'The Way of a Man' is a novel penned by Emerson Hough. The novel unfolds with the narrator admitting to kissing a girl named Grace Sheraton. He blames the circumstances—the beautiful Virginia morning, the sweet smell of the orchard, and his own youth—for leading him to do so. He also mentions that he had promised himself and her that he would kiss her when the opportunity arose, due to her haughty attitude after returning from Philadelphia. He describes her as a high-bred, fair-looking woman from a respected family, and says that he captured her against a pillar and kissed her, as a way to mess with her Philadelphia manners.