Southwest-sentinel. [volume] (Silver City, N.M.) 1883-189?, 1896-02-18
HE KISSED HER.

we'll II proves luAN CiACuIuaiuncta
alter cases, and that women are unrea.
sonable beings, and that everything de-
ponds uron the point Of view"
Anything else?"
''It also proves that long engagements
are a mistake and that there are some
trihes about which n man does better 10
deceive his wife"
''It must certainly be your own story
II Il proves all that you say, 1 said.
why don't you write IL out-make a
book Of It, for example, and call Il 'Ev-
cry Man His Own Don Juan2'"
But my friend protested
cit wasn't quite so bad as that, " he
said. IN tell you about it if You like
and You can Judge"
So / agreed to listen, and he told me.
"Ours was a long engagement, but at
last we ended It..
"You broke it OFF,"
mo, no. we married. II is not an I'M
usual alternative, ] believe, and ON the
whole IL has turned out very we'll. /
don't complain. Only there have been
awkward moments / suppose there
nearly always are. Moments, for in
stance, when my wife has asked me if l
have ever loved before.
"There is n st%ereotyped answer to that
question, my friend, " / interposed.
II know. / used the cliche. / was
even prepared il necessary to ave the
cliche printed and framed and glazed
and hung up in the bedroom. But the
matter did not end there. Pauline was
always fishing for confessions. Had 1
always been faithful to her during that
long engagement in thought as we'll as
act7 II not, l must tell her-I must con-
fess. She was sure there hadn't been
anything serious, and she would forgive
me. I mustn't think that she wanted 10
live in n FOOLS paradise"
"And do you mean 10 tell me that
You are actually capable Of believing a
woman when she says hat she doesn't
want to'live in a FOOLS p~aradise?"
"Not now, not now. I should always
use tho cliches now. But / was holder
then"
"More rash, You mean"
more rash, then, il you prefer the
word. You see, the truth was SO very
unimportant, and she might be imagin-
ing sometI Il so very serious. So 1
Thought tlras If / told her it would clear
the clouds away"
"You didn't understand that women
are happier in wondering what is behind
the clouds than in discovering definite
spots upon the sum-"
"Not then. Besides it was rather a
funny story In its way, and / relied ON
Pauline's sense Of humor. She had often
told me that she had more sense Of hui
NOR than the average woman"
every woman" l insisted, els an
average woman in her appreciation Of a
certain kind Of funny story. But what
was the exact story that you had to
tell?"
And he told me all about 1t, quoting,
80 far as his memory served him, the
exact words in which he had told it to
his wife.
1T IL nothing so very terrible, Pau
line,' 1 said. Such a trihe that, till
You questioned me, / had forgotten all
about it.
"'But you must tell me, she urged.
ooh, yes, You must tell me OF l shall be
afraid that it is something Dreadful
"'Ahl Well then, in that case 1 must
confess, Isaid. 1t was a long time ago,
when we were engaged-that summer,
you know, when 1 was travelling in
Switzerland 1 was staying for a few
days at the little hotel that stands be-
side the falls Of Tosa, in the Val Far
mazye There was a girl there-a beau
tiful girl like you, dear, only in a differ
ont way-a sweet, helpless, clinging lit
Ttle thing, with a complexion like a
peach in bloom, and the very loveliest
auburn hair
pauline interrupted.
"'You mean red hair. / hate It'll 1
think it very uglyr she exclaimed
my friend, that jarTing note ought
20 have warned you, " / remarked.
II know. It frightened me, and I
tried to stop, but Pauline would not let
me-"
And he resumed his narrative.
81 hate red hair too. as a general
rule, because your hair is black, l told
her. But il pleased me then. You see,
was travelling quite by myself, and 1
was feeling lonely and was glad to find
some one whom / could talk to. SO I
broke the ice at dinner, and afterward
the girl and / always ohatted with each
other when we met
"'You quite forgot to tell her that
you were engaged to me, / suppose?'
Pauline inquired.
II had Of course. That was the whole
point Of the story, and it wa inartistic
Of Pauline 10 pretend TO be surprised. I
did not reproach her for that, however,
but continued.
"'Eo, dearest. II 1 had told her,
there would have been no confession for
you to wiring from me now. II I had told
her, she would never have walked out
with me that night to watch the moon
light shining ON the waterfall But she
came, aud we sat on a rock together lis
toning 10 it, music. You must not be
angry with me, Pauline, for j have been
sorry ever since. You must rather pity
me for being weak For the whole air
seemed full Of poetry and passion. and
she wa very pretty. n she nestled
very close to me, and thon-forgiye
me, Pauline. i hardly knew what / was
doing. and Il all happened such a long
time ago-fhou / put my arm round her
~ragaigt, aud sho let her head fall on my
shoulder and looked up with her lips a
little parted expecting 70 DO kissed And
ihon'-
And thonF Pauline repeated
And then. Pauline, / remembered
You. 10 seemed 70 me that, through the
hazy white mist Of the broken water,
saw yodr beautiful gray eyes looking al
me sadly, ~reproachfully. Twas ashamed
and horridod Iwishod that / had never
ma fIia .frIH