The Ashland union. [volume] (Ashland, Ashland County, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1855-04-25

Mistakes Of a Night.

Some of our readers doubtless remem
Der sleigh-ride sketch given in oul
columns few weeks since. The sketch
was drawn-as artists say-from nature
and was, what youngsters call, " Ger
tain true story" Although particular
ly interesting to a person we wot of, as
a record of one of the many laughable
incidents which
"-the dreams of youth recall"
it also had its value as warning to
others who are dancing joyously along
the same path of innocent amusements,
skirted with silvery moonbeams, driven
snow, soft eyes which look love " to eyes
which speak again." buffalo skins and
muffs. The moral drawn from the tale,
was: Be sur1 yow kno1o a0jtoSe hand
you hold before you squeeze It," The
tale, in it's newspaper travel, fell under
the eye of fair reader of the SPIRIT Of
the Times. It awakened dormant mem
orics of New England by-gone winter,
and she sends to the Spirit the follow
ing admirable /" New England sleighing
story"
My dear "Spirit"-The moral to the
slcighing story, in your paper of March
3rd, brought to my mind an incident
which occurred to myself in my young
days, and if you will forgive an old
maids persiness, I'll relate it to you.
1t was in the month of December
no matter how many years ago-that a
merry party of US started to the little
village of M-to attend dinner in the
neighboring town of B, distance of
safety and enjoyed the ball amazingly,
to say nothing of the supper, which was
got up in real New England style
Those were the good old days of " egg
nogg" and " mulled wine," and before
the introduction of Maine Laws and
spirit rappings; but most of our gentle
men were devout believers in spiritual
influences, and were very amusing in
their spiritual manifestations" SO
that it was long after midnight before
we thought of returning home; but f.
nally the horses were ordered, and by
the time that we were ensconced in our
numerous cloaks, shawls and hoods,
muffs, tippets, &C., the sleigh was at the
door; We were snugly tucked in, and
packed away among the sleigh robes
The more merricr ard the closer the
better, and off we started, the gentle
men trying to sing We won't go home
till morning!" 1 was on the back seat,
between two of these musical gentle
men, and was more amused than delight
ed by their vocal efforts. In few mo-
ments the entertainment ceased, and
nothing disturbed the quiet stiffness of
the night but the musical ring of our
own sleigh bells, and had just sunk in
to a reverie, when was aroused by feel
ing hand glide gently into my muff!-
I wasn't prudish, and he was an old
friend, SO kept quiet for few moments
presently felt movement from the
other side, and hand stole in from
that quarter! Oh, thinks I, this is
little too much of good thinh, and [
gently withdrew nay hands, one after
another, and allowed them to clasp each
others hands most lovingly The sim
pie fellows never discovered their mis-
take, and 1 sat by almost dying to laugh
at the afiectionate glances 1 received,
first on one side and then on the other,
and I fancied them accompanied by
most expressive pressure Of the hand
At last could stand it no longer, and
burst into long merry peal of laugh
ter. fsLsa-
This perfectly astonished my compan-
ions, and those on the forward seats ca
gerly asked, what's the joke ?'' but l
did not want to make the affair public
so told them I was only laughing to
hear the sound of my own voice, but to
the many earnest questions of my neigh
bors to the right and left, 1 quietly re-
piled =" Why the truth is, gentlemen,
that as the night is remarkably cold,
and am rather delicate, should like
my muf, as soon as you are done using
it !'' held up both my hands, and the
truth burst upon them instantaneously-
Not word was spoken, but the muff
was speedily vacated, and 1 was left in
disputed possession of it for the remain
der of the ride.
That joke probably cost me a hus-
band, but if 1 should remain an old
maid to my dying day I should never
regret it, for that laugh was worth
dozen husbands. The gentlemen are
both living, and should they chance to
read your sleighing story will echo most
feclingly the motto, +" BE sure you know
whose hand you hold before you squeeze
itI'' Yours truly, S. j. LIE.
The poor devil who couldn't hoId
his own," has got himself into worse
difficulty by trying to keep another's.