Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1873-05-15
sseletteo Storg.
A Kiss in the Dark.

l
Young farmer, was leaning upon Squire
Moore's front gate talking to the
oqulre's pretty daughter, who stood
inside of it. As the simple words
passed his lips he redeemed suddenly
to the very roots of his hair, as if he
had just been guilty of some great i'm.
proprety.
lie was hashful-extremelv bashful
was David Winthrop-at least in the
presence of young ladies', most of all
IN the presence of the girl he loved.
No young man in all Wilkes county
owned better kept farm, or talked
with more confidence among his cro-
MES of stock and crops and such like.
But the sight of a pretty foot or face
coming his way affected him queerly.
On such occasions he never knew what
TO do with his hands and eyes, and
seemed always to feel like screwing
himself into the lcarcst mouse hole
until the danger-that is to say, the
young lady-was past.
This state of things being consider
ed, no one ever understood how he
contrived 10 muster up courage enough
10 enllghten Annie Moore on the sub
Ject of his preference for herself The
matter probably remains to this day
as much mystery to him as it is to
others.
Miss Annie, however, had fair
share of tact and woman cleverness
slowed away safely somewhere, in the
recesscs of her pretty little head, al
though it was carried jauntily upon the
inexperienced and rounded shoulders
o: fresh eighteen.
She did not need To be reminded
that David was worth in worldly way,
much more than any of her other suit
ors, and that he was good-looking,
! good-heartcd and intelligent enough to
satisfy any one but an overfas tidious
person Of her class. lie was uncxcep.
tionablc, in short, barring his uncon-
qucrablc and excessive bashfulness.
which, indeed, was never failing
source OF merrlment 10 the young peo-
4 pie Of their little circle.
And 50, when David in his awkward,
bIundcring, halt-frightenod manner be
gan shNly TO exhibit his preference for
/ her invarlous little ways spch A. Sait-
in. on her 70 and from singing school,
constituting himself 'her escort when
she went sundays on horseback To the
louclv little church in the woods, and
singing her out as the recipient Of
whatever attentions he could find the
nerve 70 pay, at the frequent quilting
parties in the neighhorhood. Annie
dld not frightcn him out o( his budding
passion by anv show, either Of surpri..
or marked preference, but took it all in
the easiest, rleasantest, most uncon-
scious manner possible The girls tit.
tered and nudgcd each others elbows.
and the young men cracked iurtive
jokes ut the expense Of her tinid suit
or. but she stood up for him like rca.
klnd-hearted, independent Western
lass, rs she was, and tried to encourage
him out of his shyness, as far as she
consistently could.
She never seemed to notice any OF
his unfortunate blunders, and very
likely helped him along considerably
when his feeling reached the culmna-
ting point, one moonlight autumn even
ing, as they were walking home to-
gethcr from corn-hushi NJ.
That had been Just one week ago.
Annie had said yes" and had agreed
10 take the responsibility of bringing
father and mother round on the sub
ject. David had not been TO the house
since. Probably he felt very much
Ike dog who fears to venture upon
the premises of i person whose sheep
fold he has just plundcred. Thu, it
happened that As yet the powers that
were knew nothing of the momentous
secret, which they kept between them
selves, fearing to divulge. And now
Annie, who wished to put off the ordeal
OF avowal as long rs posslble-at any
rate to gain time for one more conf
dental talk with David on the subject
said hastily in reply to that STAN
mcred query of his with which we have
( prelaccd this narration.
Mother is going over to Aunt Ruth's
with iather Ia spend the evening, and
she wants me to 20 too, but | guess |
won't. I've been working on fathers
new shirts all day, besides doing the
dairy work yesterday and Pm about
tired out
Then before he could reply,
Don't come until eight o'clock, |
shall be about through putting things
to rights by that time"
or course David was not too obtuse
TO understand that he was specially ia
vored by this arrangement, and he SO
far forgot his hashfulness as to petition
awkwardly for a parting kiss, which
was at once refused in the most mex
orable manner possible.
No, you shan't There, now! Do
take yourself off, will you Dye think
1 didn't see you fidgeting around En-
Smith at Deacon Anderson's sociable
last night: Eve not forgotten that,
sir?"
''Oh, now, Annie Just one!'
But further appeal was broken off by
a tantalizing little laugh, and when,
rendered desperate by this, he tried to
revenge himself, at the very moment
when he thought he was secure of the
coveted bliss and stopped his head tri-
umphantly over his struggling prison.
er, the rosy, laughing face vanished
suddenly from under his arm and was
off and away up the garden path lead
ing to the house, almost before he could
realize what had happened.
For moment David, who stood gaz-
ing ruefully after her, thought of pur-
suit and recapture. But before he
had time to put his plan into execu-
tion, his tormentress, after stopping to
give one mocking farewell wave of her
hand from the front porch, vanished
inside Of the hall door. So there was
nothing to be done but to turn reluc-