Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1874-05-09
A Kiss in the Dark.
BY HOWARD GLYNDON.


"Will you be at home to night, An
nie?' The person who asked this ques-
ton, q tall, masculine, good-looking
young farmer, was leaning upon
Squire Moore's front gate, talking to
the Squirc's pretty daughter, who stood
inside of it. AS the simple words
passed his lips he Redeemed suddenly
to the very roots OF hisfai hair, asif hehad
been guilty OF some great impropriety.
He was bashful-extremely 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 cronies of stock
and crops and such like. But the sight
of pretty foot or face coming his way
affected him strangely. On such occa-
sion he never knew what to do with his
hands and eyes, and seemed always to
feel like screwing himself into the
nearest mouse hole until the danger
that, is to say, the young lady-was
past.
This state of things being considered
no one ever understood how he con-
trived to muster up courage enough to
enlighten Annie Moore on the subject
of his preference for herself. The mat
ter probably remains to this day rs
much mystery to him as it is to
others.
Miss Annie, however, had a fair share
of tact and womanly clcverncss slowed
safely away somewhere in the recesses
of her pretty little head, although it
was carried jauntily upon the inexpe
rienced and rounded shoulders of fresh
eighteen. -.
She did not need to be reminded that
David was worth, in a worldly way,
much than any of her other suitors,
and that he was good looking, good
hearted and intelligent enough to sat-
isfy any but all over fastidious person
of her class. He was unexceptional, i'll
short, barring his unconqucrable and
excessive bashfulness, which, indeed,
was u never failing source of merriment
to the young people Of their little cir
Gle.
And so, when David in his awkward
and laundering, half-frightened man
ner began shyly to exhibit his prefer
euce forlier in various little ways, such
as waiting on her to and from singing
school, constituting himself her escort
when she went Sundays on horseback
to the lonely little church in the woods,
and singing her out as the recipient
of whatever attentions he could find
the nerve to pay, at the frequent par
ties in the neighbolhood, Annie did
not fri.htcn him out of his budding
passion by any show either by sur
prise or marked pr eference but took it
all in the easiest, pleasantest, most
unconscious manner possible. The
girls Uttered and nudged each others s
elbows, and young men cracked furtive
Jokes at the expense ofher timid suitor,
but she stood up for him like real kind
hearted independent Western lass as
she was, and tried to encourage him
out of his shyness MS far us she consist
emily could.
She never seemed to notice any of his
unfortunate blunders, and very likely
helped him along considerably when
his feelings reached the eliminating
point, one moonlight autumn evening
as they were walking home together
from corn husking.
That had been just one week. ago,
Annie had said yes" and had agreed
to take the responsibility of bringing
her father and mother around
on the subject. David had not been
to the house since. Probably he felt
very much like a dog who fears to ven
ture upon the premises of person
whose sheep-fold he has just plum
dered. Thus it happened that as yet
the powers that were, knew nothing OF
the momentous secret, which they kept
between themselves, fearing to divulge.
And now Annie, who wished to put of
the ordeal of avowal as long as possible
at any rate to gain time for one more
confidential talk with David on the sub.
ject-said hastily in reply to that STAN
mered query of his with which we have
prefaced this narration
Mother. is going over to Aunt
Ruth's with father to spend the even.
ing, and she wants me to go, too, bui
I guess won't. I've been working on
fathers new shirts all day, besides do.
ing the dairy work yesterday, and I'm
about tired out"
And then she added before he could
reply:
"Don't come until eight o'clock; ]
shall be about through putting things
to rights about that time.
OF course David was not too obtuse
to understand that ho was specially
favored by this arrangement, and he
SO far forgot his bashfulness as to Pc
tition for parting kiss, which was at
once refused in the most. inexorable
manner possible.
"No you shan't! There now! Take
yourself off, will you. Dye think l
didn't see you fdgeting around En-
Smith at Deacon Anderson's sociable
last night? not forgotten that one!
J. t0h Do1v AppioI T,ct ouap,