The silver state. [volume] (Winnemucca, Nev.) 1909-1925, 1918-01-31
An Effective
Trap
Copyright. 1917. Western Newspaper UniOn-)
By RICHARD MARLEY

One winter some years & when
/ had become tired of a long continue
ton of snowstorms and cold weather
chill out of my bones. / reached the
land Of flowers when they were most
beautiful and most fragrant. The
transition from winter to early sum-
mer filled me with a delicious languor.
The morning after my arrival /
basked on the veranda of my hotel till
midday when l %bethought myself to
pay my respect to an aunt of mine
who had a cottage in the place. 1
left the hotel grounds by a side gate
and crossing a vacant space came to
q hedge in which / found an opening
and passed through to my aunt's
grounds. Directly in my path to the
house was a pagoda surrounded by
m%agnolias and other trees and shrubs.
1t was a very attractive looking place
and approaching it i yielded to a de-
sire to go into the pagoda and see what
ii was like.
As Don as l reached a point where
l could look between the boughs and
flowers / caught a most bewitching
sight. A young girl lay asleep in a
hammock. There was everything
about the picture to render it charm
ing. Even the colors Of the ham,
mock blended with those of the girls
gauzy raiment, and the surrounding
flowers. AS to the girl herself, there
was about her the relaxation Of slum-
Der a faint color in her cheeks; her
lips were slightly parted; her breast
was rising and falling.
Now, consider a fellow In the first
freshness Of youth transported within
twenty-four hours from a land of ice
and snow to n of tropical mildness,
coming suddenly upon a girl, robed in
the sheer apparel of the South, lying
asleep in a hammock, with a pair of
undefended coral lips, and tell me is
he to be blamed for yielding to a de-
sire to kiss them?
The only requisite Is courage. / had
not the courage, but / was drawn TO
the girl despite my want of 1t. l
paused as soon as / saw her, but pres
emily began a snail-like advance. I
put a foot on the lowest of the three
steps leading up to the pagoda. I
mounted II, and since the girl did not
open her eyes, | stood on the second
step, and then on the third. There
was no great terror In me yet because
l had committed no overt act. 1 slipped
my feet along the pagoda floor till I
came within reaching distance. Sud-
denly 1t occurred to me hat If the girl
should awaken and see a strange man
standing over her 1t would be very
embarrassing to the man. Perhaps she
might give a shrek. / shuddered at
the thought.
But a glance at those lips banished
fear. / bent over them, hesitating,
bending lower, till at last 1 touched
them. with mine. For a few seconds I
was in heavens flower garden.
AS / raised myself l looked for
her eyes to open and regard me with
Indignation or whitening contempt.
Marvelous-she slept on.
l wondered if she would stand n
other kiss without awakening. I re-
solved to risk it. This time / pressed
her lips more firmly and longer than
before. Then / Strengthened myself
and tip-toed away. Looking back I
saw that she was still sleeping.
My aunt received me cordially and
asked me to dine with her the same
evening.
II have a young lady friend from
the North visiting me-" she said. 81
wish you to meet her. l have told
her you are In every respect a fine
fellow; so put your best foot forward
and don't do anything to disappoint
her. She is at an age when a girl x
poets a man to be the quintescence of
Difference. Don't fail to practice all
those little refinements expected of a
thoroughbred"
l promised my aunt that / would
mind my P.'s and Q's and left her,
wondering If the girl l had kissed was
not the guest she had referred TO.
That night, In evening dress, l went
again to my aunt's. On the way l
plucked the most delicate flower l
could 1nd-if | remember rightly 1t
was a rose-fdf my ~button-hole. l
found my aunt and the young lady l
had kissed on the veranda, made my
most courtly bow On being introduced
to the latter, and when she remarked
the beauty of the rose l wore In my
~button-hole, l handed II to her saying
that II was a pity to mar her other
wise perfect appearance with eve a
rose. l considered this at the time a
fine compliment l now consider 1t full
some and boyish.
She cast her eyes down saying that
she had been dancing very late for
several nights In succession and was
sadly in need of sleep. She could not
look well under these circumstances.
This explained why she had not been
awakened by my kisses.
Ia 80 AAAn .a4I 49, ~ .oNx.a ~