Butte record. (Bidwell, Butte County, Cal.) 1853-1858, 1855-06-30
A Kissing H0iyday.

kissing HOiyday.
An English correspondent gives the
following description of one of the East
er Holydays, which he passed at small
town in the heart OF Staffordshire.
"On descending to the little parlor of
the inn, on Monday morning, l perceived
that all the household were in their gay
est attire, and that no one entertained
anv serious notions of work or business.
| had d spatched my solitary breakfast
Of ham and eggs, and other country
dainties, and was looking out with mixed
feelings of delight and envy, on the
prospect before me, when the door of my
room was suddenly flung open, and six
osy-cheeked, ringleted young women
tered, tit ering very much, and looking
very foolish at each other, and then at me.
l am not vain-but, to give the devil
his due, am rather handsome fellow
my mother told me So a thousand
times so, upon the whole, l was rather
gratif by this pi cs Of admiring
attention. But to be left alone in a little
room, with half dozen girls, requires
some nerve and confess | began t.
feel rather qualmlsh. am rather BASH
full besides-very b'shful and, therefore,
had mortal repugnance to being thus
cxh bited gratis, and so, to put an end
to the scene, | said in as Careless tone
as l could command, whats the mat
ter, Mary :" "Weil, sir" she answer
ed, 81 see you don't understand our
ways; but you must sit in this chair, if
you please" And she indicated a chair
which had not perceived, in the back
slaves of which were entwined laurel,
ivy and flowers.
Anxious to conciliate them, I complied
with her request, resignins myself to my
fate with de- perate fortitude. Scarcely
had l taken my seat, when thev lifted
me up n the chair, as high as they could,
three or four times, laughing most out>
rageou>ly at my |, oks of b. w,ldered hor>
ror. l gave myself up f"r lost; an un-
fortunate young man, who had strayed
into rustic wilderness, far from his
home and his friends, entrapped, en-
shared, and f,rcibly carried away by six
violently pretty girls. But il was hor
ror-struck at this proceeding, judgs what
was my CONSERVATION when the leader of
the assailants, that very Mary who had
brought my breakfast b If au hour be-
fore, and leered upon me as only char
ming, wicked waiting-wonlai can lrer,
advanced, seized me round the neck, and
imprinted ulon my half-parted lips, a
feroclous kiss! This was the climax. 1
defed destiny from that instant; and
resolved to meet nv fate like "A martyr.
ola, sir,'' SAID Mary, 81 dccla you
are quite alarmed l must have ano her,
just to bring you to Your senses" And
she had anothe,, and it did bring me to
my senses. How soon one gets used to
kissing! All my terror had vanished at
the salute of the third damsel, and re-
piled to the clip serv .ce" o: the with
inter- st. I got so fond of the sport that
| even wanted to repeat the performance,
and would not have cared to have en-
ployed the day in such pasiiine.
Now sir,' laid Mary, "you must
know that this is our 'heaving day , to
day the young girls 'heaves' the young
men, whoever they can catch, gentle or
simple; and Tomorrow the young men
'heaves' We, as if they can catch us
and them as don't ger kiss, man or
woman, pays forfeit 1 was also infor-
med that it was customary to give some
'trihing gratuity to the ladies, 'as keep
sake;' practice TO which conformed
by giving them trife of money, which
they did not keep long. and they left me
well pleased with the success of their
exploit, while | was no less so.
| rode in the mail coach, TO within
two miles of my friends house, and
walked the remaining distance. My
road lay through narrow lanes and across
fields, until | came upon SIN II village.
Hitherto 1 had not met soul; but was
walking merrily on ). whissling or singing,
in iove with all the word, not emitting
the most important item in the aggre-
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