Wilmington journal., 1874-01-02
THE TWO KISSES,
a CHARMING CHRISTMAS STORY

A CHARMING CHRISTMAS STORY
an an old man so old am I that
looking back, life seems very long, enc
yet SO short, that I do not know
whether many things did not happier
IN dream. am hale, aud hearty, ant
merry, for tho matter of that an,
when I laugh, my laugh rings out
clearly and loud, they say so mucl
SO, that it makes the people around
especially my grand children, anc
nephew and nieces, laugh too. AnG
when laugh, the old times come
| buck when others who are silent now
laughed with ne, and then I am sud
denly still, and the laugh dies awa-
and when L think of il, its empty
echoes fill my brain just as if it were
sleep laughter III dream.
When I stop laughing 50 suddenly
for the merr inent aud enjoyment arc
icr the matter OF that, the grief and
pain of old men are snort and sudden
like those OF children-my grand
children, and pephews and nieces,
have great difficulty to stop too ana
they choke and nudge eaci, other, and
say taat is q good story, uncle almost
as good as the story You told US yes,
terdav
/ 1old yesterday; let me see, wia.
it was told yesterday? How long ag
it seems; it must be longer ago that
the time when [ was only tweut- wears
| old, 8 stalwart, brave fellow n yellow
breeches. black Logging. 4 heavy, brass
bound leather helmet with plume tip.
ped with red, and clanking sword
which / cou d not nov iif. with my
| two hanas. I was royal Volunteer
| then, prepared to resist the French;
AID and some of my companions were
| enoampel "a white tents on the coast
Of Kent.
Yes, people think NE very merry.
| And SO, thank Heaven, I am :; for [ try
TO stand upright. four-sauare to the
world, as. q man should; but, being an
old man, I have blank places III uly
heart now where no love grows: bar
rem spots IL nv memory. and chilled
and numbed parts in nv feelings,
where I cauuo5 Iook back, and where
dare not tread and touch, lest sud
den pain should come back Ike the
shooting Of an old wot.nd.
Been in love? YES, [ slonlG think I
have; how else could | havo grandchil-
,treu, those people who laugh SO hearty
when I laugh, and rlake me tell how
old l an1 a score Of t;nles, Gnd say how
well | am looking.
BE IN love? think I Was talking of
that, was I not? Yes, been III love
Well, We did love v-ilou was a Young
fellow, aud l recolleet nay Alice ana
[ recollect her 80 | iov.=I her when she
WAS young, aId d as / love i1cr now. !
hlilh that sue could 90 anything but
drink and smoke or til! an untrutia, o.
do wrong action. Her face was Il
sweet oval face; her hair very dark
brown, nearly black and her eye
we're deep blue, tull of Inerriment at
o'e mon,Hnt, avs, 1T all moments ex-
cept- when she heard q S,.tl story
WAS touched WITH pan iur
my one else, and then they grew
teep- + and deeper as they fiElrd with
tears Not for herself She never
cried for herself tina, I know Of, for
he never had a days illness. But sh
ras terrib Y cut up when her brother
lied, aud that y.,u see WIS how [ knew
ler. Her broth. 7 was my right hand
nan in my company. Many's She time
ne stood shoulder to, shoulder to
me, good at drilI, good at song. good
1t anything. He used to live n,al
he coast; and, indeed, he Joined u
.nd WAS one Of his tent fellows, anu
lis chum
Well, he knew people that I knew.
and We were soon friends; and Le took
De home to show me Alice. He wa
.lways talking about her. and sh.
bout him; and when he was there.
oarce look did she i've him. LII /
brother-hls name was Joe, aud mIne
oo-couid do everything, an Was tn.
he-all and end-all of the world, I used
TO think; ahd SO one day [ tried to rul.
With Joe, ana Joe beat me, and Alice
'aughed; and then | shot against Ioe,
Id he beat me- too, and she laughed
the NOR; and I wrestled it'll him and
threw him; she diSn' t laugh then, but
ran to see whether he was hurt, and
said it wasn't fair for Joe to tackle g
big fellow Ike me. although no was
nigh an inch taller. In short. con.d
not please her anyhow.
Well, it was one day wuen we heard
that the Hat bottomed boats OF cid
Boney were not coming oy e:, and thai
the army of Roriogne had melted bit
nv hit, away like a slow-crift, that we
made . night Of it,. ave, il was q
n,yuI, too. and being :iot and IL si,in-
ulor, We must needs ket-p up the fun
till the Gun came ", over the soGcoast,
looking red and angry at our folly
Well. Joe aud l., tto two Joes, as they
Ga lei Us, ran down tho beach and
washed our EuG taces, and plunged
into tho salt waves, ard vern in II
'air ute as fresh and merry "a two
iarks; after d: esSing, JCo must needs
take g. walk with me, Who was nothing
tn, you must know, along TIE edge
Of tie cliff. Tho seas for ce2turies
hal been washing that cbalk-bouGd
coast, Gnd al Intervals there stands m
p;liars OF chalk, with seas around
them. The peopia caEl such placs.
'.No Mans Land" a5,d 10 man c.n it,
truly. Well, Joe come 10 ono of these
within g. few fee*, cay twelve, from tt
eff, and turning 20 ms, aa!d: Joe,
junior" said he, [ think I see his
bright face now. 81 challenge yon to
jump on that No Mans Land. I do. ."
Joe said I, hurri-div. ''Glon't b" q
fool. Aiey b. il would give az at the
top; and il il didn't how could you
iu;0p back Wilton Il rUu? You'd be
stucl; On thc sop like q ,aad sentinel or
u pillar saint In not going 10 Jump
Ei2t | AN. aal,! ne, an6 before
could stop him, i: indeed had tried,
he tool run AMI jumped.
Il was 40 anlden that could only
stand aghnst when I saw him there =
H. stood. indeed, 10Y o moment, and
then he took hack step, and wcu d
have inmped back, when / lesri a
rpm0.lng squad. sad half the top of
the "No Mar S Land" parted. and the
chalk and ea:til, joe, too, fell down
vita Is crash TO the rocky coast below.
iran round the little creek to the
other SIDE Of small bay, aud throw
| ing myself down on the turf. stretched
my neck over, looked over, and cried
out, "Joe. are you hurt, Joe ?"
A faint voice came up, and 1 could
| see the poor fellow struggling under a
| hugo piece of chalk, which seemed to
hold him down III agony. lie smiled
in gh stly way, and said RIM.
| Joe, ran. this tides coming In"
Well. l 1id run, and we got rope
| fir ,rp the tents, and few s.ro"% j, i
Iowa held them as ] SWING ov r tl''