Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1914-01-01

PONPON'S STOLEN KISS
BY ROB M'cHEYNE.


of Indian summer. In the air was that
dangerous warmth that steals into
the veins and lulls the brain to dreams
and Renaissance. The giant cataract
could be heard family. drowsy, dis
tant hum of Monotony-a sound that
seemed to pervade everything and
reach the bewildered brain, strangely
associated with the heavy odor Z
grapes. full ripe; the rich clusters
hanging everywhere.
1t is only by some such psychologi-
cal analysis, whether scientific or not,
that an explanation can be found for
the startling fact that Fanchette. go
ing home from the days picking, al
lowed Ponpon the jester. the clown,
the great laughing registering PoApon,
to imprint upon her pretty, upturned,
scralet lips, kiss, thinking all the
while 1t was Antoine.
And such kiss A group of gay
young girls turned at the sound. only
to see the demure Fanchette, blushing
to be sure, but smiling in serene un-
consciousness of the fact that 1t was
Ponpon who had slipped up behind her
and tipped her chin back, as Antoine
sometimes did, when he was not too
serious.
80, that is the way when Antoine
is not herel" And she turned back
to wait for Antoine.
When he came up Ponpon was hang
ing over him, casting all manner of
! jibes at him.
You have excellent taste, Antoine
| swear her little chin Is as soft as
re breast Of lie perdrix." He burst
into a loud guffaw Here is La Orig
non"-he had given the dark-eyed girl
! this nickname because she was tall as
a maypole and it had stuck because
she was pretty as one-"she will tell
you; she saw Fanchette kiss me-"
Eyes, and | think 1t is outrageous
of her"
Ponpon was not prepared for this,
as he had no idea anyone had seen
him, and had called La Grignon into
It only to tease Antoine. So he quick
ly ran off to join another group But
Antoine was silent and his companion
had no chance to poison his mind
against her rival
| Fanchette entered the vine-covered
cottage and kissed her mother with
/ the happiest of faces,
"Ah. my little Mignon. see you
| have made up your quarrel of last
| night with Antoine"
Eyes. mamma he slipped up behind
me as ] was walking home-O, nam
ma, it was so good Of him. know
was in the wrong last night and
| shall tell him so when he comes to-
night"
But Antoine did not come. The
next day Fanchette noticed differ
ence in the way the girls treated Yer.
Day after day of the balmy Indian
summer passed away and Fanchette,
no longer in doubt of the worlds in
! justice went about her work with a sad
little heart What had she done? Poor
| Fanehettel She knew nothing of the
world as yet She could not under
stand
One day, late in October, she was
sitting on the stone wall, her eyes OF
across the valley and her thoughts If
far-off Gascony, when Ponpon came
upon her
Poor Fanchette" he said banter
ingly, "she is re last of her illustrious
race and 1t makes her to mourn
Come. let me kiss away that sad locT
81 hate you! I hate you! l hate
everybody" she burst forth.
"Fanchette Dear little Fanchette.
This Is serious Tell Ponpon."
Fanchette only shook her head and
winked the tears back. For a long
time the good hearted fellow who had
worked all the mischief regarded her
In silence. then. unwilling to leave
without a word said
you will save Ponpon dance TO-
night?'
The girl shook her head
"Fanchette Do not be SO ill-tem-
pered"
I'm I'm not going" sobbed poor
Fanchette
mot going7 Not going to the beeg
party that the boss gives US. Why
there will be dances, and games, and
| jack o-lanterns. Not going to the hal.
lowe'en party? Fanchettel Fanchette!
If you do not hold the water In your
mouth you can never get married.
But the girl wouldn't smile and poor
Ponpon went away sad Of heart. But
she shall go he said. and with the
aid of Fanchettes mother he finally
persuaded her to go at the last min
ute.
or course her appearance, and with
| Ponpon, set the busy tongues w0g-
| ging; and her tall rival hit upon a
merry plan that all the girls applaud
ed They would send poor tlmid Fan
Ghetto into the great empty barn
where where they had fixed up the
big swing like ghost swaying back
and forth in the darkness, and when
she screamed they would all have a
good laugh.
The crowd gathered about the low
er door, as the girl slowly mounted
the ladder AS she removed the band
age and saw the grinning pumpkins
and the great ghost she could not SUP