SITTING UP WITH HER.

Grey River Argus, Volume XV, Issue 1813, 28 May 1874, Page 4

SITTING UP WITH HER.

[dajtbury news.] She was expecting him Sunday night ; the parlor 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 watching for the "old man," who didn't like him any too well,'gave a faint knock at the door, : nd it was opened, and he was escorted into rhe parlor. 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 liis fatter had returned from York State if his brother Bill's rheumatism was any i.etter; and he went over and sat down on the sofa so as not to strain bis voice. Then conversation flagged, and he played with his hat, and she nibbled at the sofa tidy. He finally said it wa9 a beautiful evening, and she replied that her grandfather predicted a snow-storm. 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 she 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 lampblack. She couldn't say, but she had an idea that it did. He 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 away 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 he could name a dozen young men who were going to get married right away, and his arm fell 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 the light down 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 county 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 othrr day, thinking of the night I heard him whisper in her ear at spelling-school that he'd love her very shadow as long as he lived, he raised the window and called to her, as she was picking up chips in the road: Sue Saunders, come in here and find the bars greaße for my sore heel, or I'll break every bone in your body !