The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1866-07-19

Ill6' llybeil Was ABOUT S6NeHISelI. Wds
the only female student of German at the
academy, and it was on that account that
Mr. Harrison manifested some degree Of
f interest in me, | suppose; for he was al
most enthusiastic in his admiration of that
scholastic tongue. So saw good deal Of
him, after all
The following winter, at a party at Mrs.
Sands in Sanford, one bitter cold night,
IL CHANGED to be alone with Nellie Wells
ons moment in an upper chamber which
was used as a cloak room for the lady
guests. There was furious fire in the
stove, and its sides we're red hot Nellie
was very pretty girl, but rather dull
She wore dress of some gauzy fabric and
going too near the stove, it took fire. ran
out Of the room, screaming at the top of
my voice:
'Mr. Harrison Mr. Harrison! Oh, Dir.
Harrison ~
He came quickly into the hall saw me !;
was up the stairway with a bound and |
was running back into the room, he went
past me, pushing me aside rather rudey
and took in all with a quick, cool glance.
Nellie had hauled q quilt from bed that
was In the room, and was trying to stihe
the flames. He threw her on the floor,
rolled her over and over like mummy,
and extlnguished the flames at once-hug-
ged her, too. She was not very badly
burned, after all; and her face was not
touched by the flames, so that she remained
as pretty as ever.
Remarkable sensible girl" said Mr.
Harrison, afterward, to group that cus-
tered about him in the parlor ''Most
girls would have rushed headlong into the
ball, screaming Iike''-he looked at me
like mad" he added, with quiet smile.
''lr ever | marry, y said he, (which proba-
bly, never shall, shall marry sensible
woman-a woman who would not set up
scream if our youngest should fall in a tub
of hot water, but would pull the child out
as quickly as possible, and send for doc
| tor"
Somehow, was vain enough to think
this sarcastic speech was intended solely to
rebuke me. knew | should certainly
scream in such case 1t was my nature
to scream and how could l help my nature /?
rs for that poor Nellie Wells. hated her,
and almost wished that it had been my
own dress that had caught fire only l
should certainly have burned to death
before Mr., Harrison would have come
and wrapped me in quilt and Rugged
me.
From that day forward some oyerpower-
ing influence was at work upon me.
struggled hard after that cool manner in
danger which Mr.. Harrison possessed in so
eminent degree. even ventured, in the
pursuit of perfection, to ask him how he
could DO it.
Il suppose" said he, sit is because nat
urally have such an extreme terror of dan
ger in every shape-such lively sympathy
with those in peril-that l feel very strong
ly the necessity for being calm when others
are excited. l think that whatever excuse
a lady may have for losing her wits-and
that is, at the best, a very ittle-a man
has no excuse whatever always try to
keep my wits about me"
$40 be calm them" said l, with the with
ering irony common to girls of from four
teen to eighteen, Zone only needs to have
his wits about him"
Exactly" said he COR to change the
SEX her wits about her,
s'Just as, I added, 'the secret of wealth
is to get money"
'.And to keep it," said he
On one thing was fully determined-he
never should hear me scream again
However, he left the school soon fter /;
and | did likewise in about six months.
l had effected a great change in myself
before I met him again.
II.
1t was in the summer of the year which
saw me pass my twentieth birthday, that
we met at Niagara Falls He was there
with mis- cousin, my dear friend, Belle Har-
rison and with my sister and mother.
On certain day, we all were taking
walk on Goat Island, when mother dropped
her parasol, and it slid down the bank
some fifteen or twenty feet, and out of
reach. Mr.. Harrison descended the bank
after it; but though he used proper caution,
his foot slipped on the treacherous soil, as
he was returning and he slid very rapidly
down to the very verge of the precipce, /
expected nothing else than to see him 90
over, and be dashed to pieces on the rocks
below but though the three other ladies
screamed loudly, did not. You see, l
was pretty thoroughly drilled by this time.
| However, as Mr.. Harrison neared the edge
of the precipice, he threw out his RIGHT
hand-stal holding the perasol in his left
and seized the upturned roots of a tree
which leaned out over the chasm The
tree shook violently under the sudden shock.
and the roots began to tear themselves out
of the thin soil slowly and steadily, under
the influence of this superadded weight In
few minutes more it would give way. and
then Mr.. Harrison would be killed. knew
my face was pale, and | was terribly fright
ened; but | leaned forward and spoke to
him:
'Tell me what to do"
''Take all the ladies' shawIs, skirts. and
any other article of dress that you can spare
and which are strong cut them in wide
strong strips tie them firmly together, and
make rope
obeyed as calmly as I knew he would
have done, but none the less expeditiouslv
on that account, be very sure. He coptin-
ued speaking at intervals while was doing
his bidding, and he spoke as Deliberately
as if he stood in safety by my side.
''Your calmness is quite charming, Miss
Monroe" said he. ''Be sure and make the
knots tight, 1 judge that this tree NAV be
relied on with perfect confidence for ter
minutes yet. Your rope is long enough
now, think Tie stone to the end. anC
let that end down to me. That's it. AL
IAS"e INV ~ HoIulLS, but uOlu last, anC
5 stand still, ladies, and [ will come up tt
l you"
Q He drew himself up, hand over hand
with extreme caution, and was saved. NJ,
: mothers parasol was restored to her witt
e a courtly bow, and he brushed the dus
from his clothes and walked away with us
walked by his side but he made no ref
n erence to the peril just passed
That evening, however, as we sat on tn
piazza of our hotel, where it overlooks tn
@ river-how well l remember the rushin.
sound of the waters down below-he said
eve are alone now, Miss Monroe, and
can thank you for saving my life, withou
!. offence to the other ladies'
l. It was too dark, out there, for him to Sc
y the blush of delight that went over m
face at these words. How much the
Of meant to. me