Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1878-05-08
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 a wandering waif of
or family ties. Nettie was Tom wife IS
cousin. / had heard it said before
went down 10 Long Branch, on Toms
invitation, that Nettie had emphatically
declared that she knew she should de-
test Walter Byrne, for she hated an
lille man, she despised a rowing man,
and rich yOurg men were always hor-
rid.
Being gifted with moderate amount
of self-cOnceit, and accustomed TO re-
ceiving rather fiattering attentions
from the fair sex, | stroked my NOUS
tache and shrugged my shoulders, re-
solved that Miss Annette Raymond's
detestation was a matter of profound
Indifference TO me.
The first time 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, sin the
broad straw hat and scarlet suit. Hal
loa, Nett"
A pair of saucy black eyes gazed at
us, and piquant, pretty face was visi-
bic under the straw hat.
where's Amy ?'' shouted Tom.
Got headache"
Tom laughed as We drove on.
Amy won't bathe unless / am with
her." he said; ''she is nine-tenths
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 was
more than pretty then, the most brill
liant brunette beauty, not more than
seventeen years old, slender, graceful
and altogether bewitching.
IoA lhitt Ntth> VIC Huti itiiNu apoos
ten times 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 under
stand that | was a coXcomb. L bore 1t
philosophically, but in my heart L ra-
ged. was not accustomed to being
treated in that style, but Nettie seemed
TO ignore my bank account entirely.
We nearly came to a better under
standing once, when Miss Nettie was
carried out by the undertOw, and might
have been drowned, if had not been a
powerful fellow and a good swimmer.
| brought her home, all limp and sense
less, and she was very quiet all day and
almost begged my pardon for all former
offences in her gratitude. But the next
day she was worse than ever, and the
day after that l left.
wandered about aimlessly to the
White Mountains, Niagara, up and
down, until October, when party go
ing TO Europe tempted me, and L sailed
away from New York and Nettie. L
was not in love, but certainly thought
more frequently of those saucv black
eyes, the sweet ripping voice and beau
tiful face of Nettie Raymond than L
had ever before thought of any woman's
charms.
1t would be too long story totell all
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 L was
tossed up, high and dry, in a suit of
sailors clothes. hurriedly snatched up
as my sailor nurse and myself dressed
in the confusion, unconsciously appro-
priating each others clothes. My
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, a
room in boarding house.
But was terribly ill, and every day
the prOstrating heat was weakening to
me. 1t was like insanity, the longing
| had for a breath of Northern air, and
80 | sped on and over the iron road,
looking more like a walking corpse
than living man.
My journey was nearly accomplished
when sat in the train carrying me
from Washington to New York, my
last dollar spent, my rough clothes
travel-worn and shabby, my life al
most gone from me.
don't know exactly when tainted,
but came to consciousness perceiving
a fragrance of cologne water near me,
and knowing something was held TO
my lips. tasted wine, but l was too
weak to speak. Little cool hands ar
ranged some soft bundle under my
head, and then a fan stirred the air