Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1856-05-06
EVENING STAR
KISSING A STRANGE GIRL IN A STAGE

hih oT DloOu connection ." 1nat's the sort t0
call kissing" and that is the sort am going
to describe
There is beautiful village about twenty.
four miles north of New Haven, called in the
Indian tongue Pomperany. What it means
In Indian l don't know. 1t was not taught
US IN thc district school up there, where we
learned our A, b, C's, and afterward progress
ed as lar as B-A, BA, E-R, KER, BAKER; when
L was allowed to graduate, and enter the
Youths Seminary" under the ch arge Of the
Rev. Mr. Fuller. One of my schoolInates in
the latter place was bright, intelligent boy,
of tho name Of Walter Marshall. 1 loved
him, so did everybody else in the old village
love him. He grew up to N manhood, but not
there. No; New England boys don t grow up
at home; before they each manhood they are
transpla nted, and arc iourishing in ell parts
and ports Of the known world, wherever a
Yankee craft mas been, or the stars and stripes
w alter Marshall, when he reached the age
OF fourteen, arrived in New York from his
native village in the destitute situation tn at
Is frequent among New England boys; that is
TO say, he had only the usual accompaniments
OF these unaedged chips, who afterwar make
the merchants and great men of this country,
and not unfrequently Of other lands. He had
a little wooden trunk, pretty we'll stocked
with ''h"m nlades," a sixty-eight cent Bible
that his mother packed in for him, fearful
| that he might forget it, three dollar New
Haven city bank bill, and any quantity of
energy, patience, perseverance, and ambition
lie entered the counting room of a large mer-
camille house In South street. His honesty
activity and industry won him many friends
Among them was an English merchant, who
had a large commercial house in Calcutta
and branch at Bombay. He was in this
country on business connected with bis COM
mercial firm at Calcutta, and did his business
for the firm Walter clerked for and here the
latter attracted his notice. He was sixteen
years OF age only; yet the Bombay gentleman
fancled him, and made him a liberal offer to
go to India With him which. after very little
palaver among bis frio rds, Walter accented
New England boys don often start off on
their unusually long, wandering excursions
without first getting leave of absence for q
few days preparatory exercise, which they
spend IL going where they originally came
from; and then, having taken a few good
looks at the weather beaten church, the high
Old steeple, which has wonderfully reduced
in size and elevation since they first saw it, to
notice it, in schoOl-boy days; then they must
hear the old bell ring once more, even If they
have to take a spell ar the rope then take a
turn among the white grave-stones, see if
there are any very green mounds, fresh made,
and If so, to ask who among old friends have
gone to their lest resting place then to kiss
mother and sisters, sh axe hands with father
and the stage is at the door Of the tavern, and
they are ready for n start to 60 "any where -
Walter went up 70 do, and did do, all this
but he did not get into the stage at the tavern
He walked down the road, ahead of the coach,
toward the old bridge, and told the stage
driver 10 stop and let him get in at the minis
ter's house-at Parson Fuller's, Mary Fuller
lived there, too, for she happened to be the
parsons only daughter. She was the mer-
riest, lOvelicst little witch that ever wore long
loose tresses Of auburn bsir, and had blue
eyes She was only twelve years old, and
Walter was nearly seventeen. She did love
him, though; he was almost ali in all to her
he had fought her battles all through her
childish campaign; and she had no brother
She was Walters cousin, too-a sort Of half
first cousin for her mother had been the half
sister of Walters mother. They were not too
near related for purposes hereinafter to be
named.
Poor Molly! she would have cried her eyes
out on this occasion, had it not been that
Walter solemn fhiz set her IDEAS of the
ridiculous in motion; and she made a merry
ten minutes as a wind-up to their parting
scene.
Three days afterwards Walter was in New
York, and just four months and twenty days
farther on in Times almanac he was making
out invoices and acting as corresponding clerk |
10 . the firm in Bombay.
/ shall not stop long enough to relate how
many times he went to the exhibition oi vene-
cobra de capelos biting SepOys,
just for fun, and TO show how innocent the |
beauties were, and how easy their bite was
cured; how often he visited the far-famed
Elephant caves; how many times he dined |
with good Sir Robert Grant the Governor Of |
Bombay, and how he was with him, and what /
he said the very morning of the day the old /
chOlera-made the excellent Sir /
Robert his victim; all these things L shall /
leave to another time and a more appropriate Il
heading i skip over all these. and SIX years /
Of time beside, and land Master Walter at Il
Staten Island, bring him up to the city in L
and leave him at a respectable
hotel, a1d there let him sleep all night, and
take good 'shVrc rest" after tedious voy-
age of four months and more.
The next morning We awaken him make
him get up, pay his bill, take hack, aud ride /
lown to the New Haven steamboat, and go
On board. Ii is seven O'Clock, u. III. At one,
p m, the boat has reached the landing; his
.runk and ''traps" are on board the Litch-
field stage he has taken a seat inside his Il
destination is an intermediate village. He is
alone in the stage: no, no. alone-there is an Il
cid woman on the front seat and Presbyte-
rian clergyman on tie middle seat The /
stage is up in the city, and slowly meander-
ng about New Haven town, picking up pas
senSers, VINO nave sent tnelr names 10 the
stage Office, as is still customary in that staid
and sober city Of mineralogy, theology, and /
other 'ologies in general. The stage Jehu
pulls up at the door Of neat little cottage i
in Chapel street TO take up a passenger
young lady of sweet seventeen or thereabout.
Before she has fairly got inside, w alter has
noticed her, and she has noticed him, too
He gazes in astonishment at the perfect
vision Of loveliness before him ; he hasn't seen
anything of the kind for some years. There
is not particle of copper about her. She,
on her part, half laughing, has regarded HIM
rsry attentively; pushes back the golden
ringlets that almost shut in her face, and
takes another look, as if to be certain that
she has made no mistake.
Here is a seat Miss, beside me, said the
gospel preacher.
Thank you, sir, but prefer sitting on the
back scat with that gentleman, if he will let
ne. said the most electrical voice that Wal
Ter had listened to in some time
@ Certainly, Miss, said the delighted Bom-
Oayite and when she seated herself by him,
'he gazed into his face with kind of mixed
up delight and astOnishment, that Walter ac-
ually took a look down upon himself, to as
certain what there was about his person that
appeared to be SO pleasing to the fair maiden,
but he discovered nothing unusual. The