The Stolen Kiss

Two peach trees in an orchard waved their glossy leaves beneath the torrid rays of an August sun. The one tall, graceful and lithe of limb, bore nothing but foliage, and that of the darkest, richest green, while his neighbor bended wearily under her load of luscious fruit. Upon one of the extending branches that was nearest to him was a large, beautiful peach that he had watched ever since she was a sweet, pink blossom until now, when the rains, the hot suns and the gentle dews had nurtured her to the perfection of maturity, and it seemed as if the longer he watched her the whiter grew the lily of her brow and deeper grew the flush upon her cheek that vainly strove to conceal its loveliness beneath a delicate veil of snow white Velvet down. Perhaps it was the magie of his eyes that made her cheek to grow so wondrous fair, for his gaze had grown so constant and so ardent. The thought carne to his heart that she was made for him alone, and ha sighed to think that he might not even kiss her cheek, for she hung just bevond his farthest reach. He whispered the wish that was in his heart just loud enough forher to hear. The blush upon her cheek deepened, and she said: "It cannot be. You would takesomething of my soul upon your lips." The zephyrs upon which his prayer was borne aróse to a breeze, and as he bent beneath their sway he stole the coveted kiss, when, lol upon his lips he took the down from her cheek. Alas ! there was something of her delicacy gone that nothing could restore, not even the dewdrops that the evening air was fast distilling there. Ah, woman, so fair, so beautiful, let none betray thee with a kiss, to inhale aught of thy soul from off thy lips! No bearded lip but thy affianced's may touch thy cheek, none but the liege husband may lavish upon thee his caresses lest somethineof thy pure loveliness be divorced.