
sorts of imaginary grotesque figures on his
cheeks changing his hand occasionally, as
if to invest the cermony with additional
mystery. Miss H--imitated HIM with
scrupulous exactitude and imperrura5le
gravity, while the mirth of the spectators
became more and more excited, and it
seemed that some of them would die of
laughter. Some rolled upon the sofas,
some hung powerless over the chairs, al
most dead with mrth, and others fell upon
the floor and held their sides.
Charley continued TO make the myste-
rious passes across his face, and Miss II.
TO initiate his movements, until the mirth
rose to such pitch that the poor girl be-
gan 10 suspect that it was occasIoned by
something besides the mere oddity of
Charley's motions. She grew uneasy
She feared some trick played upon her.
self. The mirth increased. She resolved
to forfeit the oysters. Amid roars of
laughter from the spectators she cried out:
"There! I've withstood this long enough!
Now I'm going to know what there is TO
laugh att
.sLook in the glass! Look in the glass!"
cried the mirth-su ffocated spectators.
Miss H was before mirror in a
moment. cry of despair and shame
burst from her lips. Her face! her pretty.
bewitching. faceI it was coz. led with
black streaks of every imagina> pAarac-
ter. Over her nose, around her eyes
across her forehead, up and down, diago-
naly, and crosswise, on every portion of
her face, were the marks of her own fin
gers, lust as she had touched them on her
delicate skin.
The bottom of HER plate had been
smoked!
While Miss H covering her fea-
lures with her handkerchief, retreated to
another room, and while the company
was near giving up the ghost in perfect
ecstacy of laughter, Charley said without
smile
81 won this time; but | think can af-
ford the oysters at any rate"
The oysters were brought in at Char
ley's expense Charley said he could
not think of tasting his until MISS H
re-appeared, and sent committee of the
girls to bring her in. These reported that
the fair victim had not yet succeeded in
getting the smoke off her face, upon
which Charley babe them return and
bring her in at any rate.
In few minutes the committee once
more returned, accompanied by Miss Ill.
The smoke still showed itself upon heI
face in spots, and her eyes glisteneC with
tears; but she advanced with admirable
frank mess and cheerful smile, and taking
Charley by the hand acknowledged the
fairness of the joke, and complimented his
ingenuity and skill.
The merry company then sat down tc
the oysters, which none enjoyed with a
keener relish than she who had contribu.
ted so much to the entertainment of the
guests that night Yankee Nation.