St. Charles Republican intelligencer. (St. Charles [Charles City], Iowa) 1856-1857, 1857-04-23
1Nistellang.
HOW JENNY WAS WON,
BY NARY W. JANvRIy,

Jenny kissed me when we met,
Jumping from the chair she sat in;
Time, you thief, you love to get
Sweets into your list--put that in
Say I'm weary, say I'm sad me
Say that health and wealth have misseC
Say I'm growing old, but add
Jenny kissed me LEIGH HUNT.
"Eh, Phil-want to know 'how
won her?' Well, I'll tell you the mo-
dus operandi, though it's sub rosa, of
course !" And Ned Wilder, ESQ,
flung his halfsmokcd cigar into the
CRATE, ran his white fingers through a
mass of clustering brown curls, re
moved his feet from their elevation at
an angle of forty-live degrees on his
paper-strewn desk, and settled himself
comfortably in the depths of softly
cushioned Office chair.
"Want to know how l won her ?
Well, you see, my boy, cousin Jenny
was always just the sauciest witch
that ever laced gaiter, shook a curl,
or played the deuce with a masculine
heart. And was always her boy-lov-
er. Can't remember the time, for my
life, from the day first went to Beech
wood as my uncle's ward, and stood
an awkward, blushing, stammering
school-boy of fifteen-in the presence
of the incipient belle and beauty
can't remember a minute from that
hour, but | was her slave-her out and
out slave, Phil. And the witch knew
it. Did you ever see one of the sex
but knew whom she had entrapped p
It's their nature-read you like a book!
got the gift Of second sight, every
mothers daughter of 'em.
"And so, when l came home from
academy and college vacations, not a
whit less embarrassed and awkward
than ever-acting like a grown up
booby-upsetting her workbox and
tangling her worsteds, committing
countless blunders at table, all this to
the qualification of the mischief.loving
flirt, and the romping, hoydenish,
schoolgirl companions she'd always
have stopping at Beechwood on visits
make myself target for all
kinds of practical jokes from those
same romps !?
And Jenny, herself, wasn't she the
ringleader of them all Didn't she
beg to do table honors, on purpose to
put salt in my tea, and pepper my muf-
fins, in order to watch my wry faces :?
Didn't she play tantalizing waltzes cv-
cry evening in the parlor, regretting
so much that cousin Ned didn't Dance
didn't she ask me to read aloud at the
village Sewing Circle, and upon my
bashful refusal, gravely announce to
scores of assembled old ladies', that
Mr.. Wilder was afflicted with lronchit-
IS, purposely to render me the victim
of those same old ladies', who forth
with thronged about me with receipts,
composed of all the roots and herbs in
Christendom. l tell you, Phil, it was
almost purgatory to me, there at
Beechwood but | was resolved new
er to surrender.
But it bothered me most, that Jen-
ny could torment me so. was in
love- knew lt-but had no power to
flee her tolls.
"Talk about electric shocks Why,
one touch of her little white hand
would set my heart to humping
against my ribs. The contact of her
floating curls would make my frame
tinglc to my fingers ends. That's
what | call a gal-vanic battery.
"Well, came off with college hon
ors at twenty, and went home to Beech
wood. Uncle Dick shook my hand till
he wrung tears (of pain) from my
eyes ; and called me a brave boy, and
an honor to the Wilders aunt Mary
got out the best china, and petted me
like grown-up baby but Jenny
danced before me, ridiculing my new