New Orleans daily crescent., 1860-11-26
KISSED BY MISTAKE.
From iha N. Lnuls Rernhlicsn j

5YG+ from the St Louis Republican F
g VIII you be at home tonight Hetty?u and
| the speaker, tall, muscular, welieoking young
farmer, redeemed to the very roots of his hair as
| though he had committed some very wicked act
| instead Of asking a simple question.
He was baShful, extremely SO was josiah HaFleY;
| at least in the presence of young ladies'; most Of
all, in the presence of the girl he loved young
farmer in all The county possessed a better kept
farm, or talked with more confidence among his
compeers of stock and crops, and on kindred sub
jects. But the glimpse Of some pretty face, or
foot, coming in his direction, affected him like
| flash Of lightning. On such occasions he never
knew what to do with his hands and eyes; and al
ways felt like screwing himself iHt0a mouse hole
How he ever contriVed to approach Hester Thomas
on the subject Of his preference for her, probably
/ remains to this day as much a mystery to himself
/ as ii is to others.
/ But that young lady had quite an amount of tact
i and icleEerness slowed away somewhere in her
i pretty little head, albeit it set the dmpled,
i inexperienced shoulders of seventeen. Josiah was
i worth, in q worldly way, much more than any of
her other sutoFs; good-looking and intelligent
enough to satisfy any but fastidions person;
i uneNceptionable in short, barring his excessive
| bashfuness, which was fruitful source of merri-
ment among the young people in their little circle.
And SO when Josiah in his awkward laundering
way began to exhibit his preference for herin var-
Gus little ways, such as waiting on her to and from
singing school, constituting himself her escort when
she rode on horseback to the solitary church in the
woods, and singing her oHt at quilting parties
Hetty took it all in the pleasantest manner posi-
| Bile. The girls laughed, and the young men
cracked sly jokes at the expense of her timid
suitor; but BETTY stood up for him very indepen-
dently-enconraged him out Of his shyness-never
noticed any unfortunate blunder-and very likely
helped him along considerably when his feelings
reached the eliminating point, 2 one moonlighted
autumn evening as they were walking home to-
gether from prayer meeting.
That was just a week ago. Hetty had said
Yes and agreed to g bring father and mother
around on the suhjeet.n Josiah had not been te
the house since probably feeling very mueh like
dog venturing upon the premises of the person
whose sheep-fold he has just plundered. AS yet
neither had had the courage to speak to the
| reigning poWersn on the subject; and Hetty
feeling as il she wished to put the ordeal off as
long as possible at any rate to have more CON
ddential talk with him on the subject said. .
Mother is going over to Aunt Ruths to spend
| the evening, and wants me to go. But | gness |
wont. rEe been working fathers shirts all day,
besides doing the dairy work. and I'm as tired as
can be- Sol guess they I'll have to go without me.
Don't come until o'clock. shall be through
putting things to rights then, and will let you in.i'
OF COURSE Josiah was not too obtuse to under
stand that and forgot his bashfulness SO far as to
petition for good. bye kiss, which waa perempte-
No, | shan't Do take yourself of. Think
didn't see you 6dgeting around Sarah Jones at
Deacon Badgers yesterday evening? I've not
forgotten that, sir y
.'Now Hetty -
But the appeal was broken off by tantalzing
little laugh; and as he sprang forward to take d
pleasant revenge on his tormentress she slipped
away and ran up the path to the house. where he
saw her wave her hand as she disappeared within
the kitchen porch and then he turned from the
gate aud took the road homeward.
The tea things had been carried out the table set
back against the wall, the crumbs brushed from
the clean home made carpet, and Hetty's work
stand drawn up in front of the blazing fire.
bouatifuliy piled waiter Of great red apples and a
plate Of cracked wanuts were on it, in close prox-
unity to Hetty's work+baaket.
a aaf Mira fat and
TAR, and at peace with all the world, rocking and
knitting, and refreshing herself at sandry intervals
with bite from half.eaten apple that lay on the
corner of the table, and touching every now and
then in caressing manner with her feot sleek,
la2y.looking cat that purred and wnked on the rug
before her; Hetiy sat en- the other side, sewing
and busy in thinking how she should tell her mother
that she expected visitor She would have given
the world TO be able to say in en oH.hand manner
that she expected Mr.. HawleY to drop ia about
eight. But she recollected with q twinge of con-
science how hard she had tried to get the old lady
70 accompany her husband TO Aunt Ruthis, spite Of
her forewarnings Of spell of neuralgia; how she
had also plead headache as an excuse for not going
herself. And she knew her mother was quite sharp
enough to draw her inferences from these facts
and from her being dressed with unusual care 90
spend an evening at home.
snail not dare to tell her now. She'll be sure
to think wanted to get her out OF the way SO
might nave Josiah an to myself, and should never
hear the last of it's And like wise little Fuss she
was silent.
III venture my word on it, you would not have
wondered at our young farmers desperate en-.
thraslment il you could have seen Hetty Thomas
as she sat sewing by the Greside that cold Noyeu-
ber night.
Under pretext of being ready to go to her
uneles, Ga thing she had 10 idea OF dong1 she
had, just before tea, indnlged in an fndiserminate
fixing up A neatly y-itting dark caliee, with the
sso's took still on it, fresh linen collar aud taste.
to black silk apron-fhe were the chief items of
Hetty's toilets but she locked as sweet and dainty
N her plain dreas as If hours had been spent in
donning lace aud jewels. Her rich hair, of the |
darkest auburn nge, fell in shining folds close to
ming net behind.
Eight O'Clock and past! Mrs. Thomas was dez. |
ing IA her chair-her shadow on the opposite wall /
behbing about in grotesque mimiery, as She nodded
sattn bows on her spruce cap against the haek of /
ner ehair--fow almost falling forward. and her fat
h4n1z law fsIiAssv t,afI