The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1886-01-22
KISSES ARE PLENTIFUL.
Scenes ut the Steamboat Piers-Emotion nal
Crossings and Paintings.

Y ~ - nv ltt-
nying that people are fondofwatchins
other people kiss. Young and old, male
and female, alike take an interest init.
In the young men it perhaps stirs
exuberant anticipations OF what he
hopes is in store for him some day; in
the old man it perchance awakens
deliciously sad memories OF days that
are fled forever. But, SO far as anal
ysis "a determine, it appears thai
most men are fond Of looking on while
o~sculatory solutions are being dis
pensed, out of 'pure cussedness." The
young women may peep at the kissing
behind a fan and gigsle atfectedly, and
the old woman may protest that she
is much shocked, but somehow they
all seem to enjoy being on hand when
kissing is going on. Observe with what
breathless emotion the theatrical
audience. composed of all manne of
people, watches the receipt and dcliv-
cry OF stage kisses.
The best place to see kissing is on a
pier when some big ocean steamer ar
rives or departs. A big Cunarder is
being slowly warped into her dock.
The pier is black with people who have
come to meet their friends. There are
husbands on the lockout for wives,
wives expecting their husbands, par
ents seeking their children and lovers
prepared to greet their ~sweethearts.
The big ship on the side nearest the
pier is also crowded with human
freight. Tokens OF recognition have
been exchanged. The lips of several
young men and women tremblc and
quicker. The excitement and breezy
air lend q fine glow to the cheeks Of
many OF the girls, and their eyes flash
and dance like sul:beams. A man can
hardly help wishing that he was broth
er or cousin or sweetheart or some
thing to half a dozen of them.
At length the ship is alongside, and
the gang-plank is stretched. Previous
ly there has been a short but sharp
struggle to get the vantage ground at
either end, which will secure the
first exchange of kisses. On the
steamer, q buxom matron, fair and
forty, has crowded her a to the
front, pushing aside some half dozen
younger women. She rushes down the
plank as though she had received a
sudden impetus from the hind leg of a
mule. But affection is a great incent-
i've to ability. She is met at the end
OF the plank by her faithful spouse.
Jeewhack! 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 a kiss and
then begins over again. All this is
wholesome and 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 womanfollows
a stalwart, bronze-cheeked young fell
low who has rather rudely pushed
ahead of a bunch OF girls. He dives
into the crowd until he reaches a pref
ty girl who is accompanied by an ell
derby woman, perhaps a maiden aunt.
He takes her in his nrms-not the
aunt, but the pretty girl-and gets in
hall n dozen before she can gasp, "Oh!
George" Then she RECEIVERS and
gives him three or four. He gets
rid OF some little moro exuberant af.
fiction bestowing three or four kisses
on the maiden aunt. Observers, how
ever, take no interest in the latter
part OF the performance. There are
things more interestinggoing on; kisses
are now flying around thicker than
flies around asugar-bowl in summer
time. "Pop-pop, smnck-smacls, fish
pish.' Every sort of t1nlatory
sound is heard in blended confusion.
The bewildered spectator doesn't
tNnyy, yS.hr1l, NY t~ t,,,,, t .,{.l,
what is best worth seeing, and is ex-
asperated by the thought that he can
not take it all in. Now a pretty girl.
with golden hair streaminginthe wind
flies, rather than runs, down thegang-
plank-a vision Of exquisite beauty.
A dozen pair OF eyes are focused on
her. She gives her INA" and ':pa"
six or seven kisses each, and some
burly brothers three or four apiece.
Then q young mar who had been
hanging in the background comes for
ward and gets only two inaudible
kisses ofthe 'touch-and-go'' sort &C
companied by bushes, but there is a
good deal of condensed senti-
ment in them. The observers
with singular unanimity concludes
that he IS the girls sweetheart,
and cast envious %glances at him and
wonder If he appreciates his good luck.
Their feeling were not much disturbed
by the kisses the brothers got. They
had all "been there"-more or less
but OF the other sort their collective
experience aggregated u much smaller
amount.
There is some p%erfunctory kissing,
hbf NOT Y,roI, AGO., a... u.
inspire people otherwise only ordina-
rily demonstrative togo i'll for oscula-
tory collisions with a great deal %ofgenu-
n e energy, when the port OF destina-
ton is reached and old friends are
greeted. Here a superbly dressed
young lady walks leisurely down the
gang-plank who furnishes an exception
to this rule. She won't display any
haste. That would be bad form. She
is a proud, languid, emotionless sort
of a beauty. She merely presents her
cheek toa handsome young fellowwho
PUSHES forward to meet her. He looks
decidedly disconnected, as though he
would have preferred n SALVATION
OF the sort which other girls
are so plentifully bestowing. His rue
ful look doesn't escape notice, and in
stantly speculation is set at work to
account for him. The general suppo-
sition is that he is engaged to the girl,
that she doesn't care much for him,
bnt has resolvedto try matrimony as
offering a 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 a wiser choice,
One notices that a great deal ofkiss-
ing and embracing between women
goes on and it is done with a degree of
warmth and vigor which allows no