Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1886-03-10
PLENTY OF KISSES.
Emotional Greetings Seen at the
Steamer Piers.

The best place TO see kiSsing'iS on
pier when some big ocean steamer ar
rives or departs. \ big Cunarder is
being slowly warped into her dock III
Y. Y. The pier is black with people
who have come TO meet their friends
and Others still dearer to them than
friends. There are husbands on the
lookout for wives. wives expecting their
husbands, parents seeking their chill
dren. and lovers prepared TO greet their
sweethearts The big ship on the side
nearest the pier is also crowded Win
human freight. Tokens of recognition
have been exchanged. The lips OF sew
eral Young men and women tremDle and
pucker. The excitement and breezy
air lend a fine glow to the cheeks OF
many of the girls, and their eyes flash
and dance like sunbeams. \ man can
hardly help wishing that he was brother
or cousin OF sweetheart or something
to half dozen of them.
At length the ship is alongside, and
the gang-plank is stretched. Previously
there has been short but sharp Strug
gle TO get vantage ground at either end,
which Will secure the first exchange of
kisses. On the steamer, a buXom ma e
tron fair and forty has crowded her way
to the front, pushing aside some half
dozen Younger women. She rusheS
down the plank rs though she had re-
ceived 4 sudden impetus from the hind
leg of 4 mule But affection is great
incentive to agility. She is met at the
end of the plank by her faithful spouse:
.JeewhackI what hug. smack
smack-pop-pop'' again and again. She
sails into half a dozen small fry, boys
and girls. gives each a hug and kiss and
then begins over again. All this is
wholesome alNl sweet, but it is not what
the admirer of the art of kissing comes
out TO see There is nothing IN It to
tickle his fancy. But close on the heels
of the buxOm woman follows stall
wart, bronze-cheeked young fellow who
has rather rudely pushed ahead of a
bnnch of girls. He dives into the crowd,
until he reaches a pretty girl who Is ac-
cOmpanied by an elderly woman, per-
haIs maiden aunt, He takes her in
his armS-nOt the aunt; but the pretty
girl-and gets in half dozen before she
can gasp "Oh, George Then she re-
covers and gives him three or four.
He gets rid of some little more eXuber-
ant affection by beStowing three or four
kisses on the maiden aunt. Observers,
however, take no interest in that latter
part of the performance. There are
things more interesting going on; kisses
are now living around thicker than flies
around sugar-bowl in summer time.
.'Pop-pop. Smack-smack, tish-piSh F"
Every sort OF OSculatOry sound is heard
in blended cOnfuS on. The bewildered
spectator doesn't know which way 10
turn TO catch what is the best worth
seeing, and is eXaSperated by the
thought that he cannot take it all IN.
Now a pretty g ri, with golden hair
stream ng in the wind, flies rather than
runs down the gang-plank a vision of
exQuis te beauty. \ dozen pair of eyes
are focused upon her. She gives ma
and ''pa" six or seven kisses each, and
some buIly brothers three or four
apiece. Teen young man who has
been hanging in the background comes
forward, and gets only two inaudIble
kisses of the -touch-and-go" sort, ac-
companied by bushes, but there IS
good deal of condensed sentiment in
them. The observers with singular
unanimity conclude that he is the girls
sweetheart, and cast enYiOus glanceS at
him and wonder if he appreciates his
good luck. Their feelings were not much
disturbd d by the kisses brothers got.
They had all ''been there''-mOre or
leSs-but of the other sort their cOllec-
tive experience aggregated murh
smaller amount.
lrf=
but not much. 4 sea voyage seems to
inspire people otherwise only ordinarily
demonStratiye TO go in for oSculatory
collisions with a great deal of genuine
energy when the port of destination is
reached and old friends are greeted.
Here a superbly dressed young lady
walks lei urely down the gang plank
who furnishes an exception TO this rule.
She won't display any haste. That
would he bad form. She is a proud,
ianguid, emotional sort of beauty.
She meryly presents her check to a
handsome young fellow who rushes
forward to meet her. He looks dec
ded'y Disconnected, as though he would
have preferred a salutatiOu of the sort
which other girls are so plentlfully be-
slowing. His rueful look doesn't eS-
cape notice, and instantly speculation is
set at work TO account for him. The
general supposition is that he is engaged
TO the girl, that she doesn't care much
for him, hut has resolved to try matri-
mOny rs offering 4 possible escape from
ennui. He doesn't get much sympathy.
When the woods are full of genuine
warm-hearted girls he ought to have
made wiser choice.
One notices that a great deal of kis-
sing and embracing between women
goes on, and it is done with a degree of
warmth and vigor which allows 10 show
for the cynic's suggestion that they do
it merely because it is customary,
though on other occasions it does often
look that way.