The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1881-08-04
forehead!" observed she. my brain ,eems

forehead" observed she, my brain seems
on fire.
$50 does mine, my dear young lady" 70.
piled ], "and my heart goes pit.s-pat, pit
.-P:et." g., -,
the phenomenon happens in al these sub.
marine excursions"
'.Why, We amt of yet."' observed the
page, contemporary. who had been (most
unjusti6ably) listening to our conversation.
I should perhaps have rebuked him, but d
TINT moment the awful bell swung out
from terra fir.ca and We beheld beneath ua
the cool and treacherous wave. Il,
"What = terrible situation!" calculated
my fair companion. .!s-
mot altogether, " returned /, with pres
sure Of the fingers. ,.
I'VE are leaving all behind us-or al
least above US, added she, for even in that
awful moment her native correctness did
not desert her? Heaven preserve us, what
was that?"
A cannon appeared to have gone off i'm
on firing a salute-and didn't stop then.
trembled like an aspen-leaf, but not 20
much ss the beautiful being who relied up
on me for succor. We leaned up against
one another for mutual support. With my
left arm mechanically encircled her waist,
with my right hand grasped half dozen
Of the pages buttons. On one side OF me
was Poetry; on the other. Science.
what are those dreadful guns?" inquir-
:Guns!" cried the page, laughing.
That's only the inpaniem Of your ear q
busting, bless yer. It'll get wuss and wuss,
and the top Of your'ed will like to fly of, as
it seems to you, before We gets to the bot
tom. Acomin' up, you'll like it better
Dear girl, whispered I, in tones Of
comfort. you will find it some relief to lay
your head upon my shoulder"
She did SO, and I caught her broken
tones inquiring what was that dreadful
thing that kept beating against the bell. as
though it wanted to get in among us.
Il hope and trust, my good boy" said
she. addressing the'page with sudden ami
cell"
1 do believe, if I had not had fast hold
of that boy by his buttons, that he would
have fallen off his seat into the water, in q
paroxysm of mirth, and left us without any
protector.
"Lor' bless ye, MISS" replied he, when
he got breath enough to do SO, chats the
beating of the hair pump, that is; if that
was to stop for arf a minute, it would be
all Hockey with us in this ere bell"
"Hookey!" CALCULATED the terrified young
creature. "What dreadful language he
does use. You haven't got a waterproof
cont on, have you, sir?'
trembled as the dear girl made this ex-
traordi nary inquiry, for thought that ter
ror was depriving her of reason. Could
she imagine that an overcoat would save
us ever SO many fathoms under water as We
now were?
ALAS, mol" said I, thinking it best to hu-
NOR her. Il left my waterproof coat above
and also my umbrella"
Il asked" returned she, because seem
to breath nothing else but India.rubber."
Perhaps it was this peculiar atmosphere
which erased her words, as it were as soon
as she had uttered them, that compelled me
to keep my cheek right close to hers, to
catsh the precious tones.
They pump the air through India rub
Der tubes" answered.
How wise you are" said she admiringly.
How nice it must be to knew everything"
"Very nice, please, to tell me, therefore,
"A'oS AoA4Ao yOu Ucaa1 III LILO upper WOIAU L
have read of sirens and mermaids. How
dare you touch that lady's dress?' cried I,
with excessive indignation, as the scientific
page made sudden snatch at her petit
coats.
They was a-gettin' into the water, that's
why" returned the youth, with sulkiness
Don't you 60 a-hollerin' at me. It's my
duty to take care Of all as come down here,
and l have my orders about their petit
coats"
MY poor boy" said I, ''here is half a
crown for you, I am sorry talked SO loud,
because water conducts sound with great
facility, and they may have heard me up
above. All that passes among ourselves
here shonld be respected, as being Of a
private nature"
Mum is the word" observed the page,
and he winked with an air of supernatural
ana submarine cunning at the unconscious
Charlotte Elizabeth-for it is needless to
say that the enchanting young mermaiden
was she.
Almost Immediately afterwards we began
to ascend; every instant the guns fred with
less distinctness, and We became more like
our usual selves. But during the few min
utes that we had been immersed, had ex-
perienced complete metamorphosis-I
had suffered sea change into something
rich and strange" bad descended fancy
free; arose captive to the Diving Belle.
The rest of the courtship was of the ordi-
nary description, and terminated in the u.s.
ual way.