The Monitor. [volume] (Woodstown, N.J.) 1884-1892, 1885-11-27
A KISS IN THE DARK.

gatetalking to the Squlre's pretty daughter,
who stood inside of it. As the simple
words passed his lips he Redeemed suddenly
to the roots of his fair hair, as if he had
just been guilty of some great improperly.
lie was bashful-extremely bashful was
David Winthrop-at least in the presence
OF young ladies. most of all in the presence
of the girl he loved. No young MAI in all
Wilkes county owned a better kept farm,
or talked with more confidence among his
cronies of stock and crops and such like.
But the sight of a pretty foot or face COM
ing his way affected him queerly. On such
occasions he knew not what to do with his
hands or eyes, and seemed always to feel
like screwiug himself into the nearest
mouse hole until the danger-that is to say,
the young lady-was past.
This state of things being considered. no
one understood how he contrived to muster
up courage enough to enlighten Annie
Moore on the subject of his preference for
herself The matter probably remains to
this day as much a mystery to him as to
others.
Miss Annie, however, had a fair share of
tact and womanly cleverness slowed away
safely somewhere in the recesses of her
pretty little head, although it was carried
j%auntily upon the inexperienced and round
ed shoulders of fresh eighteen.
She did not need to be reminded that
David was worth, in a worldly way,
much more than any of her other s%uitors,
and that he was ~good-looking, good
hearted and intelligent enough to satisfy
any but an over-fastidious person of her
class. lie was unexceptionable, in short,
barring his ~unconquerable and excessive
bashfulness, which, indeed, was a never
falling source of merriment to the young
people of their little circle.
And so when David in his awkward,
laundering, half-frightened manner began
shyly to exhibit his preference for her in
various little ways, such as waiting on her
to and from singing school, constituting
himself her escort when she went Sundays
ON horseback to the lonely little church in
the woods, and singing her out as the re-
cipient of whatever attentions lie could
find the nerve to pay, at frequent quilting
parties in the neighborhood, Annie did not
brighten him ont of his budding passion by
any show. either of surprise or marked
preference, but took it all in the easiest,
pleasantest, most unconscious manner pos
sible. The girls Uttered and nudged each
Others elbows, and the young men cracked
%furtive Jokes at the expense of her timid
sutton, but she stood up for him royalty.
like a real kind-hearted. independent
Western lass, as she was. and tried to en-
courage him out of his shyness as far as
she consistently could.
She never seemed to notice any of his
unfortunate blunders, and very likely help
ed him along considerably when his feel
ings reached the eliminating point, one
moon-lightcd autumn evening, as they were
walking home together from a corn husk-
ing.
That being just one week ago, Annie had
said yes and had agreed to take the
ttoIpilSiOii+tf VI iuS HE ~ anu
''round'' on the subject. David had not
been to the house since. Probably he felt
very much like a dog who fears to venture
upon the premises of a man whose sheep
fold he had just plundered. Thus it hap
pened that as yet the powers knew nothing
of the monstrous secret which they kept
between themselves, fearing to divulge.
And now Annie, who wished to put off the
ordeal of avowal as long as possiblc-at any
rate to gain time for more confidential talk
with David on the subiect-said hastily in
reply to that stammered query of his with
which we have prefaced this narration:
''Mother is going over to Aunt Ruth's
with father to spend the evening, and she
wants me to so, but | guess | won't. Eve
been working on fathers new shirts all day
besides doing the dairy work yesterday,
and now I'm about tired out
Then she added before he could reply:
sDon't come until eight o'clock. shall
be about through putting things to rights
by that time"
vi COURSE bdNlu NdS tCO optuHS " uu-
derstand that lie was specially favored by
this arrangement, and lie so far forgot his
bashfulness as to petition awkwardly for a
parting kiss, which was at once refused in
the most memorable manner possible.
''No, you shan't, There, now, Do take
yourself off, will you? Dye think | didn't
see you fdgeting around Emma Smith at
Deacon .Anderson's sociable last night?
I've not forgotten that, sir!'
''Oh, now. Annie. Just one,'
But further appeal was broken off by a
tantalizing little ugh, and when, rendered
desperate by this, he tried to revenge him
self. at the very moment when he thought
he was secure of the coveted bliss, and
stopped his head tr%iumphantly over his
struggling prisoner. the rosy, laughing
face vanished from under his arm and was
off and away mp the garden path before he
could realize what had happened.
For one moment David, who stood gaz-
inc ~ruefully after her, thought of pursuit
and reeapture. But before he had time to
put his plan into execution his t~ormentress,
after stopping to give one knocking farewell
wave of her hand from the front porch,