Orleans independent standard. [volume] (Irasburgh, Vt.) 1856-1871, 1856-10-31


must have grown nearly as large as you
are now"
Perhaps so; but still I am some
what tanned by exposure in an East
India climate"
Yet l think you will be recognized
by everybody in the little village. Do
you remember a young lady in Pomper-
any by the name of Mary Fuller?"
What little Mary ? my little wife,
as 1 used to call her! Why, Lord love
you, do you know her Bless her heart
my trunk is filled with knic-nacks for
her especial use. Do know her? Why,
[ have thought of her ever since went
away. Young lady +? Why she is a
little bit of a girl; she is only ten years
old. No; she must be older than that
now. Isuppose I shall find her grown
considerably. By the way, are you not
cold +? It's getting chilly"
The delighted young lady was trying
to conceal her face, which called forth
Walters exclamation.
eyes, it is getting colder; it is nearly
dark y and so it was. Walter had a
boat cloak, and after very little trouble
he was allowed to wrap it around her
lovely form, and somehow or other his
arm went with it and in the confusion
he was very close to her, and his arm
was around her waist, outside the cloak,
though; then he had to put his face down
to hear what she said, and somehow those
long ringlets of soft, silky hair were play
ing across his cheeks. Human nature
could not, and would mot, stand it any
longer; and Walter, the modest Walter,
drew his arm closer than ever, and press
ed upon the warm, rosy lips of his
beautiful fellow traveller a glowing, burn
ing, regular East India, Bombay kiss,
and then blushed himself at the mischief
he had done, and waited for the stage to
upset, or something else to happen but
no, she had not made the slightest re-
sistance on the contrary, he felt very
distinctly that she had returned the kiss
the very first kiss, too, he had ever press
ed upon woman's lips since he gave a
parting to little Mary Fuller, and he
would have sworn he heard her saving
something (about the very moment he
had given her that first long kiss ol
youth and love) that sounded like Dear
dear Walter He tried the experiment
again, and before the stage had fairly
reached the village he had kissed and re.
kissed her, and she had paid them back
kiss for kiss at least hundred time.
The stage was now entering the vii
lage. In few moments he would be
at Mary Fuller's house. He thought O
her, and he felt ashamed and downright
guilty. What would Mary, his littIe
wife that was to be, say if she knew ht
had been acting so? As those thing
passed rapidly through his mind, hi
began to study how he could get out 0
the affair quietly and decently. .
" You go on in the stage, 1 suppose
to the next town, or perhaps still farther:
" Oh, no. not me-"
What could she mean? But he ha,
no time to indulge in conjecture tn,
stage drove up slap in front of Parsol
Fuller's door, and there was the venera
bic parson and his good lady in the door
way he with lamp in his hand, al
ready to receive-Walter, as he sup
posed.
=" Where will you stop in the village
1 will come and see you
Il shall stop where you stop. l won
leave you. Here you have been kissin
me this last half hour, and now you war
to run away and leave me. l am deter
mined to expose you to that old clergy
man and his wife in the doorway yonde.
More than that, your darling little wifi
r that is to be, as you called her, sha
know all about it."
What situation for modest, NOR;
, man ! 1t was awful. To be laughe
at-exposed; and who was she? Coul
+ it be possible He had heard of sue
! characters ! 1t must be but she WI
E very pretty; and be to be the means
t bringing such creature into the vel
house of the good and pious old clerg
Y man and his sweet, sly pet and playma
e his Mary Fuller He saw it all.
was judgement sent upon him. VIII
d business had he to be kissing a stranl
girl, if she was pretty? His uncle al
{ aunt had come clear down the stone wa
to the doorway gate, almost TO the sta
door, which the driver opened. Walt
felt that he was doomed but he bad
get out.