The Neihart herald. [volume] (Neihart, Mont.) 1890-1901, 1896-08-08

II Ndo oNluent tDat she was ON the
side OF the lovers and was angry with
ienchei for tyrannically trying ia
hold them apart. Although she was
not full of hat eager desire for
matchmaking which is so strongly
developed in many ladies' who have
left youthful follies and youthful
wisdom behind them, still she loved
Roschen dearly and wanted her to
be happy. There are some girls
she said, ito whom single life would
mean misery and ruin, and our Ros-
chen is one of them. If she is not al
lowed to marry her, life will be spoil.
ed"
By this time our train had an
preached a series of tunnels. We
were occasionally plunged into deep
darkness, in which nothing was
heard beyond the rumbling of the
carriages and the occasional involun-
tary "Ah"' of a passenger who was
reading the newspaper Or studying
his guidebook, and who was sudden
ly disturbed at his occupation. Frau
leln Martha wanted to find some
thing in her handbag, and in a tun-
mel took Off her silk glove the better
to accomplish her object. When we
again merged into daylight, noticed
that her ungloved hand was of sur
passing whiteness. Its beauty it is
beyond me to describe, for black let
tiers are not adapted to the descrip-
ton of such Wilderness.
And what an elegantly shaped
hand it was! I laid a bet with N.Y.
self that it would quite disappear in
my own hand if Fraulein Martha
would be SO accommodating as to let
me try the experiment. But she was
not inclined to be SO accommodating.
Nevertheless l could not think of los
ing my wager. The courageous con-
quer the-hand, I said to myself,
with all the obstinacy with which
one sticks to a pet idea. And just at
that very moment tho whistle
shrieked ard the train plunged into
a tunnel. Nov Or never, II thought
to myself. Darkness, which is no
mans enemy, surrounded us, and
not only the idea, but with it cour-
age, came to me. I saw Fraulein
Martha's hand CLEAN in the dark
ness. l seized it, and before the own
er had time to know what I was do
ing
what is that?" cried Herr Fen
chel.
"A kiss" replied his wife.
The train left the tunnel and
plunged into the open daylight. The
passengers looked around as if they
had heard a shot rather than a kiss
and expected to see a suicide welter-
ing in his blood.
l initiated them and looked about
me with equal establishment and Gu
riosity. From several l heard gig
Cling. On the whole, the silence was
really embarrassing. Fraulein Mar
tina was rummaging in her handbag,
and her head was bent over it so
that l could not see whether she
was angry or not. 1t may be that l
murmured, II beg your PARDON, it
may be that I did not, for it will
readily be understood that my lips
were fully employed in what I have
just described. AT any rate, I was
glad that had found such a pleasure
in a short tunnel. Added to that l
had won my bet. Martha's hand had
really disappeared in mine, and I
had to open my hand again in order
to imprint a kiss between two pretty
dimples.
Fraulein Roschen and her admirer
sat as if stupefied and stared solemn
ly at the door. A kiss which sounds
like a real one fills lovers with mixed
sensations-envy and appreciation.
Opposite them sat Herr Fenchel, who
stared at them in astonishment and
shook his head warningly. His fore
sight had deceived him, for he had
not known that Roschen would be
kissed. 1t was, moreover, such a
kiss, so fragrant, so resonant. Had
he dared to speak, which he did not,
out of consideration for his daugh-
ter, he would have administered the
strongest rebuke that mortal ever
received. So he contented himself
with looking reproachfully and
warningly at tho two culprits and
occasionally turning his eyes on his
wife, who was intent on a newspa-
per which she was holding upside
down.
The rest of the passengers grad
ually recovered from the shock. At
the next station there was a longer
stop, and we got out of the train. In
doing so I heard one passenger say
to another, Good %graoious!" He
was speaking of the kiss. "Beauti-
ful!' said a lady to a gentleman who
was accompanying her. She, too,
was speaking of it.
81 know exactly what's to be
done,' said Herr Fenchel to his wife
as they got out IN the platform. "Of
course you'll understand, too, Mar
tina, that that kiss in the tunnel''-