The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1870-11-22
oRacheI's deal.

ing happy, aud yet she was mistress Of
one of the grandest mansions, and one
of the finest estates, in Middlesex. As
far as she could see the land was hers,
with the bdautifulaslopes, the shady
dclls, the spreading meadows, and the
distant hedge of the old forest trees.
Mistress of the mansion, and mistress
of the broad domain, she sat in her
chair and was unhappy. And she was
unhappy because - d. s.-ra. .aer
In the other years, when she was
plain Rachel Stevens, her father and
her mother had been the keepers Of
Oakwood, as the estate was called, and
she had played, a happy child on the
velvety lava. In those years Oakwood
had belonged to Capt. %'Barndby Bow
ers, who owned ships and sailed to and
fro across the ocean. Capt. Barnaby
owned the estate, and he hired jason
Stevens and his wife Matilda, to take
care of it.
Jason and Matilda had not been
married until we'll advanced iniife (they
had met first upon, the estate, and
Rachel was their only child; ; and When
Rachel came to be seventeen her par.
cuts had passed into the "sear and yel4
low leaf" At this time Capt. Barna'
by Bowers gave up the sea, and camC
to settle in Oakword. lie had money
enough, and he had resolved that h}
would fret himself with 6usiR, how
more. An cxperienced;;m that his en-
ever co9ig glng ont that he was grow
I.Gg old before his time-either from
spme inherited disea Sc, ,or from some all
ment incurred during his years of la
bor and exposure.
But Capt. Barnahy Bowers came
home. He was fifty, and not ill-look-
ing. He was very kind to Jason Stew
ems and his wife; and particularly was
he kind to Rachel. She was the sun.
light of the mansion-a bright eyed
happy faced, beautiful girl, with the
purity OF soul that knew ro guile
stamped in celestial brigl tness upon
every lineament of he. lovely features
a year passed, and during part q
the time Capt. Bowers WAS sick, ant
he would have no nurse but Rachel
As for Jason and Matilda, they wer'
like two family relics, held for the as
sociations with the past, but of littl
present value. They had become to-
old to labor much, and the captain
gave them home just as he woul'
have given it to two little children
All this made Rachel very grateful
The year passed, and Capt. Barna
BY walked out again and out III IN
garden one day, in one OF the graper
bowers, he asked Rachel TO be his wife
and he gave her iourand-twenty hour
-.. ~VnSiler TIE matter IrsH~ WUul
.e his wife, her parents should have
home while they liveu, and be woul
treat her tenderly.
AT first Rachel was shocked but i
time she was able to reason calml.
She knew that she could never loy
Capt. Bowers. She could respect hin
but as for love, she could not even Civ
him Il brothers place. She fancie
that she knew what love WAS. Ha
she told her fancy to another, she woul
have been laughed at. 1t was simpl
; that of child-a fancy reaching bac
into the years when she had rompe
and played upon the lawn with Barni
; by Bowers cabin-boy, Arthur Lee. 81
! remembered Arthur Lee very we'll
strong, hold, venturcsomc lad-h,
beau ideal of the sailor bog, and
r the hero. She remembered how 81
had cried when he went away; and 81
remembered how the chill OF a grei
agony fell upon her heart when CAP
Bowers came home during the folio,
. ing year, and told how Arthur Lee hG
!. been lost at sea.
This was Rachel's dream of love-
!, child's dIeam but, neverthe less, oi
i from which all future thoughts Of lo'
were to take direction. The gleamiI
of the love light had been very bri,
? The sailor boy had flashed upon he
coming, she knew not " hence, on
that she was bound to Capt Bowers
q he had made bright and joyous q fl
brief weeks-and then he had go
from her, and she had seen him
more uut his image had not been ,
iaced-she felt hat ii never could |
2 Her heart may have been a childi