The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1883-08-29

not fond of children, and when she walked |
with gentleman she liked his undivided |
attention. But Rob won the day. and |
was marched off on his uncle's shoulder. |
"Ah this is fine" said Miss Sherman, |
stopping presently on the brow of bluff |
overlooking the bay.
eyes, indeed " answered lie Roy, with |
enthusiasm but of all the view spread
out before him he took in only slender
girlish figure on the shore below. At that
moment Flossy caught sight of Rob, and
greeted him with a merry shout. Marga-
ret, too, lifted her face, but she started
with a gesture of alarm, and waved her
hand as If warning them to retreat, for,
looking up, she saw, with thrill of ter
ror, that under the edge of the cliff where
they stood the soil had been washed away,
leaving nothing but here and there knot
OF dry roots to support the overhanging
turf But the warning came too late, for
Miss Sherman, at the instant, stepping
forward for a nearer view, felt the earth
| yielding under her feet, and, with wild
but Intellectual clutch at lie Roy's arm,
she went over the ledge. Happily, how
ever her fall was unobstructed, and, slid
ing down the sandy slope, she reached the
level ground uninjured beyond being
somewhat shaken in nerves and toilet.
But Leroy was less fortunate, for in
his effort to save the young woman he
was thrown headlong little to her right,
and, with the boy in his arms, lodged in
a gnarled cedar growing but few feet
from the summit. Had he been alone it
would have been an easy matter to extri-
cate himself, but he dared not loosen for
an instant his hold on the screaming and
struggling child. 1t was query, too, in
his own mind, how long the cedar could
sustain their weight, and he remembered
with a shudder that Just below them at
the foot of the Hill lay several huge
powders, their existence being impressed
upon his memory by the TACT that Miss
Ellery and he had occasionally seated
themselves there to chat, while Flossy
and Rob followed the occupation of we'll
diggers. The fall of the tree would be
almost certain to dash them against these
rocks, and Rob's struggles did not tend to
lessen the danger.
Margaret took in the situation at a
glance, and, calling to the stranger to look
after Flossy, she started up the hill. As
she climbed, with the sand shifting be-
meath her impatient feet at every step, she
|
ing between two trees on the brow of the
cliff, with rope to swing it attached to a
tree still nearer the edge, and her plan
. was instantly formed. TO come close
, enough on the lower side of the cedar to
!; afford the necessary help was out of the
, question the imperiled ones could not
be reached except from the upper side (;
: and, having gained the summit, she
| L., e1N Ako ha. 4
fastening one end to the rope, she swung
the other out to LIZ Roy. To her joy, it
) lodged in the cedar, within easy reach of
his hand, and, waiting only for him to get
3 firm hold of it, she began the descent.
:, LIE Roy watched her breathlessly as, cling
' ing to the rope, she let herself down.
"Now drop into the hammock" she
said, when at last she stood beneath the
, cedar. He made haste to obey; and as
she had the boy safe in her arms he let
n himself down beside her.
' "That was brave thing for woman
4 to do" said Miss Sherman, when, little
/. later, they joined her at the foot of the
|. hill. Philip said nothing, but he car
;. ried Rob home very teDderly, and re
y counted the adventure to Mrs. Leroy in
a way that left her in no uncertainty as
j. to her obligations to Miss Ellery.
q 81 don't see how she ever thought oil
' it," said the little woman, half smother
ing Rob with kisses. But her gratitude
,. to the boys rescuer did not alter for he
a the fact that she was Mrs. Kittridge's
a nurse.
n The next day Bridget came home, re
/ joicing in a new hat and feather, and re
q porting her mother out of danger.
"Now Philip can give his undivided
q attention to Lutte" said Mrs. LIE Roy
q with a secret sense of relief. But Ro
4 had grown so fond of his new nurse tina
n he could seldom be persuaded to go GU
B. with Bridget unless Philip went, toe
II And Philip, for reasons of his own, wa
q very willing to humor him.
These are the days of romance" sal,
d Margaret softly to herself, with the uu
70 woroed wish that summer might neve
r end. But another phase of nursery lif
+ was in store for her: within fortnigh
d after Bridget's return both babies wer
is smitten with scarlet fever. How the
70 could have taken it was at first mystery
lie but one evening Bridget was overhear
ID telling the cook that up at her sister
le house, where she had stayed during he
visit 10 the city, three of the childre
ID were down with the fever.
1t "Oh, Bridget, why didn't you tell me2
IN moaned Mrs. LIE Roy, wringing her hand
g. over her baby.
". Faith, mum, niver behaved that T.
v, be after bringin' it" said Bridget; "an'
m knowed ye'd not let me come back if
tould ye."
a. No, indeed, would rather have pal
e, you years wages to stay away" al
er swered Mrs. Leroy, feeling that tn
girl deserved nothing better than to b
;" dismissed at once. But the mischief wa
ct already done, and it was an inconvenier
an time to look for new nurse. 1t was Ii
tie help, however, that Bridget could Civ
I'd her in the sick room, and for the mex
ID three weeks, whenever Margaret could /
to spared from Flossy's bedside, Mrs. LeRo
ID entreated that she might come to Rob.
"a 1.-The doctor says that good nursing
his only hope for him, and Miss Ellei
to seems to know just what needs to /
he DONE" she urged. So, day after da
Of Margaret went back and forth, comfortir
m the mothers, ministering to the little su
ut ferers with wise and loving care and
the time the danger was past, her vacatic
RI. WAS nearly at an end.
Al L. l.