Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1897-01-15

lie knew he could not be mistaken in that
He had carried away too vivid an impress
sion ever to forget her. If he had only
caught that one glimpse of her pale face as
she sank beneath the water he knew that
it would have stayed with him forever.
If she had proved to be some other girl,
Bodley would have continued in the nor
NAL condition to which he had been restor-
ed and would have lived happily ever after;
but the fact that the object of his affection
he no longer had any doubt on that sub
ject-was actually living next door to him
so disturbed his mental equilibrium that he
did not know whether to be glad or sorry.
But he was so sorry when he failed to see
her the next morning that he knew he was
glad.
After this Bodley used to see her quite
often-not every day, but several times
week-and the oftener he saw her the
gladder he was. He was beginning to CON
slider himself one of the most fortunate be-
ings in the world when it gradually dawned
on him how much more fortunate it would
have been if she had taken board at the
use where he lived instead of going
next door. Then he could have seen her
many times oftener; in time he might even
have come to know herl The very thought
made him rush upstairs to his room and
shut the door in a sudden attack of en-
barrassment But by and by he became
quite accustomed to the idea, and he pict-
ured to himself how, perhaps in time, he
might have mustered up courage to speak
to her, and to lead the subject up to the
dangers of ocean bathing, aud to tell of the
various ways of saving drowning people,
and how, if one grasped You so as to render
it impossible to swim with him, the only
thine tn 10 70 bif hin, 70 rap1ar
him nsensible and then save him, or both
would drown. Bodley had armed himself
with numerous authorities which he would
have cited to back up his case If he could
only get from her an expression of forgive
ness for the unknown person who had so
maltreated her, he was sure he could ask
nothing more, and he cursed the fate that
had tantalizingly sent her to the house next
door instead of to the house next door to it.
The more he thought of it the more the
possibilities of what might have happened
widened, until he gasped at his temerity in
even thinking of it, but the more he thought
the less he gasped, and suddenly an idea
struck him
1t was the old one of Mahomet and the
Mountain.
What was there to prevent his taking
board at the house next door and bringing
ali these things to pass
His bashfulness.
Already he was gasping again.
But in time he grew accustomed even to
this idea. 1t occurred to him that he had
been forced to change boarding places ono
or twice before, and while the experiences
had been trying, he had lived through
them, and never before had he any such
inducement as this He resolved to do it,
Once having made up his mind it took
him only about a week in which he passed
the house fourteen times, to muster up suf-
ficient courage to ring the bell and to inter
view the landlady. Yes, she had nice
room that he could have Monday, so Bod
ley paid a weeks board in advance and
took it. But when it came to announcing
to Mrs. Prendergast his intention of leav-
ing the house where he had lived so long,
Bodley almost wished he had been less pre-
cipitate. But he made some confused re-
marks about going to place where he had
"a friend, blushed violently, wrung her
hand, and rushed from her presence.
Monday came and Bodley removed. He
edged up to his new room, peering about,
ready to flee if he should but catch glimpse
of golden head, and his agitation when
the dinnerbell rang would have been some
thing painful to see if there had been any
one to witness it.
He pulled himself together at last and
went down and was shown to his place. A
hasty glance around showed him, to his in
finite relief, that the girl who owed her life
to him was not there; and ne blessed the
happy chance that had taken her some
where else to dine that evening. 1t would
give him time to accustom himself a little
to his new environment before meeting her
He was sorry, however, not to see her at
breakfast, and when she again failed to APP
pear at dinner, he began to be alarmed,
and when his new landady asked him if he
found his room satisfactory, he ventured to
inquire if the young lady-with light hair
whom he had seen occasionally-coming
out of the house-were-were ill.
"Oh, the young lady who has been here
for month getting her trousseau readyl
No. She went back to Detroit Sunday night
to get married Quite romantic story,
too The gentleman saved her from drown
ing last summer at Fire Island. And she
never knew who it was till somebody in
PRODUCED them in the fail, after she'd gone
home. That's her room you've 90 y
Henry Gallup Paine in j dnuary Sc,ib-
ner'S.