The labor argus. [volume] (Charleston, W. Va.) 1906-1915, 1906-12-13
THE PRICE OF
A KISS
BY FRANCES RIVERS
1Copyright. by Joseph B. Rowles.)


OF the hill. he determined not to give
Lin & chance of escape.
The young man noted the increased
burrows over the old mans strongly
h~idged nose; the deeper chisellinss
al the corners of the resigned mouth,
now telling Of war between will and
weakening muscles.
4 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 PauPs Il
want you to come and hear me preach"
Preach! Yes! for sure. We all
Ike tc do bit of preachin', and it's
ret wonderful when one thinks how
well duty runs hand in hand with Xix
ing; but sometimes the best words of
I, preacher are those he doesn't say.
H4rps and golden crowns and such
like things-what's the use of such
TO rne?"
You have no religion. Davy."
Theirs lot O. religion in good
temper"
Paul Bolitho got up from the bench
ard walked up and down the path, the
imPetuosity of his youth apparent in
every step. Stopping in front of his
Involuntary Strengthening of the spine.
II want to make men honest women
v!rtuous." he said.
"Mebbe they would be If they wern't
interfercd 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 EN- o any vally. Ali" he
chuckled, you're terrible young If 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"
Days 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, nv
great-gran daughter, Sally. I wouldn't
let none o EN- have my Mary's name
the sound of It gives me now, after
all these years, funny feelin' in NV
ncart"
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
iookin' at girls-specially pretty girls
to see if one took notice O. me. The
very name OF a 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.
Well, she was a girl always up to
some devilment, a mischievous, blue
eyed girl. l didn't know then, though
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.
hut If Lizbeth sinned, 'twere in so
pretty 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
nara on her, but 'twasn't no use tryin'
10 alter her. A woman can't be no.
BODY but herself.
Well. Liz'beth, she come in one
day: So yer off. Davy?' says she. 1
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 flattered,
or because l couldn't help it, or be-
cause she wished it, or for some rea-
son or the want of any, I put my arm
around her waist and gave her a kiss.
There was no harm in it, 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 perjurirg himself, filed the
pause with: Il 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 l had never seen her before. She
seemed not to know what she was do