This story by the American author and educator Brander Mathews was published in 1896 in his book Tales of Fantasy and Fact. It was written in pre-anniversary and serialized in the September 1928 to January 1929 issues of The Gregg Writer. The transcript can be found here (courtesy of Project Gutenberg).
Attachment: the-twinkling-of-an-eye.pdf
A great leisurely Sunday morning read. Thanks for posting. I'm ashamed to admit I had trouble with one outline. Scanned Page 17 – November 1928, page 123 – second line:"The porter happened to be standing under the wagon ? as" … geez, I think I answered my own question. "archway". Please confirm.
Love the story. Beautiful, clearly written shorthand, so easy to read! Wish we had a magazine like "The Gregg Writer" today! LOL
Yes, it's "archway."