Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1918-01-10
Much Ado
About Nothing
By F. \. mitchell



Keep house or board? If we kept
house where was che furniture to !
come from? There We're plenty of
such matters to talk over, but PHYLLIS i
lid not seem inclined to discuss them. s
With her the question Of how we'll 1
loved her. would always love her, !
aad ever loved any one else, engaged
her thoughts. At any rate this was ,
what she was continually harping on. .
Since she would not discuss prac-
:ical matters | was forced to talk /
| ibout what l considered trifles though .
| hey We're very delicious trifies, mas
much as all my assurances to her were .
reinforced by kisses. One day when {
The kisses were plentiful 1 said to
Phyllis:
Have you ever been kissed by a
man before?'
Certainly not"
THAT'S very lovely" 1 replied with
another kiss.
"Have you ever kissed girl be- /,
fore?' she asked.
! The innocent creature.
Suilllol tell lie. L SalQ. Il
nave"
She looked a trifle disappointed.
| IA long time ago."
II am sorry to say I kissed girl
within week.
l was holding her hand, she with
drew 1t as if mine were hot coal.
expected to see tear in her eye,
but did not. She was hurt but she
was also offended. There was Just
enough man in her to keep back the
tears.
"Forgive me-" Il replied. "If you
should see those pouting lips, you
would not blame me-
II knew it," she said with heav-
ing breast. II have all along feared
that in such matters you are not trust
worthy"
ut is my only fault"
"Your only fault! 1t is the worst
fault man can have; that is one his
wife or flancee would consider his
worst"
"The temptation was very great"
I pleaded.
There was an awful silence for some
time. then she said in tone Of bitter
disappointment:
II should think that you would not
care to kiss girl who would permit
you to kiss her, unless you were en-
gagged to her"
THAT'S the girls lookout, not mine.
If she don't mind l don't"
Nv, 1T
her."
4 "On the contrary she Influenced
me-"
"You mean that it was all her fault.
That's just like a man, he is always
ready to throw all the blame on the
woman
II solemnly aver that was not
thinking of kissing her. She put up
her lips to be kissed and-well, just
kissed them. l couldn't help it."
Without a word Phyllis rose and left
the room. called to her to come
back; that had an explanation to
make; but she paid no attention to
me. Her mind was In that peculiar
state Of girl who has just become
engaged, ready to take fright at the
slightest appearance of unfaitffulness
to her on the part of her betrothed
| I think that more engagements would
hold If the parties We're separated the
day after the hetrothal and kept apart
without correspondence-till the
wedding.
There was nothing I could do-s.t
least for the present-to undo the dam
age I had done. Phyllis had left me,
deaf to my recall, and would not come
back. l cursed myself for a fool |
was to go away on a business trip
for the firm I was with early the next
morning, and would have no oppol-
tllnity to plead for forgiveness. While
l was away Phyllis might do some
, thing to separate us forever. thought
: OF going to my employer and asking
permission to delay my departure
But what reason could l give him?
That I had had Il spat with my sweet
: heart and wanted an opportunity to
make it up before it became any
worse? Likely he would have accept
] ed the reason. but I did not propose
to give such a one. I took a train the
next morning.
I could have written Phyllis an ex-
PLANTATION, but I feared that on cold
paper she would not believe 1t. was
only to be gone a week and concluded
| that the safest plan was to let the
matter rest till my return.
| confess that it was week OF
anxiety for me, and it must have been
one of misery to Phyllis. On reach
Ing home I wrote her note saying
that the girl I had kissed would &C
with me the next evening at seven
o'clock to plead my cause with her. ]
received no answer but expected
none.
) On the appointed evening appeared
ms I had said would with the girl
. ! had kissed.