The Tupelo journal., 1917-02-16

ing to me, because l had d problem to
solve. l reckoned that the guilty one
would betray herself before we arrived
at the Queen City Of the West. But
the only n Of the three who could
have kissed me who showed a special
predisposition for me was Agnes. and
she gave no sign Of guilt. At all
events, it seemed to me that / had
made a very favorable impression upon
her.
On arrival at Pittsburgh those of us
who were going further west took q
steamboat to descend the Ohio river.
Among those who were aboard were
the elderly gentleman, whose name by
this time / had learned to be Shotwell ;
his sister and his daughter. In the
coach, crowded together as we were,
there was no opportunity for a tete-a-
tete between me and Agnes, but on the
steamboat was plenty. We sat together
on the guards outside the ladies' cabin,
and at times on deck. The Ohio was
called by the early French settlers La
Belle Riviere, and justly SO. At the
time of, this journey, the autumn, her
waters were clear, and the foliage on
the multitude of hills on her banks
was Of many colors. No affair of the
heart could have taken place under
more propitious circumstances.
One evening, when the air was out
Of the south, Agnes and l went on to
the hurricane deck, which is the high
est deck of all. No one was there but
ourselves. We stood looking out on a
moOnlit scene. The sounds were the
%throbbing OF the engine below and the
striking of the paddle wheels at the
sides of the boat upon the water,
Now, / had not thus far regarded my
affair with Agnes Shotwell as any more
serious than those l had had with 9TH
err girls. / had by this time made up
my mind that she had given me a kiss
in the dark and that her innocence vas
assumed. Acting upon this theory, !
suddenly clasped her in my arms and
rained kisses upon her cheeks and lips.
A man may sometimes kiss a girl
without having declared himself and
not appear disrespectful. /, having as
sumed that Agnes had overstepped the
boundary of feminine modesty, gave
her too many kisses.
AS soon as she could release herself
she turned from me without a word,
went to the steps leading below and
disappeared. There was that in her
manner to tell me it would be useless
TO follow her; that she vas incensed
beyond measure and if ! obtained for
giveness l must wait and strive for 1t.
Had | known her better I would not
have feared that she would make it
unpleasant for me with the others Of
her party, but my limited knowledge of
her made me fear that she would.
| confess | was very much disgrun-
tied. To have made such a mistake
troubled me very much, for | was at
an age when a man Is especially sensi-
tive to the good opinion or condemna-
ton Of women. I brooded over the
matter during the day and lay awake
thinking of it at night.
l did not see her again till the after
noon Of the mex day, when | APP
preached her while she was with her
father and aunt. She received me mel
ther kindly nor unkindly, there being
nothing in her manne to indicate to
the others that she was offended with
me. But when | again met her alone
she passed me without recognition.
l was now badly cut up. l knew
f~cr, ho. ,orna <Eok cho rrc. ,nA< mt
ing a part, and it was plain to me that
the kiss given me in the coach had not
been impaired by her. / was in a di-
lemma. ] must either acknowledge
myself a culprit or excuse myself by
telling her of the kiss in the coach, a
likely to be believed.
Very soon after my offense we ar
rived at the landing at Cincinnati.
That Mr.. Shotwell did not know of
anything amiss between his daughter
and me was made plain by his giving
me an invitation to call at his house.
/ looked at Agnes to note if she acqui-
esced, but saw no sign hat l would or
would not be welcome. We parted on
leaving the boat, the Shotwell party
driving to their home in the city, |
to my hotel.
After much brooding over the matter
/ concluded to make the call. / had in
me the consciousness of not being quite
SO bad as l appeared and | must bide
my time for an opportunity to explain.
Upon entering the Shotwell residence
| received the surprise of my life.
Agnes came into the drawing Dol
alone and with a very different look
OF her face from any ! had seen there
since my transgression.s 1t was very
cordial.
l was of course relieved, but pllz-
zled. | did not believe for a moment
that Agnes had pretended to be offend
ed with me. and vet as a sensitive girl
how could she suddenly return to her
former treatment of me without even
an apology? l started to make one. but