The Topeka state journal., 1897-07-28
MEETING A MERMAID

was hazily conscious of a gentle, rus
Ting noise near me, and then something
wet and cold came dab in my face. I sat
up with jerk, and there sat a mermaid |
Good gracious
You can imagine how startled I felt
She sat on the sand quite close to me,
resting on one hand, and with her tail, an
indisputable tail, with beautifully glisten-
ing silvery brown scales, coiled round in a
graceful curve. She was fascinatingly
pretty, with sweet face, laughing now at
my air of bewilderment, and with long
tresses of brown hair blowing about her.
suppose my dropped jaw and staring
eyes must have struck her as very comical,
for she laughed-such a musical, soothing
laugh, strangely like the ripple of the
waves among the groynes higher up the
beach.
Excuse me-" she said, "but you look
SO funny
"FunnyP' I exclaimed Indignantly
"What have you been up tor You've been
throwing wator over me-
81 haven't
eyes, you have. Look here, my face is
all wet now, and my hair is damp"
81 didn't throw water over you. I sup
pose it was rather forward, but I put the
end of my tail on your face. You looked
SO tempting, you know, lying there. I
really could not resist you"
"Well, you shouldn't, then," I said.
CHOW you've woke me up, and some of
the water has gone down my neck
spoke grumpily. You see, I was
scarcely myself yet. 1t was so utterly in
comprehensive that I should be sitting
here with an absolute mermaid, a creature
I had never for a moment believed in, sit
al aIn fOr 20
had wandered off that afternoon among
the powders that lay piled up on the shin
ing beach at the foot of the cliffs to the
left of the little town. It was very hot, so
hot that after skimning through the col
umns of the paper I had brought with me
lay back and snoozed, in blissful disre-
gard of the glaring sun and the white
rocks and the low ripple of the retreating
tide. And then happened all have de-
scribed.
"Do you know you snoref' she said
suddenly.
Said I, "You must be very mischie-
vous girl-mermaid, I mean"
"Oh, no, I'm not-not nearly SO bad as
some. It's lucky for you my cousin wasn't
with me when 1 came up and found you
here"
GA gentleman-a merman?" I ventured.
"Oh, mol She usually comes up hero
with me of an afternoon, but she's up at
the other end of the bay today. Her names
Genevieve, and mines Maud"
where do you get your namesf" I
asked.
"Out of books we pick up. We got mine
and my cousin Imogen's out of supple
ment that dropped overheard from a steam
er. Pretty name, Imogen, isn't itP''
"Not half so pretty as Maud
"Well, don't know. We're glad to get
anything to read. Is that today's paperP'
pointing to The Chronicle that lay on the
beach.
"Yes,"I said. would you like it to
readP''
''Thanks, awfully. No, not now, but
I'll take it with me, If you don't mind.
Smoke your pipe, will youf''
with great pleasure. Sure you don't
mind?'
mot bit. Besides want you to let
me light it.''
So pulled out my pipe and filed it,
and Maud, with sinewy loop of her tail,
glided up to me. She seemed highly de-
lighted at being allowed to strike the
match for me to get light by.
"Isn't this jollyf'' she said, looking up
at me with wonderful eyes.
Rather" 1 said, looking down into
them. ''Do you often go in for this sort
of thingS'
"WelI, now, I'll tell you," she replied.
"You re the first man I ever spoke to
Ak0 GiIs, IDSdn-DuG ola N0p sent me
here for trying to. You're in my nook,
you know. I often come here, and yester-
day it was SO hot that I dropped asleep,
and when you came along I only just had
time to get behind that rock
$50 you've seen me before, them"
"Oh, yes, several timesl I saw you
along the beach on Sunday evening""
1.-The deuce you did beg your par
donl"
"And I saw you kiss that fisher girl.
Oh, yes, you did!''
"Well," said, turning very red, ST ad-
init it, but it was only one"
"There amt any mermen here" she re-
piled.
AREN'T thereP I suppose it's rather
lonely
81 used to be spoons little with one at
Brighton, but we never see one here.
That's old Nep's doings. I haven't been
kissed for ever so long"
"Really?" I said, edging over toward
her.
Really" she sighed, looking down.
"Er-shan would you-shan We
I leaned over her as she raised her face,
smilingly, mischievously, to mine, when,
just as our lips touched, with a sudden
twist of her tail she caught me a dab in
the face with her wet fin.
I fell over backward, and by the time
had got the sand and wet out of my eyes
the mermaid had disappeared.
No trace of her was left, but my news
paper was gone, aud as I went slowly
home fancied 1 could catch sight of her,
lying out by the big black rock that just
showed itself above the sea. stood still and
called to her and distinctly saw her white
arms waved to me and heard the rippling
of her laugh and saw, too, her long brown
hair tossing on the waves.-Exchange.
The Danger Side of Lightning Rods.
The conventional lightning rods that
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