Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1877-12-05
YOUTHS COLUMN.

Johns First Pdrty.-There was fire
on the broad hearth, and that, with the
tallOw Csiidles on the mantel-piece,
made quite an illumination in the room,
and enabled the boys. who were mostly
on one side of the room, to see the girls,
who were on the other, quite plainly.
How sweet and demure the girls looked
to be sure! Every boy was thinking if
his hair was slick, and feeling the full
embarrassment of his entrance into
fashionable life. 1t was queer that these
children, who were so free everywhere
else, should be so constrained now, and
not know what to do with themselves.
The shooting of spark out upon the
carpet was a great relief, and was ac-
eompanied by deal of scrambling TO
throw it back into the fire, and caused
much giggling. 1t was only gradually
that the formality was at all broken.
and the young people got together and
found their tongues.
John at length found himself with
Cynthia Rudd, to his great delight and
considerable embarrassment, for Gym
thia, who was older than John, never
looked so pretty. To his surprise he
had nothing TO say TO her. They had
always found plenty to talk about be-
fore, but now nothing that he could
think of seemed worth saying at party.
sit is pleasant evening"" said John.
sit is quite so," replied Cynthia.
"Did you come in a eutter?" asked
John anxionly.
mo; l walked on the crust, and it
was perfectly lovely walking" said
Cynthia, in burst of confidence.
- Il,
"Not very"
John hoped it would be slippery
very-when he walked home with Gym
thia, as he determined to do, but he did
not dare to say so, and the conversation
ran aground again. John thought
about his dog and his sled and his yoke
of steers, but he didn't see any way to
bring them into conversation. Had she
read the ''Swiss Family Robinscn?"
Only little ways. John said it was
splendid, and he would lend it to her,
for which she thanked him, and said,
with such sweet expression, she
should be so glad TO have it from him.
That was encouraging.
And then John asked Cynthia if she
had seen Sally Hawkes. since the husk
ing at their house, when Sally found so
many red ears; and didn't she think she
was reall pretty girl.
Eyes, she was right pretty" and
Cynthia guessed that Sally knew il
pretty well. But did John like the
color of her eyesp
No; John didn't like the color of her
eyes exactly.
"Her mouth would be well enough if
she didn't laugh SO much and show her
teeth"
John said her mouth was her worst
feature.
"Oh no." said Cynthia, firmly; ''her
mouth is better than her nose"
John didn't know but il was better
than her nose, and he should like her
looks better if her hair wasn't SO dread
full black.
But Cynthia, who could afford to be
generous now, said she liked black hair
and she wished hers was dark. Where
upon John protested that he liked light
hair-auburn hair-of all things. And
Cynthia said that Sally was a dear,
good girl, and she didn't believe one
word of the story that she only really
found one red ear at the husking that
night, and hid that, and kept pulling il
out as if il were new one.
And so the conversation once started,
went on as briskly as could be about the
pairing bee and the spelling school, and
the new singing-master who was COM
ing. and how Jack Thompson had gone
to Northampton TO be a clerk in a store,
and how Elvira Reddington, in the
geography class at school, was asked
what was the capital of Massachusetts,
and had answered ssNorthamntOn Dand