The Sully County watchman. (Clifton, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1894, 1891-12-12
AN INVERTED LOVE STORY

am poor, paraly zed fellow, who for
many years past has been confined to bed
or sofa For the past six years | have
occupied a small room, looking on to one
of the narrow side canals OF Venice, hav
ing no one about me but a deaf old woman,
who makes my bed and attends to my
food and here ! exc out poor income OF
about ESQ year by making water color
drawings of flowers and iruit (they are the
cheapest models in Venice. and these |
send to friend in London, who sells them
TO dealer for small sums. But, on the
whole. am happy and content.
IL is necessary that should describe the
) position of my room rather minutely. LIS
only window is about five feet above the
! water Of the canal, ard above it the house
, projects some six feet, 9nd ,verhang. the
water, the projecting portion being sup
ported 10y stout piles driven into the bed
az the canaI This arrangement has the
disadvantage (among other-l OF so limit
! ing my upward view that | am unable to
see III re than about len feet of the height
! of the house Immediately opposite to me,
| although by reaching as far out OF the win
! dow as my intirmity will permit can see
! Tor a considerable distaT c. up and down
! the canal, which does not exceed fifteen
feet in width. But, although | can see
but little of the material house opposite,
can see its reflection upside down in the
canal, and | contrive to take a good deal
of inverted interest in such OF its inhab-
! itants as show themselves from time to
! time always upside down on It's balconies
and at its windows.
When | frst occupied my room, aJout
six years ago my attention was dlreHted
to the reflection of d li;tle girl OF IL or SO
(as nearly rs ! could Jutge), who passed
every day on balcony just above the up
ward range of my limlted field of view.
| She hai glass Of h1wers and crucldx
on little ,abe by her side, and as she sat
there, in fine weather, from eary morning
until dark, working assiduou,Iy all the
time. concluded that she earne her liv-
ing hv neetlework. She was certainly AN
industrious little girl, and as far rs
could jadge 10y her upside d)wn reflection,
neat in her dress and pretty. she had an
old mother, an Invalid. who on warm di S
would sit on the balcony with her, and II
interested me to see the little maid wrap
the old lady in shawlS and bring piIlo for
her chair and a stCo! for her feet, and
every now and again lay down her work
and kiss and fondIe the old lady for half d
minute, and then take up her work again.
Time W ent by, and as the little maid
grew up ler reflections grew down, anu al
last she was quite young woman or, l
suppose, Is or II. | can only work for a
couple of hours or so in The brightest part
of The day, so had plenty of time on my
hands in which TO watch her movements,
and sufficient Imagination to weave lit
tie romance about her. and to endow he
with beau'y which, to a great extent,
had TO take for granted. | saw-Cr
fanc;el that could see--that she began
to take an interest In my reflection (Which,
OF course. ste c)uld see as could see
hersl; and one day, when II appeared Ia
ne that she was looking right at me-l
tried the desperate experiment OF nodding
10 her, and to my in ense delight her r, :
Election nodded TO me in reply. And So
our two reflections became known to one
another.
II did not take me very long to fall in
love with her, but a long time passed be-
.fare could make uk my mind to DO more
than nod to her, every morning, when the
old woman moved me from my bed to the
sofa at the window, and again In the even
ing, when the little maid left the balcony
for that day. One dav, however, when |
saw her reflection looking at mine, nod
ded TO her and threw Hover into the
canal She nodded several times in re-
turn, and saw hef direct her mother :
| attention 10 the incident. Then every
morning threw flower in the water for
| good morning" and another in the n
ing for good night and | soon discov-
cred that HAD not thrown them altogeth-
er in vain, for one day shr threw Hover
10 ;oin mine, and she laughed and capp, Il
her hands as the Two flowers joined forces
and fioated away together. And then
very morning she threw her flower when
threw mine, and when the two flowers
met she claprei her hands and so did | ::
Int when they were separated, as they
sometimes were owing to one of them
having met an obstruction which did not
catch the other, she threw up her hands in
n pretty affeetation. of des pair, which
! tried to oimitute. Tut in un English and un
successful fashion. And when they were
rudely run down by passing gondola
(Which happened not infre quently) size
pretended to cry and | did the same.
Then, in pretty pantc mine, she would
noint downward to the sky, to tell me hat
! + was destiny that caused the shipwrack
I of our flowers. and |, IN pan'omine not
nearly so pretty. wodId try to convey to
her that destiny wonld be kinder next
! time. and that, perhaps, tomorrow our
fowe,s would be more foItunate--aud 80
the inn, cent coustship went on. One DAY
| she showed me her trucihx and kissed it.
| and the, eupon | .ook Il little silver crucifx
which always stands 10y me, and kissed
that, and SO she know that We were cne in
/ reIl lgion.
One da III, httle maid did not appr.
on her bai,ony, and for ,eVer4l Days saw
rotEing of her, and although threw my
flower as usual no flower came to keep il
company However, after time she re-
appeared, dressed in block and crying
li.ar, and then knew that the poor Guilds
mother was dead, as far as knew she wa
alone in tho world The flowers came no
more fer several davs, nor did she show
any sign of recognition, bnt kept her Eyes
on her work. except when she placed her
handkerchief to them And 0rp,~tr 10