The Bottineau courant. (Bottineau, Bottineau County, N.D.) 1895-1929, 1914-05-01

IancleG the occupant might be asleep.
He had no business in the grounds,
but he was a venturesOme fellow. with
no end of esource and assurance, and
had an c ready in case he met
any one. Drawing gradually nearer to
the pagoda. he finally reached a point
near enough for him to see a lady
asleep in the hammock.
She was young-about twenty land
fair to look upon. She seemed to be
sleeping so soundly that the young
man drew nearer. even to the steps Of
the pagoda. There was something in
the face Of the sleeper that seemed
familiar to him. He thought that he
had een her before. then that he had
not, vibrating between these two opin.
ions. at last deciding that he had not.
One feature especially charmed him,
the lady had a very kissable mouth.
For a young man to stand looking at
a young lady asleep with a kissable
mouth is dangerous-not so dangerous
to the young lady As the young man.
for there is certainly no harm in one
being kissed who doesn't know Of the
fact. But the young man taking that
which does not belong to him is liable
to the consequences Of his rash act.
Then suppose the lady is awakened by
the process! Such a contingency would
naturally strike terror into any sensi-
tive man.
The watcher drew nearer and nearer
on tiptoe till he reached the hammock.
then. bending over the sleeper, in one
Of the alternate risings and bendings
finally lightly touched the lips with his.
The sleeper slumbered on. Not a mus
Gle twitched. The young man was
tempted to take another, but suddenly
the abyss on which he stood occurred
to him, and. turning. he tiptoed away
to the opening Of the hedge and passed
through. Then he began to wonder at
the recklessness. the folly, the awful
ness of what he had done.
When he united his scarf at dressing
for dinner that same evening he missed
a stickpin surmounted with q horse
shoe that he had worn during the day.
He wondered how and where he had
lost it. Then he remembered working
his way through the hedge. He must
have dropped 1t there. He was tempt
ed to go out and look for 1t, but he had
barely time to dress for dinner, so he
must needs put of the search till morn
ing.
When he went down to dinner whom
should he see but the girl he had kissed
in the hammock. He was seized with
a terrible fright. but on being present.
ed to her she gave no evidence what
ever Of ever having seen, met or heard
Of him before. He was assigned to her
for a dinner companion, and by the
time they were seated at table he had
regained enough of his equanimity to
remark that it had been a very hot
day. that he hoped it would be cooler
tomorrow and that he feared the sum-
mer would be an oppressive me-.
However. the lady made it easy for
him by being agreeable. and he gradu-
ally forgot that If she knew how he
had robbed her she would despise him.
S1AICA UAA1ICi IuC COAApduy SLIOlIcU OUT
on to the veranda and spent the even
ing under the moonlight amid the fra
GRANGE Of roses. The thief of the kiss
quite recovered from any qualms Of
conscience and was glad he had done
It, especially since the girl had not
awakened.
On Monday the young man took an
early train to the city. When the post
man arrived during the afternoon he
brought a small package addressed to
Thomas Arnold. Esq. Opening it, the
recipient took out a handkerchief, In
one corner Of which were his initials
and a stickpin with a horseshoe mount
ing.
Arnold sank down in q. chair. with q
moan.
He saw It all. When he had kissed
the girl In the tunnel she had snatched
his handkerchief from his pocket. She
had since grown to he a young lady,
and after he had kissed her a second
time she had fonnd his stickpin under
the hedge.