The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1874-09-09
OLD MAGGIE AND THE BURGLARS.
oYou are not afraid. Maggie 2,

"Me afraid p said Maggie. I'D no
fear born in me. As -for the house,
its the stongest fastened ever | was in.
You say yourself there's no lock a
burglar can force, and I'm not one TO
let tramps or the like in of my free
will. God knows the place will be
safe enough when you come back-as
safe as though there we're a regiment
Of soldiers in it; and I'll have all
bright for your new wife, Mr.. Archi-
bald"
She called her master Mr.. Archi-
bald still, this old woman; but she
was the only one who still used his
christian name. He was an elderly
man himself. and had few intimate
friends, hospitality not being one Of
his virtues. He was rich and there
was much that was valuable in the
house, more ready money, too, than
most men kept about them but then
it was as secure as bank vault pat
rent locks and burglar alarms that first
sent a bullet into any that sought to
enter by stealth, and then rang a bell
to wake the household, were attached
to every door, and furious watch dog
that lived on raw meat was in the
back garden. The Van Mott mansion
could have withstood siege at mo-
ment's notice,
MI. Van Mott was money dealer.
He had ways and means of accumula.
ting property which. were mysterious
10 his neighbors, and they we're suspi-
cious that the little back parlor, sa
cred to business, had even such lesser
dealings as the loan of money on gold
watches, cashmere shawls and dia-
monds Of genteel distress. Two or
three mortgages that he had bought
up had been rather cruelty foreclosed !;
and he was a hard landlord, and bad
person to loan money to altogether.
On the whole, he was disliked in the
place, and rich as he was, would have
found it hard to get a wife to his lik-
ing among his neighbors at Oakham.
However, having resolved to marry
again-there had been a Mrs. Van
Mott years before-he had sought out
a wealthy widow Of saving disposition,
who lived on small farm some miles
out of town, and having already dis
inherited her daughter for espousing
an estmable man of small means, and
turned her only son out of doors for
equally prudent reasons, was not like
ly to bring any troublesome generosity
into his household, and had offered
himself to her her, and had been ac-
cepted. And now, though both their
economical souls revolted against it,
custom decreed a wedding Of some
sort, and honeymoon trip somewhere,
and they decided to do it as cheaply
as possible. For this brief time Mr.
Van Mott must leave his business and
it was upon the eve of his departure
that he had held the above conversa.
tion with his old servant, standing
with his portmanteau in his hand re-
garding her gravely.
"4es, yes" he said, 81 presume it i;
all safe enough. And I'll speak tC
the night watchman, and give him {
dollar to look at this house. Well
good bye, Maggie, make things as nea
as possible, for if they look dirty my
wife may think the furniture old, anC
want something new for the parlor.
And Mr.. Van Mott departed.
I "Yes,' yes" said old Maggie, "nt
doubt she'll have fine, eXtravagan
ways Poor master What pity h,
should marry, after all-but old fool
are the worst fools. A young thing O
eight and forty, when he has a sensi
Bile servant, sixty. last January, tina
knows what belongs to good house
keeping. If he wanted to marry VIII,
didn't he ask me? I'd not have gon
gallivating and spending. All, we'll
he'll suffer, not l." And Maggi
, trotted away once more to begin he
busting and sweeping.
She had said truly that there wa
no fear born with her, but as the nigh
drew on she began to feel somewha
lonely. Her masters presence wa
strangely missed out of the grea
house, and there was ssomething ghost
ly in the look of his empty chair whe
she peeped into his little back office.
"If was superstitious," she'said t
herself, II should think somethin
dreadful was going to happen. | fec
chilly up and down my back, and
keep thinking of funerals. I'll max
myself a cup of tea, and see l can
get over it,"
> And accordingly old Maggie shr
herself into the snug kitchen, an
lighting two candles, drew pot
. the strongest young hyson, and putin
her feet close to the cooking stove, sh
II began to feel much more comfortable
K The clock ticked away on the mar
q tie. the hands pointing to half.pa