The Ashland union. [volume] (Ashland, Ashland County, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1857-02-25
THE FATAL KISS.
BY B. p. sHILLARER.

sisters that attended the Sunday evening
class meeting ofsour church, as we call
ed it at the boarding house, and was an
object of much admiration from the de-
vout and those who were not so hopeful
ly pious among the outsiders. Her
amen was the sweetest, and her singing
of the hymn was the divinest that could
| be conceived.
And the summer wore away. Along
towards the fall OF Tie year it Was che
served that young, thick-headed men,
ber of the class, coarse and uncouth,
was peculiarly and aggravatingly sweet
upon her-fzing her cricket for her to
kneel upon, finding the place in her
hymn book, responding when she did,
and going home with her at the close Of
the meeting-which latter was consider
ed by those out side as being direct in
reference with their rights. No one knew
where she lived, though she had been
seen in the vicinity of Summer street,
and it was conjectured that her home was
somewhere in that vicinity.
About this time I was in company
with party of young female friends,
one of the best looking of whom-it was
strange how my young fancy took to
good looking females; never could ac-
count for it on any other ground than
that they were good-looking-I went
home with. We went on the rule that
the farthest way round was the nearest
way home, for she led me through streets
that seemed to double upon each other
in the most labarynthine manner. Once
we thought we had got lost, and went
away back, and then we found we had
been right all the while, and walked
the street again. There were shadows
on the path, and I must confess to the
weakness of indulging in certain little
sacrifices as we from weariness rested
beneath shadows that were thickest.-
At the turn of every corner [ found that
the tendency of our steps was towards
Summer street, and passing down place
that led from that aristocratie thorough
fare, as it then was, we arrived at a large
stone building, and my fair companion
Informed me that this was our destina-
ton, backing the remark by vigorous
jerk at the bell
read ly accepted an invitation to
call, and the next evening found me at
| the stone house, where I was most cordi-
ally received and introduced to the fair
| Serena, whom | found as sensible and
kind as her appearance had Indicated
She was charming girl, with the most
delightful fund of fun, and sparkled with
refined and brilliant fancies, but she was
only nursorymaid Our acquaintance
grew to pleasant intimacy-a brother
ly and sisterly sentiment, such as boys
and girls may indulge in with innocence
and delight, which no one buta person of
impure fancy could imagine wrong-and
then without the least shadow of sin in
our intercourse, the communion was in
tensely agreeable and purely Platonic.
The lover made his weekly visit on Sun
day night, which 1 maguanimously gave
up to him, contenting myself with ma
lority of the other six.
On one of these evenings I was max
ing my call, and was seated in the little
back sitting room enjoying delightful
tetc-a-tete with my sister, as called her.
She looked charmingly. It was in the
warmest part of summer, and her low
pecked dress revealed roundness of
beautiful shoulders that might have
| awakened the admiration of an anchorite,
and her bright eyes sparkled with ex-
element and pleasure.
We've had visitors this afternoon"
said she, ga whole family Of them from
New York; and such kissing time as
they made of it when they met with ours!
Twas enough to sicken one to see it.
I don't SIC any propriety in women's
kissing when they meet, do you ?'
assured her that it seemed to me deci-
dedly wrong! and deemed that kissing
was performance that should be reli-
giously observed by the sexes jointly,
and suggested experiments illustrating
this, enforcing the suggestion with
practical demonstration. One such
prompted another, until very pleasant
pautomime had been gone through with,
of the most harmless character, decided
ly proving to our own satisfaction, the
soundness of our opinions.
Fate owed US particular spite, and
that evening determined on liquidating
the debt. We sat slipping the nectar of
enjoyment from loving cup" more
appropriately named than Mr.. Pea
body's, ignorant of the storm that was
eliminating and ready to break upon
our heads.
Why was that lover of Serena's walk
ing the streets at that particular mo-
meut ? What spirit of love or mischief
prompted him to pass by the house in
which she livedP Why had villianous
scavengers allowed the pile of rubbish
to accumulate by the wall over against
the window? How could he, so dull usu-
ally, have thought that by getting upon
that rubbish, he could command view of