The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1867-01-09
The Two Kisses harmiDg Christmas

| things did not happen In cream. a
hale, and hearty, and merry, for the mat
ter of that and when / laugh, my laugh
rings out clearly and loud, they say 30
much 30. that it makes the people around,
especially nv grandchildren, and nephews
and neices laugh too. And when laugh,
the old times come back when others VINO
are silent now, laughed with me, and then
/ am suddenly still, and the laugh dies
awav and when think of it, its empty
echoes fill my brain just as If it were sleep
laughter in dream.
When stop laughing so suddenly, for
the merriment and enjoyment, and Tor me
matter of that, the grief and pain OF Old
men are short and sudden, like those OF
children-my grandchildren, and nephews
and nieces, have great difficulty TO stop
too; and they choke and nudge each other,
and say that is a good story, uncle almost
as good as the story you told US Yesterday.
Told Yesterday let me see, what 1t was
/ told yesterday? How long ago 1t seems !;
ii must be longer ago than the time when
| was only twenty years old, staiwart,
brave fellow in yellow breaches, black
leggins, o heavy, brass-bound leather he'll
met with a plume tipped with red, and a
clanking sword which | now could not hit
with my two hands. l was royal volun-
teer then, prepared to resist the French !;
and I and some of my companions were
encamped in white tents On the coast OF
Kent.
Yes, people think me very merry. And
so, thank Heaven, am for / try to stand
upright, four-square to the world, as a man
should; but, being an old man, have
blank places in my heart now where no
love grows: barren spots in my memory,
and chilled and numbed parts in my feel
ings whereto | cannot look back, and where
on dare not tread and touch, lest sudden
pain should come back like the shooting Of
an old, old wound.
Been in love! Yes, / should think l
have; how else could have grandchildren
those people who laugh so hearty when l
laugh, and make me tell how old | am a
score of times, and say how well | am
looking!
Been in love : I think was talking OF
that, was | not Yes, been in love Wen,
we did love when ] was young fellow,
and | recollect my Alice, and | recollect
her as | loved her when she was very
Young, and as / love her now. | think
that Size could do anything but drink and
smoke or tell an untruth, or do wrong
action. Her face was a sweet oval face /;
her hair very dark brown, nearly black ;
and her eyes were deep blue, full of mer-
riment at one moment, aye, at all moments,
cxcept when she heard q sad story or was
touched with pain for any one else, ana
then they grew deeper and deeper as they
filed with tears. Not for herself. She
never cried for herself that know OF, for
she never had days illness. But she was
terribly cut up when her brother died, and
that Won see was how / knew her. Her
brother was my right hand man i'll my COM
pany. Many'S the time he stood shoulder
to shoulder 10 me, good at drill, good at
song-good at anything. He used to live
near the coast ; and, indeed he joined us,
and was one of his tent fellows, and his
chum.
Well, he knew people that | knew, and
we were soon friends; and he took me
home to show me Alice. lie was always
talking about her, and she about him. and
when he was there, scarce look did she
rive nc. Her brother-his name was Joe,
and mine too-could do everything, and
was the bc-all and d-all Of the world,
used to think and 50 one day l tried 10
run with Joe, and Joe beat me, ard Alice
laughed and then | shot against Joe, and
he beat me too, and she laughed the more !;
and wrestled with him and threw him !;
she didn't laugh then, but ran to see whe-
ther he was hurt, and said il wasn't fair for
Joe to tackle a big fellow like ne, although
he was nigh an inch taller. In short,
I,, NIL,
Well, it was one day when we heard that
the hat-bottomed boats Of old Boney were
not coming over, and that the army of Bou-
!ogne had melted, bit Ivy bit, away like a
SHOW drift, that we made a night Of it..
Aye, it was a night, too. and, being hot and
in the summer, we must need keep up the
fun till the sun came up over the seacoast,
looking red and angry at our folly. Well,
Joe and |, the two Joes, as they called us,
ran down to the beach and washed our hot
faces, and plunged in the salt waves,
and were in minute as fresh and merry as
larlS. And after dressing, Joe must needs
take walk with me, VINO was nothing
loath, you must. know, along the edge Of
the cliff. The seas for centuries have been
washing that chalk-bound coast, and at in
tcrvals there stand up pillars of chalk,
with seas around them. The people call
such place "No Mans Land" and no
man can own it, truly. Well, Joe came to
one Of those within few feet, say twelve
from the cliff, and turning to me, said,
"Joe, Junior" said he, | think l see his
bright face now, 81 challenge you to jump
on that mo Mans Land do"
"Joe," said !, hurriedly, don't be a
fool? May be it would give way at the
top; and fit did not, how could you jump
back without run! You'd be stuck on
the top like mad sentinel or pillar saint.
Pm not going TO jump it.
"But | am" said he. And before could
stop Lin, if indeed had tried, he took 4
run and jumped.
1t was so sudden that could only stand
aghast when / saw him there. He stood
indeed for moment, and then he took 4
back step, aid would have jumped back,
when l heard rumbling sound, and half
the top Of the "No Mans Land" part,
and the chalk and earth, and Joe, too, fell
down with crash on the rocky coast be-
low.
ran round the little creek to the other
side of a small hay, and throwing myself
down on the turf, stretched my neck over,
looked over and cried out; "Joe, are you
hurt, Joe ?"
4 faint voice came m, and could see
the poor fellow struggling under huge
piece of chalk, which seemed to hold him
down in agony. lie smiled in CHASTITY
way, and said, Run, Joe, run the tides
coming in
Well, did run, and we got ropes from
the tents, and a few strong fellows held
them as | swung over the Cliff, just reach
ing poor Joe as the cold water was lap,
L., lunr.inn IN q lie mnnth takinn w