Blackfoot news. (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1891-1902, 1892-01-16
MY MINISTERING ANGEL.

OF rich man, without occupation,
home, or family ties. Nettie was
Toms wifes cousin | had heard it
| said before | went down TO Long
/ Branch, on Toms invitation. that
I Nettie had emphatically declared that
She knew she should detest Walter
I Byrne, for she hated All idle man, he
Z desplsed rowing man, and rich young
] men We're always horrld
1 Being gifted with considerable
4 amount Of se!f-conceit, and aecustoIn,
7 ed 70 receive rather Gathering atten-
+ tons from the fair sex, stroked my
mustache and shrugged my shoulders,
I resolved that Miss Anuttta Ray
| monds detestation was a matter of
I profound indifference to me.
( The first time | saw her size was
bobbingup and down, holding on to
the bather's rope Tom was driving
me over to his cottage. and had pulled
up his horses.
There's Nettie, he said. iii the
broad straw hut and scarlet suit
Halloa, Net
4 pair Of saugy black eyes guzed ut
Q y
visible under the straw hat
Where 5 Amy" shouted To-.
Got a headache,
Tom laughed u.s. we drove on
Amy won't battle unless | am with
her, he said, "she is niue-teuths
afraid
While was in my room arranging
my bachelor belongings Nettie came
across the garden ia a crisp, pink mus
lin, and her black hair loosely braided
and tied with pink ribbon. She was
more than pretty then, the most bril-
liant brunette beauty, not more than
Z years old, slender, graceful and AL
together bewtching.
For three weeks we quarreled about
ten times q day. Nettie Knocked at
my lazy speeches, tainted my stylish
costumes, made fun OF my neckties
and gloves, and gave me fully to I'M
derstand that | was q coxcomb. |
| bore it philosophically, but in my
| heart RACED | was not accustomed
to being treated in that style, but
Nettie seemed to ignore my bark &C.
count entirely.
We nearly came To q better undar.
standing once when Miss Nettie was
carried out by the undertow ana
might have been drowned ii / had
not been powerful fellow and 4 good
swimmer. brought her home all
limp and senseless, and she was very
quiet all day, and almost begged par
don for all former oiTeuses in her
gratitude. But the next day She was
worse than ever, and the day after
that | left.
| wandered about aimIessly to the
White Mountains, Niagara, UP and
down until October when a party
going to Eurobe tempted me, ana I
sailed away from New York and Net.
tie. was not in love, but cert ainly
| thought more frequently IL those
sauCy black eyes, the sweet ripping
voice and beautiful face OF Nettie
Raymond than had ever thought 81
any other woman's charms.
1t would Be too long q story to tell
all my adventures in the next two
years, but it was inst 50 much later
IN my life when | found myself travel
ing homeward from Florida, sick and
Wretched
We had been wrecked of the coast
Of Florida, and | was i'll of fever con
traeted in New Orleans, when I was
tossed up high and dry, III d suit 81
sailor clothes hurricily snatched no as
my sailor nurse and myself dressed in
the confusion, uncon5ciously appro-
priating each others clothes. Nv
watch, purse and papers were all in
my pocket, but in the sailors coat |
found money enough to carry me
home-tO such q home as | could
commando room in. q boarding
house.
But | was terribly i'll, and every day
the prOstrating heat was weakening
me. 1t was like insanity, the longing
] had for . breath of Northern air,
and sped on and over the iron road,
looking more like walking corpse
than living man.
My Journey was nearly accomplish.
ed, when ] sat in the train carrying
me from Washington to New York,
my last dollar spent, my rough clothes
trayeI-worn and shabby, my life
almost gone from me.
] don't know exartly when tainted,
but ! came to consciousness perceiving
fragrance oil cologne water near me.
and knowing that something was held
10 my lips. ] tasted wine. but was
too weak to speak. Littlecool hands
arranged some soft bundle under my
head, and then ian stirred the air
around me. ! must have slept md
again | awokc
Very near me, ON the next seat. ]
heard a sweet, low voice saying, eve
get off at the next station, ana hate
to awaken that poor sailor for my
handkerchief. put it over his bundle
for pillow and there is another on
his forehead"
A voice, petti.h and familiar. an
swered, Just like your imprudencel
Now that common fellow will have
your handkerchief! You are 50 nor.
ribly impulsivc. 1t is very ummaide,l
~ to have been filssing over d strange /
man ut any rate. You don't know |
how he may annoy yon."
Low and sweet, qiivering Il little
came voice in answer, "IIc wll |,
an