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

for it seemed futile to fall in love with a
girl whom he had only seen once, whom he
had brutaly assaulted then, and whom he
probably should never see again. The rec
objection of that blow made Bodley sick
every time he thought of it, and as he
thought of it whenever he thought of the
girl and as he thought of her all the time.
he came to regard himself as an inhuman
monster OF course he knew that he had
done the only thing he could have done un-
der the circumstances, and that his prompt
action had saved her life and his own. If
the drowning person had been man, the
blow would not have caused Bodley mo-
ment's uneasiness and if the man had com
planned afterward, Bodley would have call
ed him an idiot, who ought to have been
left to drown.
But because it was girl and beautiful
girl, and Bodley had fallen in love with her,
he could only see that big lump on her fore
head and remember that his big knuckles
had raised it. After awhile, however,
Bodley began to believe he might as well
fall in love with girl whom he had only
seen once as with one whom he saw every
day, because he would never dare speak to
her anyhow; so he began to believe that it
might be as well for him never to see this
ever got to know her, she would never
have anything to do with ruflian like him
self. 1t never occurred to Bodley that a
girl who would complain at having her life
saved in the most certain, speedy, and, in
deed, the only possible manner would be
an idiot who ought to have been left to
drown.
But then, as has been stated before, Bod
ley was in love, and, as has been stated and
sufficiently demonstrated, Bodley was bash
full.
1t did seem an awful pity to him, how
ever, that so long as he was fated to fall in
love under such circumstances, it must be
with girl who, if she ever thought of him
at all, could only do so with loathing. He
realized the triteness of the saying, that
true love II, yer did run smooth, and COM
posed himself to a life of settled melancholy.
Things had been running on in this way
for some time, and Bodley had almost sue
ceeded in adjusting his feelings to their new
conditions, when, as he was walking down
the front stoop one October morning on his
way to business, his left eye was suddenly
attracted by the CLINT of golden hair, and
more comprehensive glance showed him
that walking down the stoop of the adjoin-
ing house, step by step with him, was the
girl he had pulled out of the water at Fire
Island.
1t seemed so absurdly impossible to him
that he thought he must be getting a little
crazy on the subject, so he looked again.
No, there was no installing it, she was the
very girl. He instantly withdrew his gaze
and looked straight in front of him. Cold
shivers ran up his legs and into his body,
paralyzing his ne yes, so that his brain lost
control of his actions, though remaining
dimly aware of their results lie was to-
tally unconscious of the fact that he CON
tinued walking down the steps, although he
felt that he must be, because he could see
that he was approaching the level of the
sidewalk. Then he began to wonder which
way he would turn. His ordinary course
would take him past the house next door,
and his mental impulse was to turn the
other way, but he began to perceive that
his legs, though he had lost all sense of
their existence, were turning him in the
usual direction Then he began to hope
way; but no, he could see that she was
turning toward him and he was going to
meet her face to face.
1t was terrible moment in his life. He
did not know whether he should be able
to live through it. No one who has not
been through a similar experience can
really understand what that moment was
to man of Bodley's temperament.
He tried to look away from her in order
to avoid the look of contempt and horror
and disdain he expected her to cast on him,
but his eyes would pay no attention to his
will and gazed at her, full in the face, as
his unresponsive legs carried him by her
He walked on for some time in this semi
conscious state, and then, little by little
the numbness left his body and ran down
his legs, and he began to feel the pavement
once more under his feet, and his heart,
which had been humping like a trip ham
mer, began to resume its normal beats.
Then suddenly two great facts thrust
themselves upon his consciousness: the first
was that the bruise on her forehead had en-
tirely disappeared! This was NOT strange
when Bodley came to think of it, because it
was now three months since he had hit her;
but such an impression had the blow made
on him that it had never previously oc-
CURED to him that she would not carry hat
black and-blue lump between her eyes as
long as she lived. And he blessed the
happy chance that had permitted him to
see her once again, so that in the flu
ture he could bring up her picture in his
mind without that hideous reminder of his
cruelty.
The second fact was that she had not only
not regarded him with horror and CON
tempt, but that she had not apparently re-
garded him at all. Not that she hadn't
seen him, for he remembered that as she
had looked brightly about her, her glance
had fallen on him, but without the slightest
sign of recognition.
And after Bodey had wondered at this
for awhile, he suddenly realized that she
had never seen him before! For when he
came to put his mind on it he perceived
that she could hardly have been sufficiently
to notice anything when she open
ed her eyes for the first time after she had
been taken out of the water, and that even |
if she had really seen him then she could |
scarcely be expected to recognize him now.
And Bodley's heart was lighter than it had |
been for many weeks, and he walked all |
the way down town with elastic tread, |
which made him late at the office: and |
when he met a member of the firm as he |
was coming i'll, he alluded to his hardness |
with a testing remark, and seemed in so
bright and pleasant a mood that the mem
Der of the firm seriously considered suggest
ng to him to come late every day if it were
gong to have so delightful an effect on his
spirits. But, being a member of the firm,
ne did not do it,
Bodley foated through the day in a sort
If ecstasy, hOated home at night, passed
he evening looking out of his window
thinking happy thoughts, which he could
not formulate, and floated to bed and off
INTO dreams in which he was always meet
ng golden-haired angels at every turn.
Then it was morning and he woke up,
,ook his plunge, and he was on earth again.
He began to wonder if he had really seen