Ashtabula telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1874-1880, 1878-04-26
MY MINIsTERING ANGEL.

included Tom and his wife, Nettie, and
your humble servant, Walter Byrne,
Toms cousin and a wandering waif of a
rich man, without occupation, home or
family ties NettiO was Toms wife's
cousin. 1 had heard it said before l
went down to Long Branch on Toms
invitation, that Nettie had emphatically
declared that she knew she should deteSt
Walter Byrne, for she hated an idle
man, she despised a rowing man, and
rich young men were always hOrTid.
Being gifted with moderate amount
of selfconceit, and accustomed to receiv-
,ng rather dattering attentions from the
fair sex, 1 stroked my mustache and
shrugged my shoulders, resolved that
Miss Annette Raymond's detestation was
4 matter of profound indifference to me.
The first time l saw her she was bob
bing up and down holding on to the
bather's rope. Tom was driving me
over to his cottage, and pulled up his
horses.
"There's Nettie," he said, ain the
broad straw hat and scarlet suit. Halloa,
Netr'
A pair of saucy black eyes gazed at
us, and piquant, pretty face was visible
under the straw hat.
"Where's Amy?" shouted Tom.
"Got the headache -
Tom laughed as we drove on.
"Amy won't bathe unless I am with
her," he said she is nine-tenths afraid"
While 1 was In my room arranging
my bachelor belongings, Nettie came
across the garden in a crisp pink muslin,
with her black hair loosely braided and
tied with pink ribbons. She YVES more
than pretty then, the most brilliant bru-
nette beauty, not more than seventeen
years old, slender, graceful and altogether
bewitching.
For three weeks we quarreled about
ten times a day. Nettie Knocked at my
lazy speech, taunted my stylish COS
TUNES, made fun of my neckties, and my
gloves, and gave me fully to understand
that I was a coxcomb. 1 bore it philo-
sophicaIly, but in my heart 1 ragged. I
was not accustomed to being treated
in that style, but Nettie seemed to ignore
my bank account entirely.
We nearly cane to better under
standing once, when Miss Nettie was
carried out by the undertow, and might
have been drowned, if 1 had not been
powerful fellow and a good swimmer. I
brought her home, all limp and senseless,
and she was very quiet all day, and
almost begged my pardon for all former
ofenses in her gratitude. But the next
day she was worse than ever, and the
day after that she left.
[ wandered about aimlessly to the
White Mountains, Niagara, up and down,
until October, when a party going to
Europe tempted me, and 1 sailed away
from New York and Nettie. 1 was not
in love, but certainly 1 thought more
frequently of those saucy black eyes, the
sweet ripping voice and beautiful face
of Nettie Raymond than I had ever
thought of any woman's charms.
1t would be too long story to tell all
my adventures in the next two years, but
it was just SO much later in my life when
I found myself travelling homeward from
Florida, sick and wretched.
We had been wrecked off the coast of
Florida, and I was Ill with fever con-
tracted in New Orleans, when 1 was
tossed up, high and dry, in suit of
sailors clothes hurriedly snatched up as
my sailor nurse and myself dressed in
the confusion, unconsciously appropria-
ting each others clothes. Ny watch,
purse, papers, were all in my pockets, but
in the sailors coat l found money enough
to carry me home, to such home as
could command, room in boarding
house
But 1 was terribly i'll, and every day
the prostrating heat was weakening to
me. It was like insanity, the longing 1
had for a breath of northern air and so
l sped on and over the iron road, looking
more like walking corpse than living
man.
My journey was nearly accomplished
when sat in the train carrying me from
Washington to New York, my last dol
lar spent, my rough clothes travel-worn
and shabby, my life almost gone from
me.
I don't know exactly when I tainted,
but came to consciousness perceiving a
fragrance of cologne water near me, and
knowing something was held to my lips.
1 tasted wine, but I was too weak to
speak. Little cool hands arranged some
soft bundle under my head, and then a
fan stirred the air around me. Ipust
have slept, and again awoke.
Very near me, on the next seat, 1 heard
a sweet, low voice, saying:
" We get off at the next station, and 1
hate to awaken that poor sailor for my
handkerchief. I put it over his bundle
for his pillow, and there is another on
his forehead
A voice, pettish and familiar answered:
Just like your impudencel Now
fhOf common ELL. M