Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1873-02-22
A KISS IN THE DARK.
HY HowARp aLyNnoS.

sudeuly TO the very roots o. his fair hair as il
ne had Just been guilty eli some great impro-
He was bashful-extremelv bashfui was
David Wiuthrep-at least in the presence 81
yonne ladies, most OF all in the presence 6t the
g1ri he loved. No young man in all Wilkes
comfy owned q better kept farm, or talked With
more CONFIDENCE among his cronies Of stock and
crops and such like. But the sight Of a pretty
foot or face coming his WAY affected him
! quet rly. On such occasions he never knew
what to do with his hand, AMI ewes ami seemed
ahsays to feel like screwing himself into the
nearest mouse hole until the danger-thst Is 10
/ say. the young lady-S rs past.
This state of things being considered, no one
ever understood how he coutriyed to Muster up
courage enough to enlghten Annie Moore ou
| the subject of his preference for herself The
matter probably remains TO this day ss much a
mystery to him as IL is 10 Others.
Miss Annie, however. h ad q faiT share OF tact
and womanly cleverness slowed safely away
somewhere in the recesses OF her pretty little
head. although IL was carried iaunttiv upon the
inexI erienced and rounded shoulders OF fresh
! eighteen.
| She did not need to b. reminded that David
| was worth, in a worldly way, much more thar
anv of her other suitors. and that he was a good
To- king. good hearted and intelligent enough to
satisfy any but an over tsstidtous person OF her
class. He was unexceptionablc, IN short, bar
ring his unconqueraole ana excessive bashful-
| ness. which, indeed, was a never failing source
C role
And 80. when David i'm his awkward, blunier-
ing. half frightened manner began shyly t. ex-
hihif his preference for her in vard0s little
ways, such a. waiting on her TO and from sing
ing school constituting himself her escort when
she went Sundays on horseback 10 the lonely
little church in the woods. and siagling her out
as the recipient OF whatever attentions he could
rind the nerve TO pay, at the frequent quilting
parties in the Deighborhood. Annie did not
Brighten him out OF his budding passion bv any
show, either by surprise or marked preference.
but took IL all in the easiest plcasantest, most
UNCONSCIOUS
tered and nudged each others elbows. and the
young men cracked furtive JOKES at the ex-
pense OF her timid sutton but che stood up for
him like a real kind hearted, Independent
Western lass. she was. and tried Ia encourag &c
him out OF his shyness "a far as she consistently
could.
tunate blunders, and very likely helped him
along considerably when his feelings reached
the eliminating point, one moon lighted Ag-
tumn evening, as they were walking home to-
gether from corn husking.
That had been just one week ago. Annie had
said Eyes," and hal agreed TO take the response
b'iity of bringing father and mother "arOundr
on the subject. David had not been to the
house since. Probably he felt very much like
dog who fears TO venture upOn the premises of
person whose sheep fold he has just plundered.
Thus II happened that a. yet the powers that
were knew nothing of the momentous secret.
which they kept between themselves, fearing
to diyulge. And now Annie. who wished To put
on the ordeal OF ayowal rs long as possible-st
talk with David on the subiect-said hastily in
reply to that stammered query OF his with which
we have prefaced this narration
:. Mother is going over TO Amt Ruth's with
rather 10 spend the evening, and She wants me
70 go too but guess wont. I've been work
ing on fathers new shirts all day. besides doing
the dairy work yesterday, and I'm about tired
out"
Then she added before he could reply
Don't come until O'Clock, 1 shall ne about
through putting rhin p 10 rights by that time"
OF course David was no; too obtuse to UNDER
stand that he was specially favored bv this ar
rangement, and he has 20 far for got his bashful-
ness as to petition awkwardiy for parting kiss
which was at once refused in the most iuexora-
ole manner possible.
No. you shan't, There. now, DO take
Yourself on, will YOU: Dye think 1 didn't see
yon hdgetting around En- Smith al Deacon
Anderson's socisbie last night:' I've not for
gotten that. sir"
"Oh, now, Annie, Just oac."
But further appeal was broken OF by a tan
taliZing little laugh. and when, rendered des-
perate by this, he tried to revenge himself. At
the very moment when he thought he was Sc
triumphantily over his struggling prisoner, the
rosy, laughing face vanished suddenly from
under his arm and was off and away up the
garden path leading to the house almost before
he could realize what had happened.
For one moment David, WHO stood gazing
ruefully after her, thought of pursuit and a re-
capture, But before he Lad time to put his
plan into execution his tormentress after
stopping to give one hooking farewell wave of
her hand from the front porch, vanished inside
OF the hall door. So there was nothing to be
take the road homeward.
If you could have looked into the family sit
ung room at Squire MOore's shortly before
eight O'Clock on that same evening you would
nave had a CHEEKY picture before you. The
after supper clearing away was over for the sit
ting room was also the room where the daily
meals OF the family were eaten. The leaves of
the old-fashiOned dinner table had been let
down, and the table itself, covered with a
bright oiled cloth, set back against the wal
The crumbs had been carefully brushed with a
turkey wing from the neat home made CARPET
and Armies workstand was drawn up in front
OF the ample and blazing fire of hickory logs
which cracked cheerily in the Old-fashioned
fireplace.
A bountifully piled tray of red-cheeked ap-
pies and plate full of cracked walnuts were
Oh 1t in close proximity to Annie's coquettish
work basket made of pine canes by her own
dett little hands, and daintily lined with blue
silk.
On ono side of the fireplace sat Mrs. Moore,
rat, fair: more than forty, and at peace with all
forwards at intervals in her low rocking chair,
knitting as she rocked and refreshing herself
now and then with a mouthful from a half eaten
apple which lay within easy reach. lust mon
the corner of the table; OF touching in a cares
sing manner with the tip OF her foot a sleek
lazy looking, grey cat that lay purring and
blinking on the hearth rug before her.
Annie sat on the other side of the table deftiy
drawing her needle in and out OF a long piece
of white cambria, and with her head "a busy As
her hands with trying to cOntrive some clever
way OF incidentally mentioning the visit, which
she was now mOmentarily expecting, to her
mother, without exciting the suspicion of its
being pre- arranged affair. She would have
given good deal to have been able to saw i'm
an of-hand manner that she wouldn't wonder
II MT. winthrop were to drop in, as he was i'm
the habit OF calling occasionally on SATURDAY.
evening at aboutthis time. But She recollected
with a twinge OF conscience how hard she had
tried to persuade the old lady to accompany her
husband on the promised visit to Aunt Ruth's
IN spite OF her fOrewarnings of a coming spell
OF "neuraly," which had intimidated her from
yenturiIg out into the damp night air; and also
how she had plead headache as an excuse for
not going herself. She knew that her mother
was quite sharp enough to draw her own infer
ences from these two facts and the additional
one of her being dressed with more than usual
care to spend an evening at home.
81 shall not dare to tell her now" she said to
herself. She'd be sure to think that wanted
TO get her out of the way, SO that might have
David all to myself" So, like a wise little
puss, she was silent.
I'll venture my word on it, Won would not
have wondered at our bashful young farmers
desperate enthraliment il you could have seen
Annie Moore as she sat sewing by the fire that
frosty night in November. She had, Just be-
fore supper, INDUCED in what a Western girl
wouldscall fixing up A neat fitting dark
chintz dress, looking as fresh as when il had
first came out al the village store, a dainty
white linen collar and cuffs and cOquettish
frilled apron Of white muslin and blue neck