Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1878-05-17

MY MINISTERING ANGEL.

We were all at Long Branch. All,
including Tom and his wife, Nettie and
your humble servant, Walter Byrne.
Toms cousin, and wandering waif of
rich man, without occupation, home, or
family ties. Nettie was Toms wife's
cousin. had heard it said before l
went down to Long Branch, on Toms
invitation. that Nettie had emphatically
declared that she knew she should de-
test Walter Byrne, for she hated an
idle man, she despised a rowing man,
and rioh young men were always horrid.
Being gifted with moderate amount
of self-conceit, and accustomed to re-
ceiving rather hattering attentions from
the fair Sex, l stroked my moustache
and shrugged my shoulders. resolved
that Miss Annette Raymond's detesta-
ton was matter of profound indiffer-
ence to me.
The first time I saw her she was bob
bing up and down, holding on to the
bathers' rope. Tom was driving me
over to his cottage, and pulled up his
horses.
"There's Nettie," he said, ''in the
broad straw hat and scarlet suit. Hal
loo, Net p
A pair of saucy black eyes gazed al
US, and piquant pretty face was visible
under the straw hat.
"Whercs Amy?" shouted Tom.
"Got headache"
Tom laughed as we drove on.
"Amy won't battle unless I am with
her," he said /; "she is nine. tenthi
afraid"
While | was in my room, arranging
my bachelor belongings, Nettie came
across the garden in a crisp, pink mus
lin, with her black hair loosely braided
and tied with pink ribbons. She wal
more than pretty then, the most bril-
liant brunette beauty, not more thar
seventeen years old, slender, graceful
and altogether bewitching.
For three weeks we quarreled abou
ten times day. Nettie Knocked at my
lazy speech, tainted my stylish costumes
made fun of my neckties and my gloves
and gave me fully to understand that
was coxcomb. l bore it philosophi
cally, but in my heart ragged. l wa
not accustomed to being treated in tina
style, but Nettie seemed to ignore m,
bank account entirely.
We nearly came to better understand.
ing once, when Miss Nettie was carried
out by the uudertow, and might hav
been drowned, if | had not been power
full fellow and good swimmer.
brought her home. all limp and scnseless
and she was very quiet all day, and al
most begged my pardon for all forme
offences in her gratitude. But the mex
day she was worse than ever, and tn
day after that l left.
wandered about aimlessly to tn
White Mountains, Niagara, up anc
down, until October, when a party go
ing to Europe tempted me, and | sale,
away from New York and Nettie.
was not in love. but certainly | though
more frequently Of those saucy blacl
eyes, the sweet ripping voice and beau
tiful face of Nettie Raymond than haC
ever before thought Of any woman
charms
1t would be too long a story to tell oil
my adventures in the next two years,
but it was just so much later in my life
when | found myself travelling home
ward from Florida, sick and wretched.
We had been wrecked off the coast OF
Florida, and | was i'll with fever con-
tracted in New Orleans, when / was
tossed up. high and dry, in a suit of
sailors clothes, hurriedly snatched up
as my sailo: nurse and myself dressed
in the confusion, unconsciously appro-
priating each others clothes. My watch,
purse, papers, we're all in my pockets,
but in the sailors coat | found money
enough to carry me home. to such a
home as could command, a room in a
boarding house.
But was terribly i'll, and every day
the prostrating heat was weakening 10
me. It was like insanity, the longing
had for breath Of Northern air, and
so | sped on and over the iron road.
looking more like a walking corpse than
a living man.
Ny journey was nearly accomplished
when | sat in the train carrying me