Portage sentinel. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1845-1854, 1848-10-18
On, se.ouD,, either ei. the tex, or The ser:

Fanny took long walks. and Gideon be-
eams a great fssherman. not because he
had the patience Of Job, n quality ineis-
,sepsahae 10 that philosophical profession,
bus because it led him fsom the haunts OF
his fellow creatures, who. with that self.
consciousness which is one of the great
cas,igators of folly and crime. he took it
for granted were relaughins at him. There
was cleaf crystal stream. almos, river.
which1neandered round the vilag ge.,hrough
rich meadows, along whose margin the
elmsplaine trees and baswood grew in all
their primeval majest y laid in whose bosom
the silvery sided fishes spor,ed. OF watched
the cricket and grasshopper as they ever
and anon heeilessiy jumped into The
stream. This l,ule river was spanned by
. bridge, about q half mile from town.
over which. howsver. there was but little
travelling, the village being in retired part
Of tho country. distant from any high road
or thoroughfare.
In this little pastoral river Gideon wns
no, accustomed TO exercise his oiscatory
skill 10 li,lle purpose, his mind being bust
" employed in the agreeable occupation
Of prsying upon itself; and on this bridge,
which afforded prospect OF the river as
it nsandered musicnlIy along through the
green world, until finally lost in tile bosom
II a distant craggy mountain, Fanny was
ons pleasant summer afternoon pensively
leaning over the railing, thinking MANY
thing but the time, the place, and. the beGau-
ties Of nature that lay smiling betore her.
She had no business to be there, and &ns
wrong to bs thus rambling abcil all alcne.
She should have staid a, home, and minded
her business. and she was punished for her
transgression. She had not noticed lit
lie black cloud that was silly and quietly
creeping up the Permanent, and which all
at once, without giving any warning, puff
cd forth snug little whirlwind, that in an
instant blew her bonnet into the strea m
IN the surprise OF the mement; she gave a
scream, which reached the ear Of q young
man who wos slowly advancing up the
stream, with n long pole in his hand, and
who seeing the bonne: floating in the wa
ter, very precip'ateIy concluded there was
female belonging /" it. Without waiting
to verify the fact, he plunged in and
seized tho bonnet, but no lady was there,
and none could re found, after swimming
and groping about till he was almost
drowned. He, however, brough, the bon
net ashore in triumph; but this feeling som
changed to one Of deep solicitude when he
discovered by the color of the ribbons, and
other marks constituting what log:cians
would call personal identity, that it was
the very one he had seen Fanny wear nj
church the last Sunday. 1t is a single fact,
that though Gideon never looked n, Fanny.
he always knew how Fanny was dressed
by sort of instinct. AS this bonnet had
q very materiL Il agency in producing the
events which follow, i, would be proper to
describe it more particularly, were it not
for the apprehension that fashionable peo-
pie might turn away from this history in
disgust; Tor i, actually served the purpose
for which such convenencies were origi.
nally devised, by Mt once protecting the
head and facc from the sun.
This discovery WINS on the point Of occa-
sioning Gideon another ducking, when for
,unately, he heard himself called by name
in a y,,ice so sweet, that he mstook it for
the turtle-dove cooling, and looking to the
spot whence it seemed TO steal out, recog-
nizsd Fanny standing bsreheaded on the
bridge. The whole aff:lir flashed upon
him at once, and he preceiysd that he had
been risking his life Cor bonnet, instead
Of lady. The poor lad, who labored un-
der the utmost horror of being laughed at;
and was still suffering the sting Of his for
mer cnntemptuous rejection, stood still and
supplied at this awful recognition. lie
was pondering in fever of conflicting
emotions, when he heard the same soft
voice calling his name again, and saw
Fanny beckening him to come and bring
her the bonnet, which, not knowing what
a good friend i. would ultimately prove, he
unjusiiy stigmat,zed rs an accursed bonnet.
There was, however, no alternative be-
" zen carrying it to the owner and throw
ing it down and running away. With in,
finite compunclion he chose the former,
and approaching the lady, with nll the ar.
dor of a criminal brought to be sentenced
10 the State Prison for life, he delivered the
bonnet he had SO gallan,ly rescued from
the waves.
Ashe approaches ho observed that Fan
ny looked beautiful, and the nearer he came
the more beautiful she looked. There was
n glowing blush on her cheek; the wind
had produced ihe, graceful disorder Of hair
which art cannot initiate, and there shone
an undesirable expression in her face
nnd eyes that Gideon actually interpreted
into a welcome. She took the bonnet that
he presented in silence, and offered her
thanks in words Of simple gratefulness,
adding .
81, was not worth the risk Of your life,
Gideon" =. - ,-
Il thought it was yourself,' replied he,
and these brief words, pronounced in the
simplicity OF his heart, seemed to penetrate
into hers. She colored all over her face meek
and bosom and it was some few moments
before she could answer, in a voice trem-
bling with emotion uz..
"And so-and so-you are willing to
risk your life for me?"
Certainly" replied he, in manner and
words utterly destitute of gallantry, Certain
ly, madam, or for any other person I thought
drowning"
"Ah. yes--old Mrs. Goggin, 1 suppose
or Uncle Caesar, the black sextea your
fathers o.d blind horse, Pepper" answered
Fanny, trying to laugh, though downright
angry. She had felt glow of gratitude.