The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-10-26
A Story About Counting.

From he NelU York Graphic.
The old folks couldn't stand it much
longer. There he was night after night in
the parlor with Jennie, and all sorts OF
hours would pass and he wouldn't go. l
don't think they minded that SO much, but
it used to worry them to be woke up with a
start every now and again. You know
how it is yourself, don't you? You remem-
Der when you courted sweet Jessie-for the
matter of that you may remember no
longer ago than last night-the long pauses,
the : meaningfYl pauses, when you forgot
pected you to talk good deal to their
daughter. l will not give you away. You
know there were no air waves possible when
you had shut off the supply necessary. You
know that Jessie suddenly said:
"Oh, Willie What will papa and
mamma think! We must make some
noise.n
She then began to play very loudly on
the piano. Will people ever really believe
that the old folks are deceived by sudden
noises and gay, loud laughter and com
monplace remark in loud tone and all the
other transparent lodges sweethearts use
when they are courting4 Why, they have
been there themselves, and they can tell
when you steal a kiss in the middle of a
| sentence. But those Interruptions are very
useful. They break up the monotony of
DCE~AAh
all over again. / dare say the old lady
smiles as she sits at her knitting when Jessie
opens the door and cries:
"Oh, mamma, are you thereW
Eyes" mamma says and-goes on knit
ting Mamma knows that Willie thought
he heard sound outside and Jessie had to
give an excuse for going out to see if it
was her mother. No. No. What if Will
lie does steal q kiss or two and Jessie's hair
is just trifie out of curl and her cheek is
just little redder than the weather justi-
| ties, and there's long, long hair of brown
on Willies coat collar. Only as she sits
and knits she dreams of the time when her
Willie came and courted her, and the
| happy summer nights with their moonlight
and their balmy odors, and the stormy
winter evenings, when the fire cracked
with delight and her brown hair rested on
his shoulder as they sat and listened in silent
happiness to the roaring gale and the dash
ing rain. So court on, happy youth. The
years fly past quite fast enough and there
are sorrows and responsibilities, breads and
| fears to come, for us all.
But the old man of whom l speak was
different. He didn't care to have it acutely
brought to him that his days of spooning
were over. He forgot how he had done just
the same thing himself, forgot all except
somebody else was having the same fun he
had long ago passed through. So he said to
Jessie that if Willie could not 60 at 1C
o'clock there was going to be trouble. OF
course she told the young man like duti-
full daughter what her pa said, but it was
IL o'clock before she told him. There was
clock in the parlor that struck
the hour in a slow regretful way,
as if to say: 81 hate to tell you,
but it is 10 o'clock" One day the old
man brought home new clock and put it
carelessly on little bracket just over the
sofa. That night the clock on the mantel
began its usual regretful chime and rang
out 10 o'clock. They paid no attention, but
seemed to put their heads closer together,
when five minutes later suddenly from that
little bracket there came 'bang--bang-
bang" Ikea fire bell very much cracked,
and the young man shot out at the front
door like rocket. The old man had given
him five minutes grace,