Bennington semi-weekly banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 1894-1902, 1895-04-05
THE MERMAID.


startled l felt.
She sat on the sand quito close to me,
resting on one hand, and with her tail, an
indisputable tail, with beautifully glis-
tening silvery brown scales, coiltd round
in a graceful curve. She was fascinating
ly pretty with a sweet face, laughing now
at my air of bewildermcnt, and with long
tresses of brown hair blowing about her
l suppose my dropped jaw and staring
eyes must have struck her as very COM
zeal, for she laughed-such a musical,
soothing laugh, strangely like the ripple
of the waves among the groynGs higher
up the beach.
Excuse me" she said, "but you look
SO funny"
"Funnyr' I exclaimed Indignantly
"What have you been up to? You've been
throwing water over me-"
81 haven't"
yes, you have. Look here, my face is
all wet now, and my hair is damp"
81 didn't throw wa over you. I sup
pose it was rather forward, but l put the
end of my tail on your face. You looked
SO tempting, you know, lying there.
really could not resist you"
"Well, you shouldn't, then," 1 said.
"Now you've woke me up, and some of
the water has gone down my neck"
1spOke grumpily. You see, l was scarce
ly myself yet. 1t was so utterly incom-
prehCnsible that / should be sitting here
with an absolute mermaid, creature l
had never for moment believed in, sit
ting almost close enough for me to touch.
l had wandered off that afternoon among
the powders that lay piled up on the
shining beach at the foot of the cliffs to
the left of the little town. 1t was very
hot, SO hot that after Swimming through
the columns of the paper l had brought
with me l lay back and snoozed in bliss
full disregard of the glazing sun and the
white rocks and the low ripple of the re-
treating tide. And then happened all
have described.
do you knowyou snore?" she said sud
denly.
Said I, You must be a very mischiev-
Gus girl-mermaid, L mean
'Oh, no, I'm nOt-not nearly so bad as
some It's lucky foryou my cousin wasn't
with me when l came up and found you
here
"A gentleman-a merman?" 1 ven
tured.
"Oh, no! She usually comes up here
with me of an afternoon, but she's up at
the other end of the bay today. Her
names Geneyieve, and mines Maud"
Where do you get your names?"
asked.
"Out of books we pick up. We got
mine and my cousin Imogen's out of a
supplement that dropped overheard from
steamer. Pretty name, hnogen, isn't
it?"
"Not half so pretty as Maud"
'Well, l don't know. We're glad to
get anything to read. Is that today pa
peru pointing to The Chronicle that lay
on the beach.
Yes" 1 said. "would you like it to
read2"
Thanks, awfully. No, not now, but
I'll take it with me, if you don't mind.
Smoke your pipe, will your"
With great pleasure. Sure you don't
mind?"
Not bit. Besides 1 want you to let
me light it,
So l pulled out my pipe and filled it,
and Maud, with sinewy loop of her tail,
glided up to me. She seemed highly de-
lighted at being allowed TO strike the
Ait'OSli lOl lliO W gu Il llS!lb NY
Isn't this jol "" she said looking up
at me with wonderful eyes.
Rather" l said looking down into
them. DO you often go in for this sort
of thingY"
''Well now, I'll tell you, she replied.
You're the first man l ever spoke to
like this, l mean-but old Nep sent me
here for trying to. You're in my nook,
you know. l often come here and yester-
day it was so hot that dropped asleep,
and when you came along only just had
time to get behind that rock"
80 you've seen me before, them"
"Oh, yes several times. l sawyou along
the beach on Sunday evening"
The deuce you did beg your par
dom"
And 1 saw you kiss that fisher girl
Oh, yes, you did
'Well, said, turning very red, Il adj
NIT it, but it was only one"
There amt any mermen here, " she re-
piled.
Aren't there2 1 suppose it's rather
lonely"
Il used to be spoons little with one at
Brighton, but we never see ono here.
That's old Nep's doings. haven't been
kissed for ever so long"
Really" l said, edging over toward
her.
Really" she sighed, looking down.
'Er-shall would you-shall We
that is''-
1 leaned over her as she raised her face,
mischievously, to mine, when,
just as our lips touched, with sudden
twist of her tail she caught me dab in
The face with her wet fin.
1 fell over backward, and by the time 1
had got the sand and wet out of my eyes
.he mermaid had disappeared.
No trace of her was left, but my news
paper was gone, and as went slowly homo
fancied / could catch sight of her, lying
1ut by the big black rock that just showed
tself above the sea. Istood still and called
o her and distinctly saw her white arms
waved to me and heard the ripping of her
augh and saw, too, her long brown hair
,ossing on the waves.-Sketch.
Crisprs Insight Into Human Nature.
/ have known in my lifetime not few
public men recognized as great but l have