The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1866-10-02

course, q perfect right 10 your own
opinion, but il you suppose the police
viii agree with you, you viii tnd your-
self much mistaken. Tho idea of any
body wanting to kiss you viii reasona-
bly enough appear to them preposter-
GUS.
"Nhat is it you require Of me, you
wicked creature cried the old bach
elor. in an agony Of shame and rage.
Il want payment FOR my kiss To a
gentleman Of Your time Of life, who
scarcely could expect TO be SO favored,
surely il is worth what shall | say r
i've pounds. Whatl not so mnoh -
Well, then, here's another for your 9th
cr check. Like a aaah Of lightning,
she suited Tho action to her words
There, thcn, Ave pounds for two, and
l won't take n shilling less. You viii
have to give it TO the poor's box at the
police station, If not TO me. For / M
tend, in case you are obstinate to com
plain Of your disgraceful conduct to the
guard at the first opportunity. shall
give you into custody, sir, rs sure MS
you are alive. You will be put upon
your oath, you know, and NIL you viii
dare TO say will be that / kissed you,
and not you me. What "roars oflaugh-
ter" there will be in court, and how
funny it win ali look in the papers -
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 ridicu-
lous 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 langhing stocko of his bachelor
friends, who are not the sort of people
to commiserate one in u misfortune OF
this kind?
In short, Mr. mgot Beardmore paid
the money Mr. Thomas Whaffies
found his guest that evening anything
but talkatiyc There was select party
of the male sex invited to meot him, by
whom the rich old drysalter was acclls-
toned to be regarded as an oracle; but
upon this occasion he had nothing to
say; the consciousness of having been
"done" oppressed him. His lips were
tightly sealed his checks were still
glowing from the audacious insult that
had been put upon them; his fingers
clutched the pocket book in which there
was fve-pound note less than there
ought to be. But when his host and
himself were left alone that night, "see-
ing the old year out, and the new year
in, ;" his heart began to thaw under the
genial influences of friendship and
gin-punch, and he told his late adyen-
ture to Tom Whaillcs, not without
much enjoyment of his own mischance.
Il could really almost forgive the
jade" said he, for having taken mo in
50 cleverly. | dare say, however, she
makes quite a profession of it; and that
half score Of old gcntlemen have been
coerced before now into ransoming
their good name as l did. And yet she
was as modest and lady-like looking a
girl as ever you saw"
"NVas she anything like this y in
quired Mr., Whaflles, producing pho
tograph.
"Why, that's the very grill" exclaim-
ed the guest. "Ha, ha Tom; SO you
too, have been one Of her victims, have
you? Well, now, this is most extraor-
dinary."
e'Not at all, my dear follow. / know
her well: and her sister, and her moth
er, and her brother, too l can intro
duce you to her if you like. There's
not the least harm in her: bless you, she
only kissed you for a bit Of fun
"a bit of fun r cried Mr. Beardmorc; /;
why she got q fve-pound note out Of
mel'
"But she does not mean to keep it, |
ana very sure. Would you like to see
her again? Come, Yes or No z"
'1f she will give me back my money,
Yes"
"Yery 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 under this very roof"
"Yes, uncle" said the young lady,
demurely Here is your five pound
note; please to give me that five thous-
and that you promised mamma if ever
she or hers got five pounds ont Of you,
for you arc a man Of your word i know.
But what would be better still would
be, to let me kiss you once more, in the
character Of your dutiful niece; andlet
us all love you as We want to DO. 1t
was an audacious stratagem, / admit,
but | think you will forgive me-
come"
There goes the church-bellsl" !" cried
Tom Whafiies. at is the New Year,
and fitting time to forget old cnni-
ties. Give your uncle kiss, child"
Uncle Ingot made no resistance this
time, but ayowed himself fairly con-
qucred; and between ourselves, although
lac made no ''fayoritesP among his new
~ reconciled relatives, but treated them
with equal kindness, think be always
liked Niece julia best, who had been
the cause Of healing a quarrel which no
one perhaps had regretted more at
heart than Uncle Ingot himself
An eastern contempory regrets TO
learn that "a prominent citizen Of St.
Loais. who hed boon drinking iApru-