The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1874-02-27
SMITHS FIRST LOTE

Most young people-and young ladies il
particular-fancy that first loves are fuI
OF romance and very delightful. But We
are not so sure. Perhaps some of our first
loves are far from romantic and many oil
them frau9ht with anything but delight,
especially in the remembrance
But | am not going to be morose. Draw
your chairs nearer, young ladies, and il
any young gentleman who is mysteriousIv
regular in his Sunday attendance in a fam
lIy pew at most iuconyenient distance
from his own parish church-at a distance,
IN short, which will not allow of his after
wards dining anywhere but at the house
OF the owner of the family pew; if any
young gentleman whose habits have grown
remarkably regular of late, and whose par
tIaIIty for glee singing has chased the
eiiluYla of cigar smoke out of his chambers
IN the Temple, and has sent him to bod at
eleven o'clock p. NJ, and to the top OF
HIghgate Hill at seven A. h-if any such
young gentleman wants to listen to NV
tale, don't turn him away on any account.
OI course, | have beer in love. If had
not been so, my dear Mrs. Smith would
never have been Mrs. Smith, nor should |
have been the happy Mr.. Smith But she
was not my first love, at least in the sense.
or--pardon the harshness of the phrase
nonsense in which youngsIadies and gen
tlemen sometimes understand the t,rn
do not know whether it was Georgina
Jones blue eyes or her inveterats habit
OF contradicting her mother, and doing
everything she was forbidden to do. that
first attached me to her. We were but
boy and gil; but was, alas Just old
enough IN wickedness to appreciate the
beauty of opposition. Well, we were
very much in love, thought ourselves n
Persecuted Paul and Virginia, because We
had good houses over our heads, and be-
cause every want was almost anticipated
before it was felt. This Britania-metaI
age lasted, if remember rightly, Just one
fortnight, three days, and seven hours and
half, and terminated in a scene flood
OF tears and passion, and a polite reoret
That MIR and Mrs. Jones really must dis
Pehse with the pleasure of Master Smiths
company at their house in future"
of course, | broke my heart No. nv
crIeket-bat was rather the worse for wear.
and az my governor maintained that
Miss Jones tantrums were no fault of
mine, | thought it favorable oppsrtun-
Ity, and got new one, together with y
rather expensive 'tip'' from my naval
uncle who said that my imitation of little
Miss Jones in pet was admirable, and
that cried rs natural as life. Nv dear
mother said such limitations were upqeuer-
Gus think so now.
one OF boys most natural first love-,
is play and l could always play and romn
rs heartily as Mrs. Smiths eldest at III
moment. Whether it was cbevvfro,
whole company Of laughing boys and girls.
or being chevied by them whether If w,s
wreathlng buttercups or thrashing sting
lng-nsttles and burdocks into a perfsct
chaos Of fluff and shattered stalks wbstb-
er stockings had to be pulled off to reach
hdlrushes in precarious brickfeld ponds,
or dilapidated pigSty was to be taken
after the manner of the ancients ,only that
contraband train of powder used gener-
ally to be smuggled into the affair, | was
always heart soul and pocket money in tho
whole coLcern. And yet l did no great
mischief, at least to those thought could
feel it,
Play had its time-lile Georgina. O
how Georgina and used to laugh at orIr-
selves and at each other when we met
she a sparkling girl of seventeen, and 1 an
embryo member of Trinity, Cambridge.
How much was she improved in every
tlring, and yet how little | cared for her
We were the best friends in the world.
She was going to the West Indies to mar
ry somebody she had never seen, and
was going to Trinity to yearn after truths
OF which f.R.cicd | saw the shadows.