Urbana union. [volume] (Urbana, Ohio) 1862-1872, 1863-04-01

" so does mine, my dear young lady,
replied ], "and my heart goes pit-a-pat
pit-a-pat."
$50 does mine, said she; at am told
the phenomenon happens in all these sub
marine excursions"
"Why, we amt off yet" observed
the page cOntemptuously, who had been
most unjustifably listening to our con-
yersatiOn, I should perhaps have re-
buked him, but at that moment the aw-
full bell swung out from terra frma, and
we beheld beneath us the cold and treach-
erous wave.
"What terrible situatiOnl' ejaeula-
ted my fair companion.
f" Not altogether" returned I, with a
pressure of the fingers.
ave are leaving all behind us-or at
least above us" added she, for even in
that awful moment her native correctness
did not desert her. Heaven preserve
us, what was tbatP
A cannon appeared to have gone of
Immediately outside of my ear, and then
it went on firing a royal salute-and did
mt stop then.
l trembled like an aspen-leaf, but moi
so much as the beautiful being who reli-
ed upon me for succor. We leaned up
against one another for support. With
my left arm mechanically eneireled her
waist; with my right hand I grasped
half dozen of the pages buttons. On
one side of me was Poetry; on the other
Science.
"What are those dreadful guns2" in
quired the young lady,
"Gunsl" cried the page, laughing a
laugh peculiar q hope) to the water-kel-
pies. "That's only the tinpanium of your
ear adjusting, bless yer. tn get wus
and wus, and the top of your'ed will be
ike to fly of, as it seems to you before
we gets to the bottom. A-eomin' up,
you'll ike it better"
Dear girll'' whispered I, in tones of
comfort, "you will find it some relief to
lay your head upon my shoulder"
She did so. and caught her broken
tones inquiring what was that dreadful
thing that kept beating against the bell,
as though it wanted to get in among US.
al hope and trust, my good boy, said
she addressing the page with sudden ami
nation, that is not that electric eel !''
do believe, if had not had fast hold
of that boy by his buttons, that he would
have fallen into the water, in a parOxysm
of mirth, and left US without any prOtec-
tori,
"Lor' bless you, miss" replied he,
when he got breath enough to do SO,
that's the beating of the hair-pump,
that is if that was to stop for arf min
ute it would be all Hockey with US in
this ere bell.
HoOkeyl" calculated the terrified
young creature. "What dreadful Ian
guage he does usei You haven't got a
waterproof coat on, have you, sir?"
trembled as the dear girl made this
extraordinary inquiry, for thought that
terror had deprived her of reason. Could
she imagine that a Macintosh would
save US, ever so many fathoms under wa
ter, as we now were?"
Alas, no, said I, thinking it best to
humor her; {" 1 left my waterproof coat
up above, and also my umbrella"
9" I asked, said she, "because I seem
to breathe nothing else but india-rub-
ber."
Perhaps it was this peculiar atmOs-
phere which erased her words, as it were,
as soon as she had uttered them, that
compelled NE to keep my cheek quite
close to hers, to catch the precious tones
"They pump the air through india
rubber tubes" 1 answered.
How wise you are, said she admir-
ingly; chow nice it must be to know
everything"
livery nice," said 1; "please to tell
me what name you bear in the upper
world. I have read of sirens and mer-
maids. How dare you touch that
Iady's Dress" cried I with excessive in
dignation, as the scientific page made
sudden snatch at her petticoats.
They was a-gettin' into the water,
that's why" returned the youth with sui
kiness. "Don't you go hollerin' at me.
It's my duty to take care of all as comes
down here, and I have my orders about
their petticOats."
any good boy" said I, "here is half
a-crOwn for you. 1 am sorry spoke SO
loud, because water conducts sound with
great facility, and they may have heard
me up above. All that passes among
ourselves here should be respected as be-
ing of private nature"
"Mum is the word" observed the
page, and he winked with an air of su-
pernatural and submarine cunning at the
unconscious Charlotte EliEabeth-for it
is needless to say that the enchanting
mermaiden was she.