The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1908-02-11
What Game Of a Kiss.

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August had come. The musical sea-
son was at Its height. The rvsssllop-
per chirped all the morning, the locust
sang in the afternoon. while the tree
toad was preparing for an engagement
evenings.
Within the dropping boughs Of a cop
per beech hung a hammock, and In
the hammock lay a girl. There was
not a bit of color in her attire, from
the lace about her neck to her white
shoes. She had promised him a game,
but it was very hot, and instead Of
going Oh to the grounds her steps had
been detected to the hammock.
What's that triangulating on the
tennis court? White trousers like d
pair Of dividers give an appearance Of
triangulation. The owner Of the
trousers is lazily dancing a tennis ball
N a racket. He wonders why she
doesn't come. Presently he strolls to-
ward the house to look for her. He
doesn't find her on the porch, so he en-
tiers the hail and calls to her. No an
swer. He returns to the porch and
stands looking out at anything, every,
thing, nothing. Then he catches sight
Of something white moving under the
branches Of the copper beech. He tri-
angulates there, moving with more
animation than before, and, lifting q
bough, looks under the green roof. She
sleeps. Intent on the lovely sight be-
fore him, it doesn't occur to him that
the vibrations had stopped rather sud
denly. So still is she that life is evil
dent only by the rising and falling Of
her bosom. The mouth is in IN admira-
bic position to be kissed, the head
thrown back and partly over the ham
mock's side. The birds above sing
love songs to one another: the insects
on the lawn give a fantasia In the
same strain. The maxwell, the man
stoops and kisses the girl.
She does not awaken, and he kisses
her again.
Thrice he kisses her, and the third
time she moves. Then after a bit she
opens her eyes and blinks at him.
"Why, where did you come from?"
From the tennis court, where you
were to have Joined me"
cts too hot for Tennis"
81 think SO too. Much %pleasanter
here. I might have won a pair Of
gloves"
sYou wouldn't do that"
"Why?"
Because you are a gentleman"
Would you never have forgiven
met"
"Never-that is, unless we had been
engaged"
He thought a moment, then said.
There was no temptation under the
circumstances"-
mo temptation! How compliment
tary"
II mean that knowing I would incur
your displeasure II I kissed you l
wouldn't think Of doing So"
"Ohy'
He was sitting on a wicker chair he
side her hammerlng the ground with
his racket absently.
what are you thinking abouty' she
asked.
II once kissed a girl in a hammock"
he said, land 1 wasn't engaged to her
either. She wa asleep, just as you
were. I kissed her three times, and
the third time she awoke. She knew
very well I'd kissed her."
what did she do?'
'she didn't do anything"
"And what did you dor,
Il didn't do anything either at the
time. But that evening 1t was moon
light. She went to sleep on the wicker
lounge on the porch-and-well, I kiss
Cd her again"
Il was now her turn to do the think
ing.
II suppose" abe said presently. that
10 long az you had kissed her once be-
fore
Three times"
TT didn't make SO much difference
about the fourth kiss-that Is, from
you-and since she was asleep It
wasn't her fault anyway"
"If you should go to sleep on the
wicker lounge IN the porch tonight and
I should kiss you, you wouldn't be to
blame, would you"
Certainly not. But you?"
"Oh, maybe I'd be to blame, but
since you didn't know anything about
1t there wouldn't be any harm DONE"
IT don't know about that"
The moon shone down on q corner
Of the porch covered with wistaria. or,
rather. the noon shone on the wsstaria
while the orner was in deep shadow.
This distinction may seem trivial, but
1t is not in this case. for on a wicker
lounge in the corner a girl lay asleep.
True, one tiny ray struggling through
the vine touched her lips. He vas sit.
ting beside her. This time he was in
.he hammock.
"Asleep"' he asked in a low tone.
There was no reply.
He bent forward and kissed her.
She awoke.
IEL N Z.E Al.