The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1879-09-26
OUR FIRST INTRODUCTION TO
SOCIETY.

with no apparent sense OF WronguolnS,
it does make us wish that we had either
been born some years later or with more
cheek. We can never make any one be-
lieve it now, but we really were bashful
in our young days. Now, we did not
dislike girls-by no means. In fact, an
old bachelor was in our estimation
about the most forlorn creature on earth,
and how to prevent such calamity
from Detailing us was what worried us
more than anything else. We knew it
would be just as entertaining for US to
fall in love with the moon as a girl, I'M
less we could get up more courage than
we possessed in those days. We did not
write to the New York Ledger for assist
ance in our trouble, but simply wa::cl
and hoped that something would turn
up. There was plenty of time. We
were only fourteen, and boy of four
teen was not as old then as he is now, if
we recollect right.
Once, when we began to think our
stock of courage was looming up, we
were all broken up by a dream, which,
owing to our disposition, might not have
been hard to account for had it not been
followed by a terrible fact. We dreamed
one night that there had long been prep
arations going on for party at one of
the neighbors'. Somehow our bashful-
ness had left us, and we were on hands
before any one else arrived. When it
was about time for the company to come
in our courage began to desert US to such
an extent that we took a seat in a corner
behind the stove. Soon the room was
full of young folks, and everybody was
having a good time. Our courage came
back, and we were just in the act of get
ting up to mingle in the crowd, when
we took a survey Of ourself to see if our
toilet was up to the standard. We near
ly tainted to find that by some remarka-
bic oversight we had neglected to put on
anything except underclothing between
our boots and vest. We could recollect
distinctly of taking our Sunday panta.
looms out of the bureau drawer and
brushing them, but how in the name OF
common sense we ever forgot to put
them ON was as mysterious as it was
dreadful.
We did not count much on making a
mark in society after this discovery
Our only anxiety was for something to
take place that would enable us to es-
cape unnoticed. There was an old
fashioned rocking chair between the end
of the stove and the wall, that kindly
screened us but we were in mortal fear
lest some one would move it. All at
once there seemed to be change in the
weather, and the lady of the house sent q
boy for more wood, and after filling the
stove full, the young f1end opened VI
the drafts, and IN a few minutes the in
fernal thing was warming up to such an
extent that we soon found it was an open
question with us between cremation anG
exposure. We stood it as long as We
could, but just as we began to take fire
we made a rush for the door, and woke
up to find ourself nearly smothered I'm
der too much cover
Shortly after this our older brother!
gave an evening party, and we fully in
tended to start out in society. But wheI
the evening came and we heard that ;
lot of our female cousins, who were nOteC
| for all kinds of mischief, had said tina
they intended to break us in, we con
cluded to husk corn enough to last for
week. We had just got settled down t.
work in the crib, and were wonderin;
who would go home with who, when W,
heard a smothered giggle, and we knew
we had been betrayed by one of on
brothers. We tried to run the blockade
at the door, but were captured, and will
two or three healthy cousins taking car
of each arm we were started for tn
house. We plead everyday clothes ant
everything else, but all in vain.
We made desperate resistance at tn
door, but were overpowered by recruit
and taken into the middle of the room
While struggling at the door our sus
penders, which were, as usual, a one
sided arrangement, gave way, and jus
as our most afTectionate cousins startet
to introduce MS TO the audience-stil
holding our hands fast-Our lower gan
ment, as If TO mourn our defeat, wen
down 10 halfmast Our captors sud
denly lost all pride in their capture, ant
in about four seconds we were the Onl.
one of the party left in the room. w
gathered up our busted clothes and wen
up stairs, where, after making n solemn
VOW that we would never again as mucl
as look at anything that wore calico, W
cried ourselt 10 sleep. We did not keel
the vow any longer than we were com
PEELED to, though it was some time be
fore we could get near enough to any @
the girls, and especially our cousins, t
break it. But when we found that the,
were afraid of us we became very bold
and have never been cowardly since.
OUIIP