The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1906-12-20
THE PRICE OF
A KISS
BY FRANCES RIVERS
Copyright, by Joseph b. Bowles. }

me young man noted the increased
burrows over the old mans strongly
bridged nose; the deeper chisellings
at the corners of the resigned mouth
now telling of war between will and
weakening muscles.
A feeling of half.harmonious conces.
sion to his own early affection for his
companion, mixed with a sense of his
newly attained position of importance
as pastor, was betrayed in Paul's 81
want you to come and hear me preach -
Preach! Yes! for sure. We all
like to do bit of preachin, and It's
not wonderful when one thinks how
well duty runs hand in hand with lik.
ing; but sometimes the best words of
a preacher are those he doesn't say.
llarps and golden crowns and such.
like things-what's the use of such
to me?"
You have no religion, Davy."
Theirs a lot o religion in good
temper"
Paul Bolitho got up from the bench
and walked up and down the path. the
impetuosity of his youth apparent in
every step. Stop ing in front of his
old friend, his head shot aloft by the
involuntary Strengthening of the spine.
II want to make men honest, women
virtuous." he said.
"Mebbe they would be II they wern't
interfered with" The smile that
played round the old mans mouth
spoke Of intimate knowledge OF the
world.
Make what rules you can for your
fellowmen, but make none for women
they're exceptions" he advised.
Tho mebbe you don't know yet that
you counts 'em O. any vaily. Ah!". he
chuckled, you're terrible young II you
haven't thought O. woman to be reck nd
with; for sartain sure they'll come
even into your life. Women with their
crinkly hair, their dancin' eyes an
feet, their smiles an their mischief,
their altogether stonishing ways, that,
bad or good, sort o paralyse a man."
But"
They be wonderful tryin', too, an
'zasperatin'; for they'll bear no con-
troll"
Davy's voice faltered, the periods of
his talk became detached, stopped al
together. Changing the pipe over
from one side to the other Of his
mouth, he smoked In silence for some
minutes, whilst he dived into the re.
cesses OF his mind.
You don't remember my Mary-no,
/ s'pose not-but you can see her ev'ry
time you look at my gran'-no. my
great.gran daughter, Sally. | wouldn't
the sound of 1t gives me now, after
all these years, funny feelin' in my
heart"
I've heard my grandfather speak of
your WIFE"
She was--well, she was Just Mary
The close knittin' of man and woman,
as comes about when, day in and day
out, they're together, is wonderful.
There was only one thing for which
we ever fell out. She was always
lookin' at girls-specially pretty girls
to see II one took notice O. me. The
very name Of girl drew her to 'zas-
peration. You wouldn't remember
Lizbeth Richards. neither?"
Before Paul had time to reply, he
answered for him: mo. to be sure
not.
We'll, she was girl always up to
some devilment. a mischievous, blue.
eyed girl. | didn't know then, though
I knew afterwards, that people had
been talking of her an me-but wom-
en- always will gossip; their lungs is
as big as bellows, and the better
the women are, the worse they talk.
But II Lizbeth sinned. 'twere in so
pretty a way that all men held her
sins less black than the tellin' O. 'em,
and thought 'em best left hidden than
talked into sight. Even Mary was
hard on her, but 'twasn't no use tryin'
to alter her. A woman cant be no.
body but herself.
well, 'Liz'beth, she come in one
day: so yer off, Davy?' says she.
was startin' with the boats to the
North. An because she looked at me
with tear in her eye, or just because
| was young. an fool, an fiattered,
or because | couldn't help 1t. or be-
cause she wished 1t, or for some rea.
son or the want of any, put my arm
around her waist and gave her kiss.
There was no harm in 1t, Mister Paul,
| declare to the Almighty there was
no harm In It."
And as the young man saw that
Davy wanted comforting, he, at the
risk of perjuring himself, filled the
pause with: 81 quite understand"
AN just then, Mary, who | thought
was In the next room, she came In.
She was all a-trembly an was skeart
as | had never seen her before. She
seemed not to know what she was do.
ing-a sob, a cruel, deep sob-it
sounded like a cry, strangled In the
throat-came from her lips. But II
seemed to me Mary was maxim a
strange fuss over so smah a matter,
though the most violent feelin' In the
world is one woman's hatred o. an.
| other"
81 started to embrace her.
Don't you touch me. and your arm
Just from Lizbeth's waist!'
| "She went back few steps. Seemed
to me my heart was bein' tore out O.
my breast and the pain O. It was un.
bearable.
What made you do 1t? Why did
you act SO cruel to me?' she asked.
"T didn't mean no harm; twas nc