The south Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1879-1883, 1883-04-03
TOUCH NE NOT,
Or the Lovers Quarrel.

lier in the parlor where Vincent
Vallandingham was in the habit of
doing his. counting. 1t was getting
late. Slowly but swiftly the hours
had glided by as he had discussed the
weather and other topics with Flor
ence Frelinghuysen, the lovely daugh-
ter Of a wealthy but honest bank
cashier. Utterly Oblivious of the
flight of time, they had sat for hours
and basked in the sunshine of each
others love. Vincent had pictured
in bright colors the sweet after-a-
while, when his salary would be
raised to $6 a week, and he could be
permitted to lavish his wealth upon
the girl he would some day call his
own.
Away back in the halcyon days of
3oyhood, when his father footed his
bills, he had given his heart and 81
diamond ring to Florence Freling-
huyscn. She had carefully cleaned
her finger nails and then put her
little hand in his and told him that
she would love and stick TO him I'M
til she could catch a richer beau.
The years had come and gone and
Vincent had become masher," and.
as Florence had never got chance
to marry anybody else, true to her
promise, she had chung to her first
love, and when he "resigned his po-
sition" as "knight of the yard
stick, " to accept" a more lucrative
one as a hotel clerk, at salary of 81
a week, she had not forsaken him,
but had placed her arms around his
neck and vowed to him that she
would cling to him as long as he
could raise twenty cents to buy ice
cream, or nickel to get taffy tolu,
IN his adversely she had not deserted
him, and when the radiant beams of
prosperity's sun lit up his future, she
had wrapped the tendrils of wom-
ans affection around him and shown
to him that she would love him, no
matter how flush he might become.
On this particular night Vincent
had called to tell her of the good
fortune that had come to him-his
salary had been doubled and in tn.
future he would receive SIG month
and board. And then in glowing
terms he had told her OF the future.
which, in all its brightness. was
spread out like a panorama hefolc
them and reckoning them on to the
blissful realities of conjugal felicity.
He showed her by Minute matl.e-
NAUTICAL calculation that she would
some day be the wife of man of af-
hucnce and should be nurscd in the
lap Of fortune petted child of
wealth.
1t had ell been talked over and
Florence had taken it all in and re-
lteratcd her love for him whom the
newspapers and his washerwoman
regarded a promising young man.
SO absorbed had Vincent been that
he was unconscious Of the time. 1t
all seemed more like pleasant
dream than reality, and when he
looked at his watch he was surprised
to see that the hands pointed TO sixty
one minutes past half after ten,
Rising from his seat, Vincent OBJ
served in tone of remarkable firm
ness and determination:
Il must CO."
Florence arose also and with not a
tremor in her voice she asked "won't
you sit longcr!' Vincent was not as
bright as new tin pan, but he was
no sucker and he had sense enough
to know that she did not want him
to stay any longer, but that the ques-
ton was one stereotypcd before the
flood and used by the girls eyer since,
in order to carry out mistaken ideas
Of politeness; so in calm and even
more decided voice he said; NO. /
cannot stay longer. 1t is getting late
and must go" and he stretched forth
his strong arm to draw her to him,
but like startled fawn she shrank
back and uttered the words with
which our story opens: "Do not
touch me-
Vincent Vallandingham could not
have been more surprised if he had |
put his hand into his pocket and
found a dollar. With a voice husky |
with emotion he asked:
"What does this mean? Am / to be
sent away without last fond en-
brace and word of affection ?"
oh! Vincent, l love you, but YOU
must not touch me-" said the girl, as
she wiped away her tears with silk
handkerchief, which Vincent had
given her and which must have cost
as much as rs cents.
think a moment, Florence plead |
ed the almost distracted lover" how
long it will be before you see me
again. On tomorrow my shirt will
be given to the laundress and as the
weather is bad there is no telling
when she will bring it back, and it
may be two or three days before /
can see you again. Do not turn me
away in this cruel manner without
an explanation"
"Oh! do not ask me to explain"
You must, or we part forever"