Butte semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1886-1890, 1889-12-11
Billing and Cooling of a Preacher and a
Woman In q Public Park.

nAillhS anu COOlnS OF q PREACHER ana q
Woman In a Public Park.
What queer things there are in life, to be
sure. II you keep q lookout for them, I
don't think you are apt to come &C, oss
many, for the same reason that a watched
pot never boils, perhaps, but, to employ
that terse and paradoxical expression
which Tacitus made popular, if you don't
you do. l was out fer a five mile walk in
the park the other day-not one day in
ne series which went to make vi the recent
Indian summer that / missed that exhiler.
ating and fascinating observance-when 1
saw something that seemed to me very
queer. Perhaps it was not in the least
queer in reality. Indeed, row that 1 come
to analize it, / cannot but admit that it
was in truth quite in the natural and ex-
pected order Of things throughout, and yet
it astonished me, and anyway it was alb
forbingly interesting because it was con-
terned with kissing, and the kissing was
done surreptitlously, in a leafy nook in a
public pleasure ground. The principals
were a young minister of the gospel and a
perfectly well poised young woman with
the stamp Of Smith college upon her, and
with spectaclss.
Now, az 1 say, I don't know that there
was anything in the least surprising about
it, and yet it did surprise me. I had been
walking up the east side, keeping to the
SINAI paths and watching the squirrels and
the robins, and my blood was stirring and
my heert blythe. I thought 4hat-whenIi
got to the restaurant Of Mount st. Vincent
| would have some breakfast, for l always
take the air before Leaf, and it was only il
O'Clock in the morning. ] had got up be-
yond the upper r~eservo;r-the one which is
distinguished by having water in it-and
geous lawn tennis players straddle about |
so divinely, and where they want to put up
exposition buildings for a worlds
show in 1892, l believe. l was on my way
up a gentle slope at the beginning OF the
wooded tangle which overruns the north.
vest area, when l came upon the pair.
They were sitting on q bench together.
looking vacaDt;y down the path at me.
ATTITUDE, expression and all suggesting moth
,,ng In the world but a grave, decorous, rest
|ol enjoyment OF external nature, a mild.
placid, holy thankfulness for the balmy air.
me sunshine, the leafy rustic and the sing
bg of the birds. She was a stont vonpo
xoman, 80. I should think, smooth AND fair
Her spsctacles were gold-bowed, and the
enses shown with the polish insisted upon
~ women who really care for their spec
acl's. lie was about her age. brown i
bearded, demure, with q straight waistcoat {.
! choker and respectable eyeplass. ii,
ncught vaguely that they were brother .
sister, or a married pair of seven wears :
landing: That was all, as long as they +
iad me in sight. But just beyond them ,
ne path took a sudden turn and assembled q
harpiy. IL took my breath somewhat to i
MOUNT the Little activity and when 1 got C
o the top stopped a moment to Get a =
resh supply. I was on the summit of q !,
iuff, around which the path had wound. q
. was a place OF advantageous view, and / v
0 ioi som little time taking it in. The O
ouple l had passed had gone completely a
ut Of my mind. l am sure I should never h
thought OF them again but for che of ~
hose curious little condolences of which a
ne world is full. As l stood looking and n
lllng my lungs q pretty red oak leaf vent a
anclng across the path under the gentle W
rgencs Oh the wind, My eyes followed it e,
az IL travelled until it stopped at the Il
ase OF a SNOWFALL push just at the edge Of r.
le bluf. 1t occurred to me that IL was =;
orth preserving, and 1 left the path and ~
over and picked it up. As / did 40 7 81
'came conscious again Of the clergyman n
40 MS specialized comnanion. They were 81
sitting on the bench, which was backed NJ
, against the base Of the bluff just below re-
a. and in my full, unhindered view, And w,
my surprise-so much to m y surprise M
the red oak leaf escaped from nv or
gers ana nuttered off and down upon us
Q woman's plain brown straw bonnet
ey were hugging and kissing with as mncb ~
~ and animation as you might look for p, il
a goddess young couplefrom the Bowerv. on
Clara Belle. o en