The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1909-08-19
THE GIRL THAT
HE KISSED BEFORE.
BY JAMES c. HINES.

mo- that's sky on the top"
COR water"
"Or PUSHES"
"Ihey all look the same till combin.
ed in the picture. l have it. The boys
head goes IN here"
And the girls in here"
NO. said Amy thoughtfully, that
would bring It too near the glrls.v
you wouldn't have them SIT at op-
posite ends Of the boat, would youY' |
objected.
Our own heads were quite near at
the moment.
You don't understand me. When
the picture is finished you won't find
the two heads 50 close together
And the old woman raking hay Is
spying on them. No; you are right:
the artist wouldn't have drawn his
picture that way"
why, what would the old woman
be watchingY'
ITO see that the boy didn't steal
kiss"
There's no harm in a kiss" Amy
replied after pause, "when they're
engaged"
Il confess to have kissed a girl once
to whom was not engaged"
'You ought to have been ashamed Of
yourselfY"
How about the grip
"Oh, there was no excuse for her
whatever. She must have been with.
out any principle or modesty"
Why will one woman proceed to
pass judgment on another without
hearing anything OF defense. was
nngered.
The girl kissed was as pure as an
angel" said with warmth.
in your sight"
I'm the sight Of God and the saints.
"You didn't say you were in love
with her.
This was thrust ] had not counted
on. l warded It or by explaining that
the affair occurred a long while ago.
but since / was only twenty-five my
position was weak.
'She was old enough to know better
or you wouldn't have cared to kiss
her"
| secretly resolved TO punish Amy
for this condemnation OF one / had |
had tender regard for But in my /
vocabulary tender regard and love
were not synonymous terms. bad I
never been in love and didn't know
where the tender regard ended and 1
love began.
''She was but fourteen" I replied
"This piece forms the stern Of the
boat and this the bow. and this goes
IN between the boy and the girl"
tits fortunate" I remarked, that
there's piece to go In between them,
since you're so prudish.p
Il prudishT
Yes, If l should rest my arm on
your waist you would be hopping
mad
She made no reply TO this. and !
dropped my hand on her waist. She (
might have been absorbed in the puz-
zle or bereft OF a sense Of feeling, for
she did not notice the act A slight {
motion Of her head again drew the
strands Of her hair across my cheek
/ now felt confident Of paying her in
her own coin for blaming the girl
had kissed.
~This piece she said, putting II in
q place where IT fitted. lis the chimney
to the cabin"
And this is the boys arm holding
an oar" / added, trying to put a piece
in place where it didn't ct. ! reach
ed for another piece and in doing so
brought my head still nearer Amy's.
She drew away, but the movement
was so faint that did not consider it
By any means a repulse. With the
hand about her waist drew her bit
nearer.
It's d dangerous thing for young
man to permit himself to work out a
picture puzzle or any other kind Of a
puzzle in garden with girl, for the
girl may be working ont puzzle Of
her own. was bent on Furnishing
Amy and forgot my caution. did not
realize that Love, with bis bow and
culver and matrimony, with q wife
and children, were perched on the limb
OF d tree behind me. ] put my cheek
SO near Amy's that sheet Of paper
wouldn't 70 between Then, turning
her face toward me, ! kissed her
| confess l was surprised that she
should SO meekly permit what few
minutes before she had condemned IN
another. had intended to hold up
to her the injustice, the Inconsistency |
Of her course but there was some-
thing in her nonresistanee that made
me ashamed Of myself / thought I
must say something, 50 ! said some
thing to make matters worse.
Il don't blame YOU"
eDo you blame yourselfG" she asked
BY way Of reply.
Myself? No; yes Why should III
.Do you consider It right to kiss 2
eirl to whom you are not engaged2
The moon shone, the flowers exhaled
perfumes, the air was still, So was ].
Finally spoke:
.pll make it right. love you"
And SO | was caught After it was
all over she confounded me by saying:
"Do yeu wish me to tell you who
was the girl you kissed before2 Wen,
she was T. You forgot the fourteen
vear-old miss, but she didn't forget
you"
Mrs. winslow'a Soothing Syrup
b. been used for over sIxrY-FIyE gEARs y NIL