The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1866-07-14

You will be put upon your oath, you know,
and all you will dare to say will be that l
kissed you, and not you me. What roars
of laughter there will be in court, and
how funny it will all look in the papers 7
Here the young lady began to laugh again,
as though she had already read it there
Mr.. Beardmore's grim sense of humor was,
as usual, accompanied by keen dislike of
appearing ridiculous. True, he hated to
be imposed upon still, of the two evils,
was it not better to pay five pounds than
to be made the laughing stock of his bach
elor friends, who are not the sort of people
to commiserate one in misfortune of this
kind. Hm
In short, Mr. Ingot Beardmore paid the
money. Mr.. Thomas Whaff1es found his
guest that evening anything but laxative.
There was a select party of the male sex
invited to meet him, by whom the rich old
drysalter was accustomed to be regarded as
an oracle ; but upon this occasion he had
nothing to say the consciousness of hav.
| ing been done oppressed him. His lips
were tightly sealed his cheeks were still
glowing from the audacious insult that had
been put upon them his fingers clutched
| the pocket-book in which there was five
| But when his host and himself were left
alone that night seeing the old year out
and the new year in his heart began tc
thaw under the genial influences Of friend
ship and gin punch, and he told his late
adventure to Tom Whafdes, not without
some enjoyment of his own mischance.
! 1 could really almost forgive the jade,
said he, for having taken me in so clever
| ly. | dare say, however, she makes quite
profession of it; and that half a score Of
old gentlemen have been coerced before
now into ransoming their good name as ]
did. And yet she was as modest and lady.
like looking girl as ever you saw
Was she anything like this !? inquired
Mr.. Whaf1es, producing photograph. h
Why, that's the very girl !! exclaimed
the guest Ha, ha Tom so you, too
have been one of her victims, have you
Well, now, this is most extraordinary
Not at all, my dear fellow / know hel
very we'll and her sister, and her mother
and her brother, too. l can introduce you
to her if you like. There's not the leas
harm in her. Bless you, she only kissed
you for bit Of fun
A bit of fun 7 cried Mr. Beardmore.-
Why, she got five pound note out of me
But she does not mean to keep it, / an
very sure. Would you like to see he
again Come, Yes or No p
If she will give me back my money,
Yes
Very well,' returned the host mind
you asked for her YOURSELF and he rang
the bell pretty sharply twice.
Here she is; it's your niece, Miss Julia
Her mother and sister are now staying un
der this very roof
Yes, uncle said the young lady, demure
ly. Here is your fve-pound note; please
to give me that five thousand which yor
promised mama # ever she or hers got .fot
pounds out Of you for you are man O
your a0ord, / know. But what would be
better still would be, to let me kiss you
niece more, in the character of your dutiful
once and let us all love you as we want
to do. 1t was an audacious stratagem,
admit, but think you will forgive me-
come
There go the church-bells = cried Tom
Whafles. 1t is the new year, and fit
ting time to forget old enmiities. Give
your uncle kiss, child
Uncle Ingot made no resistance this
time, but avowed himself fairly conquered ;
and between ourselves, although he made
no favorites among his newly-reconciled
relatives, but treated them with equal kind
ness, think he always liked Niece Julia
best, who had been the cause of healing a
quarrel which no one perhaps had regrettde
more at heart tnan Uncle lngot himself.