The Grange advance. [volume] (Red Wing, Minn.) 1873-1877, 1877-08-01
Johns First Party.

There was q fire on the broad hearth,
and that, with the tallow candles on the
mantle-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 it 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 everv-
where else: should be 50 constrained now.
and not know what to do with them
selves. The shooting Of spark out
upon the carpet was great relief, and
was accompanied by deal of scramb-
ling 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 togeth-
er and found their tongues.
John at length found himself with
Cynthia Rudd, to his great delight and
considerable embarrassment, for Cynthia,
who was older than John, never looked
so pretty. TO his surprise he had moth
ing to say to her. They had always
found plenty to talk about before. but
now nothing that he could think of
seemed worth saying at party.
1T isa pleasant evening"" said John.
ut is quite so" replied Cynthia.
did you come in cuttcr?" asked
John, anxiously.
mo; I walked on the crust, and it was
perfectly lovely walking said Cynthia,
in burst Of confidence
s'Was it slippery" continued John.
"Not very"
John hoped it would be slippery,
when he walked home with Cynthia.
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 Robinson?" Only little,
ways. John said it was splendid, and he
would lend it to her, for which she thank
ed him, and said. with such a sweet ex-
preston, she would be so glad to have it
from him. That was encouraging.
And then John asked Cynthia if she
had seen Sally Hawkes. since the husking
at their house, when Sally found 50 many
red ears; and didn't she think she was a
real pretty girl.
eyes, she was right pretty;' and Gym
thia guessed. that Sally knew it pretty
we'll. But did John like the color of hcr
eyes!
No; John didn't like the color OF her
eyes exactly.
''Her mouth would be well enough if
she didn't laugh 50 much and show her
teeth"
John said her mouth was her worst fea-
ture.
"Oh no." said Cynthia warmly; cher
mouth is better than her nose''
John didn't know but it 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 Il dear, good,
good girl, and she didn't believe one
word Of the story that she only really
found one car, at the husking that night
and hid that, and kept pulling it out as if
it we're a new one.
And SO the conversation, once started,
went on as briskly as could be about the
sparinsg-bee and the spelling-school, and
the new singingmaster who was coming.
and how Jack Thompson had gone to
Northampton to be a clerk in a store, and
how Elvira Reddington, in tho geography
class at school, was asked what was the