Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1868-09-11

ed over fly that had got on its back.
turned and looked at bim-a tall, broad.
shouldered, well.built fellow, little sun
burnt, with fair hair and a darker beard,
and the LATEST blue eyes had ever seen,
most unnistaksbly q gentleman, and as
| thought most unmistakably a lazy gen
! tleman.
expressed my thanks, raising my hat,
upon which he raised his, and murmured
something insudible, for he was too lazy to
speak or even to remove the cigar from his
lips.
Iretreated little, but kept my eye upon
him secretly. Then lady's bonnet came
between us, and looking at that with some
impatience, l was attracted toward its
owner by the blind fatuity with which she
corrected her son, a lad of fifteen or six
teen, for leaning over the side of the pack
ct and tlinging pebbles out of his pocket
into the water. The young gentleman
himself evidently resented the slight upon
his manhood, for he leaned over farther
still, and grew more recklessly daring in
his movements at every rebuke.
think we were about halfway across
the Mersey when this young gentleman
received his punishment. There was a
sudden, sharp cry of terror from the lady,
a rush toward the side, and then shout
echoed from mouth to mouth of "A man
overheard"
Many men were amongst the throng that
rushed to the spot where the mother stood,
but they only looked with helpless eyes
after the unlucky lad. They could not
swim, perhaps; or, if they could, they
knew how next to impossible it would be
to save him, aud how fearful risk to
themselves the attempt would be.
say nothing of my own sensations.
was no swimmer, to begin with, and before
l knew thoroughly what had happened,
and the boys danger, had again caught
sight of the lazy gentleman lounging on
the boat side. He had taken off his coat,
hardly standing upright to do it; and, as
my eye fell upon him, he threw himself
over the side as cody and with the same
air of lazy grace with which he had flung
out his arm when l stumbled.
The next time saw him he was in the
wake of the steamer, her engine being re-
versed for stoppage, and his one arm sup
| ported the boys head above water while
he swan with the other. He seemed to
have no intention Of exhausting his won
derful strength; the very strokes with
which he supported himself in the water
had look of lazy comfort; and, if he did
feel little anxious as to the progress of
the boat which was nearing him, he took
care that no one should discover it.
The whole thing occupied but few
minutes. Indeed, it appeared to me as if
the alarm had only just been raised, when
l saw the boy delivered dripping and peni-
tent, to his mother, and the lazy gentle
man lounging in his old place. His cigar
was in his mouth when he dropped into
the river after the lad, and it was in his
mouth when he came back. I think he
must have had an idea that it was still
alight, for he tried if it would draw, took
it from his lips, looked at it, muttered
"Psha it's wet" and tossed it away. Pre-
suming on his service to myself, offered
him my case. He took cigar from it, and
said "Thanks" felt foolish enthusi-
asm, which, perhaps, English gentlemen
often feel, but seldom give way to. On
this occasion, however, did give way to
it. "I should like very much to shake
hands with you," l said.
Willingly" responded the stranger,
and the ceremony was performed.
l kept near to him when he landed,
walked behind him up the floating glass
covered pier, and through the toll-gate.
could have traced him up the pier by the
drops of salt water that trickled from his
clothes. At the toll gate l lost him, and
conjectured that he had probably gone
into the "Monksferry" with his portman-
teau, to change his dress, and that had
seen the last of him. l was mistaken.
Before 1 had well seated myself in the
train, and seen my luggage labeled, he
was walking up the platform in different
dress, carrying his own portmanteau and
swinging it about as if it had been a
child's toy. He came straight up to my
carriage and got in; never saw him look
round; could not tell whether he had
seen me or not. He seemed to fall natu-
rally and at once into the LATEST of loung-
ing postures, and go to sleep with his eyes
open; and he never stirred, SO far as l
could judge, until the train stopped at the
station for which l was bound, and / got
out. Then he got out, too, but he wasn't
in any hurry about it. While the train
moved on, and he saw me looking about
for porter to move my PACKAGE pack
age in which Lefty was interested-to a
safer place, he took one hand out of his
pocket, after his leisurely fashion, and put
it under the cord.
"Shall move it?" said the lazy gentle
man. "Will it do here beside mine? l
suppose they'll send it up to the Grange"
He never waited for an answer, but lift
ed it as though it had been bandbox, and
then led the way out of the station, an un-
easy misgiving having begun to creep
over me.
"How the deuce-how on earth do you
know who l am?" said /.
Likeness-to your sister-partly," was
the laconic reply.
"And you are" said /.
"Stephen Scott at your service" he re-
piled.
We were coming to an old fashioned
stile, high and clumsy, as he said this, and
the words were hardly out of his mouth
before he stood on the other side, having
taken the leap with his hands in his pock.
cts, and after the easy fashion of his jump
into the river.
upon my word" 1 said, "you are the
most wonderful fellow ever saw"
He started little, and waited for me
while got over in the usual manner.
"Oh, the stile, you meanp" said Mr..
Scott. "Well, it's an awful bore to climb
stiles, you know, and nlan looks awk-
ward at it,"
But was thinking, not very comforta-
bly,, of that week at home, of all my dis
agreeable speeches about this man, and
moreover of tenant farmers in general,
and my own ideas respecting them. Such
as my thoughts were, he must have known
them by instinct, for he stopped all at
cnce, and broke into short laugh.
"Well, so am tenant farmer" said he.
"Where's the harmY am younger son,
with younger sons portion, and a good
bit of practical farming about me so
have taken the manor house-you know
it?"
should think did, rather, seeing that
it was the very place l had told Lefty
could have wished her to have. / made
mental vow TO torture her for this trick,
that she had practiced upon me, forgetting
that had brought it upon myself by my
superciliousness
Its the jolliest life fellow can lead, in
my opinion" said Mr.. Scott "And, If you'll
come down toward September, I'll show
you some turnips, and some birds too. My
landlord happens to be relation as well
as landlord, and I'm to do my own pre-
serving"
Mr.. Scott" began, al beg Of you to
I