Bridgeton pioneer., 1917-09-13
A ROMAN
SCARFPIN
1t Started a Romance
BY WILLARD BLAKEMAN
BY WILLARD BLAKEMAN

gentleman and at sixty-three was as
marked in his attentions ts the Indies
as young lnan of twenty-five. And
there was something about him that
drew the fair sex to him | have seen
girl of twenty gladly leave youne
man of twenty-five to chat with tbo
OLD gentleman, very much to the
younger ones dissatisfaction. I liked
to hear him tell his escapades. and one
day he related the following story:
! When l was young man a railroad
train was very different conveyance
from what it is now. There were no
sleeping or parlor cars, the coupling
was the old method-by means of a pin
and link, permitting the cars to swing
from side to side-and, as for lights,
there were nothing but lanterns. When
a train passed through tunnel these
lanterns We're left unlighted and the
passengers in darkness.
l was travelling one day on one of
these loosely bound together trains-I
think l was nineteen years old at the
t1me-when l had an adventure which
influenced my whole life. On the op.
posite side OF the car, several seats be-
fore me, sat very pretty girl. She
had mouth that can only be described
as kissable. l would have defied ant
one who saw it to refrain from want
ing to kiss those vermilion lips.
At any rate, as soon as saw them
was seized with a desire. to kiss them,
and the oftener l looked at them the
stronger became the inclination. We
had Travelled in the same coach for sew
eral hours when suddenly the train
shot into a tunnel
The moment we were left in dark
ness an idea popped into my head 1t
was to go across the aisle and kiss
those lips. knew the tunnel and that
train required several minutes to
pass through it. l would have what
time l needed. The girl would not
know who had kissed her. She might
suspect me, but she would not be GER
tain that l was the aggressor, and I
had confidence in my ability to look
innocent.
/ arose from my seat, counted three
seats forward by putting my hand on
their backs and sought the girl by feel
ing for her. My hand touched her
sleeve. L bent forward, brushed my
face against hers till my lips met hers
and took what, under the circum-
stances, might be called a reasonably
long kiss.
expected a shrek, but beyond a not
overload expression Of surprise, which
was drowned by the rattle Of the train,
there was no comment on my audacity.
AS soon as 1 had gratified my desire
every one knows how sweet is a stolen
kiss-I retreated to my seat, and when
the train left the tunnel my head was
resting on the back Of my seat, and I
was picture of innocent slumber
After a few minutes 1 opened my
eyes, yawned, looked out Of the win
dow and then about me. The girl was
quietly reading a novel she had been
WAtu tAt IIdlll cllcIeu IuC
tunnel. I was pleased that she did not
appear flustered. Her lips looked more
kissable than ever, and l wished the
whole journey were in a tunnel and I
could repeat what I had done ad infini-
tum.
A young man is particular as to the
set of his neckwear, and 1 passed my
10 ,o1, hot
l had not disarranged it while stealing
the kiss.
Ny scarfpin was missing.
Here was something on which had
not counted. The pin was gift and d
valuable one, a mosaic my mother had
brought from the Eternal City.
knew that I had lost it while taking
the kiss and had probably dropped it
on the seat occupied by the girl or on
the floor at her feet. But to look for it
there would be a dead giveaway.
What should | do? BraZen it out by
making a search for the pin where
had lost it? l dared not.
In those days at the end Of the car
were water cooler and tin cup.
i arose lTOlu Ily "ttihSi ciO"iy
forward to the cooler, took drink of
water, turned and went back to my
seat. AS passed the girl glanced on
the vacant part of the seat ON which
she sat and ON the floor beside her. hop
, ing to see my pin. 1t was not in sight.
On my return trip cast momentarE
glance at the girl She was reading her
novel and did not look up. There was
a suspicion of an amused look about
those kissabie lips.
OF course M examination Of the
seat and the flocr was by no means
thorough. | hoped the girl would leave
the train before it reached my stopping
place. This would give me an oppor-
tunity to make a satisfactory search
for my pin. But we passed station
after station without Ter making
move. Then came my steN'ihe place.
Should l give up my pin or &o Oh TIL