Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1891-09-21

/ viii share IL with theela
Sally sprang to her feet with half
surprised little scream, but seeing it was
| only me she laughed merrily and said:
why, Rodger, where did you come
from? You bad boy, TO scare me so! I
was just thinking of you.
Were your" said l then taking her
by the hand, and looking down into her
eyes Of blue, took up the song where
she had left off, and l sang as never
sang before:
"our haunts shall be Natures own beautiful
bowers;
Our gems shall be Natures own beautiful
flowers;
| There wooed by the sunshine and kissed by the
The proudest might sigh for our home In the
vale.n
@0h, Rodgerlr she said with quavering
voice, as her head fell against the hollyhock
blossom ON my vest, her eyes looking trust
ingly and lovingly up into mine "oh,
Rodger!" and her little hand gently re-
turned the pressure of my own great
horny palm, sending tingling sensation
clear up my arm, and out upon my shoul-
der blade Then my heart set upanother
awful humping, my chest heaved, and
thought the buttons would burst off my
striped jacket in spite of me. My time
had come for the charge, victory was
within my grasp; all had to do was to
demand an unconditional surrender and
the fort was mine; but there / stood
with my tongue cleaving to the roof OF
my mouth, and knot in my throat as
big as hulled walnut; nota word could
j utter. Talk about your charging up
Mission Ridge, and planting flags on
| court houses; boys, it was not a circum-
stance to this charge Sally took in the
situation, and reaching up mbuttoned
my paper collar which she thought was
| choking me. This movement on the
| part of Sally gave me encouragement,
and finally managed to ask her how she
felt.
"Oh, ever so well, Rodger," she said,
rs she pulled at one of the brass buttons
on my coat. Another long silence, and
then, you were thinking of me, Sally"
j stammered in disjointed sort of way.
Yes, Rodger," in cooling tone, still
toying with the button.
"Welll have been thinking of you,
too, continued, more calmly, land
/ thinking that without you this world
would be hollow mockery, total fail
ure, and, in fact not worth living in; and
have come to tell you how much l.
how much I"-and there stuck again,
and don't know how long should have
remained stuck if Sally had not come to
the rescue again by asking with smile
! of encouragement:
"How much what?"
"How much love you, darling, came
forth involuntarily from my lips.
Her head nestled very closely to my
bosom, and with one time and two mo-
tons my arm suddenly made a flank
movement, and came in around her waist,
and drawing in my lines SO as to cut off
all possible hopes of retreat, pressed h.,
trembling form firmly but tenderly 10
| my own, and asked her to be my wife.
Her only reply was to look up into my
face with lovelit eyes, on whose long
silky lashes glistened two shining drops,
like dew in the morning sun; while her
arms stole lovingly round my neck,
and drew my head slowly but surely
down in the direction of her own.
Nearer and nearer my lips. were coming
to those cherry red lips only waiting tc
make the connection. Down. down.
bent my head, closer and closer the lines
were being drawn, until finally our lips
met. The day was won, victory was
mine, and then my senses reeled-my hat
fell off and rolled down the bank, the
hollyhock blossom fell, bruised and
withered bud, from my bosom, my sus-
penders deserted, my striped coat ripped
up the back, my paper collar had crawled
up over my ears, my manly form swayed
| like an oak in Kansas cyclone, the earth
seemed to glide from under my feet,
while an angel with wings hovered over
my shoulders, and | seemed to be sailing
through space in the lap of a heavenly
rainbow. Then / fell-all was blank.
You see, it was my first kiss-and had
tainted. know not how long lay in
that sweet, heavenly trance, but when
regained consciousness was lying with
my head in Sally's lap, and Sally was
raining down kisses on my face and neck,
her arm still wound tightly about my
neck.
Jemima Crickets and General Jacksonl
but it was sweet! Talk about your honey
dew and sugar plums; your blackberry
jam and Yankee doughnuts; your buck
wheat cakes and molasses; they were
nothing in comparison with my feelings
The truth is, / felt as If had been melted
and run out into one grea. long stick Of
candy, and Sally was trying to eat me
up, and did not care continental if she
did could never die sweeter death,
and then / exclaimed, 90 Death, where
is thy sting, o Grave, where is thy vic
toryl"
@Oh, Rodger, my love, she cried, @you
are not going to die and leave me, are
/ your"
~Not much. replied, jumping to my
feet, and gathering her in my arms then
after pressing her to my bosom once,
twice, thrice-many times. released her,
and patting her cheek, / said:
@Do you really love me, Sally7"
%Oh, you silly boy, why do you ask7"
she cooed, as she put up her lips to be
kissed and kissed them, a little awk.
wardIy to be sure, but it filed the bill,
and that day as l Iretraced my steps home
ward, with Sally's rosebud in my button
hole, Sally's ring on my little finger, and
Sally's kiss on my lips, would not have
/ ~. ~, IL. ,,a~