Democratic Sentinel, Volume 17, Number 5, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 17 February 1893 — HIS FIRST KISS. [ARTICLE]

HIS FIRST KISS.

How a German Officer Won a Jolly American Girl for Hl» Wife. A funny courtship was that of a well-known New York girl who is now married, to one of the kaiser’s officers. Graf von S •, who is a frank, direct sort of creature, with the stature of a giant, and the simplicity of a child, was captivated at once by the wild spirits of Edith A ’s girlish fun—fun which must have been “so unbecoming” in a Deutsches Madchen, but which was perfectly allowable in the American “Mees” (a distinction, by the way, which is almost universally made on the continent, our young countrywoman having much greater latitude allowed them than any others). Their first meeting was startling, to say the least of it. After a very lively dinner at the house of an American lady who had married a German officer, the ladies left the dining-room and lingered a moment in the little hall that connected with the drawing-room, to show Miss A , who had just arrived in Germany, the heavy Prussian helmets of the officers, which they had left on the table.

“How uncomfortable this must be,” said the girl, and lifting the cumbrous piece ol armor and placing it on her own head, she turned laughingly to her companions. What w;as her surprise apd consternation, when from the opposite dining-room her vis-a-vis at dinner, to whom she had not be’en introduced, Graf von S , rose from his seat, and without the slightest hesitation, stalked across the room with military precision and in the most natural and matter-of-fact manner—kissed her! Of course, she was furiously angry, and she was not at all appeased when she was told that it was a well-known German custom, and that she had brought it upon herself by putting on Graf S—-—'s helmet. She appeared to have forgiven him the next evening, moreover, for they danced, the “cotillion” together at the court ball; and not more than a fortnight later Mme. II , Edith A ’8 quondam-hosb-ess at the eventful dinner, burst in upon some of her particular cronies, who were having afternoon tea at a friend’s house, with: “Only fancy! What fun! 1 have just heard Graf S propose to Edithj I took them to the picture gallery this afternoon, and seeing a friend, left them for a few minutes in the little room where the Sistine Madonna is; and when I returned I was startled by hearing Count S saying in his wonderfully funny English: ‘I have lofed since the first eyewink’ (augenblick). I nearly screamed with laughter, but as they had not seen me I beat a hur.•icd retreat and left them there, and here I am.”

Of course the company weregreatly edified, and when .Edith herself sauntered is an hour later to find her friend she was surprised at their hilarity, and it was many months after she had been married into the same regiment as Madame R , that the latter lady ventured to tell her how she had inadvertently overheard the proposal.—New York Tribune.