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

those who know bOuley 40 nOJ neeu U
be told that he is bashful, and those Wit
first hear of him now will be of the sam,
opinion.
But Bodley was no milksop. He coulC
spar, he could sail boat and he coulC
swim like a duck He went on a crust
around Long Island last summer, and on,
morning they ran into Great South Bay
So the bows put on their bathing-suits anC
rowed to Fire Island for dip in the surf
They went in near the life-saving station
out of Difference to Bodley, as there were
many people of both sexes bathing in from
of the hotel But after awhile his com
panions led him on, under pretext of a race
to swim up opposite the bathers-though {
good way out-and then made for the
beach. But they could not induce Bodley
to go nearer shore; and after padding
around for awhile he was about to swim
back, when his attention was arrested by
signs of great commotion on the beach
people running to and fro and calling il
agonzed tones. Suddenly he saw white
face rise between him and the land and
then sink out of sight
He was after it like flash, although he
was near enough to see that it belonged tc
a beautiful, fair red girl. Somehow he
entirely forgot that he was bashful,
He caught her Just as she was going
down for the third time; whereupon, in
the uncomfortable fashion of drowning PEG
pie, she convulsively entwined herself
about him, so that he was powerless to use
hand or foot, and they went down together
1t was a critical moment; two lives now
instead of one were at stake time was
shot and explanations out of the question
There was but one thing to do and Bodley
did it, He wrenched his left arm free
and planted it with some force between the
lady's eyes. 1t raised large lump, but il
caused her to release her hold of him, and
they began to come up again.
When they arrived at the surface Bodley
took breath and fresh grip and started fol-
shore He was soon met by the surf boat
and pulled in with his burden, whom he
proceeded to resuscitate in the most ap
proved fashion and perfectly unconscious
manner. So vigorous aud skillful was he
that by the time shore was reached he was
rewarded by signs of returning life.
Once on dry land Bodley took command
and quickly had all the available forces
and appliances marshalled and at work.
There was human life to be saved and he
proposed to save it.
Then, at last, after no end of rubbing
and rolling and artificial respiration, the
human being gave culver and sigh, and
opened her eyes and looked at Bodley, and
behold it was a beautiful, fair haired girl,
with black -and-blue lump as big as hens
egg between her eyes, and Bodley fled from
her like a startled fawn, or, if there is any
thing that gets away quicker, like that.
His absence did not cause any surprise,
as the people around supposed he had gone
20 eo,,,atbiuC, 60. bis nd xarpttlI
return; and in the meantime the too dar-
ing young mermaid having recovered sufii-
GENTLY to be taken to her room, the excite
ment subsidized, and it was not until later in
the day that people began to wonder who
the mysterious stranger was who seemed to
have risen out of the sea to rescue the
drowning girl and then to have as mystic
riously disappeared.
The heroine of the occasion was especially
DESTROYS of meeting and thanking her res
curer, but he could not be found, nor any
trace or clew of him. There was no guest
at the hotel or cottages answering to his
description, nor had any such person ar
rived or departed that day.
The mystery was as mysterious as any
other mystery, yet it failed of its full effect,
because it was so very mysterious that
many of the people who came to the hotel
after it had happened could not be made to
believe it, and thought that it was just the
stock ghost story without which no sum
mer-resort is complete, and declared that
the young woman had never been nearly
drowned, and that if she had been, she had
never been rescued-and this although she
remained until the mouse closed and was in
constant and lively evidence.
In the meantime the conscious and elu-
sive Bodley had sped to the life-saving sta
ton, where he joined his companions, who
had returned there after their failure to
lure him among the bathers, and before
they had been noticed from the shore. They
had thus entirely missed the accident in
which Bodley had taken so prominent a
part.
Together they rowed back to the yacht
and, at Bodleys suggestion, made sail at
once. He said that it was important to get
into the Sound before the weather changed
They were at dinner when they left the
hotel well down on their port quarter, but
Bodley carried that beautiful, pale face
with its halo Of golden hair with him all the
voyage, and right in the middle of its fore
head was an ugly bruise as if made by
mans fist.
And the boys said that they would never
o9h bOAiNg w JIM bhShl III dllDIutI u ulSb--
unless they couldn't handle boat any bet
ter than they could this year. They said
that something seemed to have gotten into
Bodley, Something had; it was the mem
DRY of that drowning human being who had
suddenly turned into beautiful girl. And
he couldn't get it out. Sometimes he won
dered if he would ever see her again. Then
he would remember how bashful he was,
and he would picture how some fellow who
didn't love her half so much as he could,
but who was not afraid to speak to her,
would marry her; and then he would seem
very disagreeable to the boys, and they
would talk among themselves about putting
him ashore. And then the weather would
turn nasty, and Bodley would take the helm
and they would decide to give him one
more chance.
After the cruise Bodley went back to
New York, his business, and his boarding
house, His friends hoped that the change
would do him good, and so did Bodley He
devoted himself theoretically to his work,
and even tried to interest himself in his
in the hope of driving out
of his mind the thought of the girl he had
SAVED at Fire Island For her image kept
constantly recurring to him, and he was
to find that the more strenuously
he tried to forget her the easier it seemed
to remember her.
He thonUht of bar On ,,,ucb that ba ,,as