Sitting up with Her.

Cromwell Argus, Volume V, Issue 244, 14 July 1874, Page 7

Sitting up with Her.

(Danbury News.) She was expecting him on Sunday night; the parlour curtains were down, the old folks notified that it was healthy to go bed at eight o’clock, and Johnny bribed with a cent to permit himself to be tucked away at sundown. He sneaked up the path, one eye on the dog and the other on the “ old man,” who didn’t like him any too well, gave a faint knock at the door, and it was opened, and he was escorted into the parlour. He said he couldn’t stay but a minute, though he didn’t mean to go home for hours. She wanted to know how his mother was ; if his father had returned from York State ; if his big brother Bill’s rheumatism was any better ; and he went over and sat down on the sofa, so as not to strain his voice. Then conversation flagged, and he played with his hat, and she nibbled at the sofa tidy. He finally said that it was a beautiful evening, and she said that her grandfather predicted a snowstorm. He said he guessed it wouldn’t snow, as the moon was not crooked enough to hang a powder-horn on the, end, and she said she didn’t believe that it would either. This mutual understanding seemed to give them both courage, and he wanted to know if she had seen Bill Jones lately. She hadn’t, she said, and sh'e didn’t want to. They then went on' talking about the donation visit which was to be given before long to Elder Berry, and he carelessly dropped his hand in hers—while his left arm "sneaked along the sofa, and got behind her shoulders. She pretended not to notice it, and he looked down at his boots, and wanted to know if she thought mutton tallow rotted our boots faster than lard and lampback ? She couldn’t say, but she had an idea that it did tie had just commenced to hook fingers with her, when she discovered something wrong with the lamp. She rose up and turned the lamp half down, making the room look dim. It took him five minutes to get hold of her fingers again, and she pretended to want to draw her hand all the time. After a long pause, he lowered his voice to a whisper, and said he didn’t see what made folks love each other. She bit her handkerchief and admitted her ignorance. He said lie could name a dozen young men who were going to get married right away, and his arm foil down and gave her a hug. Then he went over and looked out of the window to make sure that it was or was not going to snow, and coming back he turned down the lamp a little more, and then sat down and wanted to know if she didn’t want to rest herself by leaning her head on his shoulder.

Ah me ! We have all been there, and who of us cared a cent when the old clock struck twelve and we five miles from home ? The old man was fast asleep, the watch-dog gone a visiting, and the handsomest girl in the country didn’t see why we need be in a hurry. Perhaps I shouldn’t have written this, but as I was going by Saunders’ the other day, thinking of the night I heard him whisper in her ear at the spelling school that he’d love her very shadow asking as he lived, he raised the window and called to her as she was picking up chips in the road— b’ar’s grease for my sore heel, or I’ll break every bone in your body!”