Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1877-12-07
An Extraordinary Affair.

1t certainly was an extraordinary
affair, and the parties interested will
remember it as long as they live. The
young lady was shopping in the even
ing. On her way home she was over
taken by a young man, an acquaintance,
who asked the pleasure of escorting her
home. The offer was accepted, and the
two proceeded, he carrying her bundles,
and making himself generally agreeable,
as is the custom in such cases. Arriving
at her home she took him direct into the
sitting-room, as the parlor stove was not
yetup The father and mother were sit
ting there, enjoying, evidently, the gen.
ial warmth of the fire. On their entrance
the young man noticed that the mother
blushed deeply, and at the same time her
husband laughed outright. 1t was a
most boisterous laugh, without evident
premeditation, and appeared to owe its
origin to no assisnable cause. The
laugher gave no explanation after the ex-
plosion, but continued to look very much
amused, while the color in his wife s
face deepened. To the young man this
was a most embarrassing reception.
Naturally enough he felt that it was
somethingi in his appearance that excited
the mirth of the one and caused the
bushes of the other. Involuntarily he
took hasty survey of his appearance
as far as the circumstances would allow,
but could perceive nothing therein cal
culated to upset the risibilities of any
man or unduly agitate the bosom of any
woman. Still he was not at his ease,
and the young lady discerning it, and
failing to understand the action of her
parents, proposed euchre as an offset.
So the two played, and the old gentle
man continued to look amused, occa-
sionally varying this accomplishment by
facetious winks at his wife, whose counte-
nance was alternately red and white.
The young man became so absorbed in the
game that he forgot the popularity of
his reception, and the young lady, divid-
ing her attention between the cards and
his face, lost sight of the trouble. And
so they played and played, while the 81
lence of the parents grew really oppress-
i've had the players but known it. But
they made no note of it. They played
on, and all interests were swallowed up
in the game. An hour passed, and then
half hour more. Ii was now ten
o'clock. AS the hour struck the old
gentleman looked up from his paper, in
which he had been absorbed for some
little time, glanced at the players, then
upon the face of his wife, and immedi-
ately went offinto such fit of suppressed
laughter that the effort to control it
very nearly precipitated him into a case
of apoplexy. Fortunately, or rather
unfortunately, the players did not notice
this agitation. Had they looked up they
could not have failed to have noted the
terribly distressed expression of the
mothers face-in which case the young
man would have understood that some
family misfortune made the presence of
an outsider very unpleasant A half
hour more passed. The young man
threw down the cards and said he must
go. The young lady having thoroughly
enjoyed the game felt impelled to say to
him, "Don't be in hurry; it is early
yet," and had almost uttered the fateful
words when her glance encountered the
stony expression upon her mother face,
and the words died upon her lips, while
a thrill of fear shot through her heart.
The young man took his hat, turned to
bid the family pleasant good night,
when his gaze also fell upon the face of
the mother, and the same thrill pierced
his heart. He withdrew without a
word, using all the haste possible, and
went up the street to his home in dazed
state of mind.
He learned accidentally a few days
later the cause of it all. The old lady,
having a severe cold, had taken the pre-
caution to soak her feet in hot water
before retiring, and her feet were in the
pailreceivingthe proper treatment when
the young man was unexpectedly
ushered in. AS her skirts fell over the
vessel he failed TO note the fact, and
consequently prolonged his stay two
solid hours. What the temperature OF
the water had become at that hour can
easily be imagined, but what were the
thoughts that passed through the mis-
cradle woman's distracted mind during
those two hours no one Oan fathom.
Even she finds herself unable to clearly
define them, although she has talked OF
but little else since the awful night
Dailbtry Nei0S.