The Republican journal., 1876-12-28
Miss Van Anden.


panlon on the next seat
"1e're stranger in these parts, ,mehbe?
| returns the astute son of New England sh
addresses, while he considers whether j
is best to trust her with the desired nlol
nation.
Miss Van Anden replies with a stare.
"From New York naow ,"
Yes
dunno much about it myself 'spos
you do. though? ~
But what Miss Van Anden knows abou
New York is not likely to appear, for jus
at this moment the train slackened il
speed, and stopped at the station OF lit
tie town lying at the base Of Monadnocl
Mountain The naughty lrown with whicI
the young lady has valnly attempted t,
eXtinguish her inquisitiye fellow-travele
clears of slightly as she steps out upon
the rough little platform, and she turn
toward the grand old granite hill with 4
reverent awe and admiration
"Ihe inhabitants of Judaa fled. to th,
hill country in .ime of trouble, and thus
come to you, old mountain" murmur
this young woman with the discontentel
mouth. Are you IS calm and resttuI a:
=
But if we are to know what has sent thf
feet Of this fashionable young lady stray
ing alone and unattended among the hills
of New Hampshire. it will be necessary
to 90 back to New York and find out
Five days ago the perspiring populace
OF Gotham had groaned under the inhic-
ton OF one OF the hottest SUNDAYS evel
manufactured by the immortals who have
charge of the weather. 1t also happened
to be Miss Van Anden' birthday. Now to
inform you how she spent it will not only
give the intelligent reader an insight al
once into the young woman's character,
but also explain her flight into the hill
country. Not that Miss Van Anden cele-
brated the day in any manner That birth
days are invariably snubbed by young
women Of twenty-six is a notorious fact
that needs no explanation whatever
In the morning, for the forty-ninth time
in seYen years. Miss Van Anden informed
Archie Nestervelt that she would not
marry him. Then she composedlv tied on
her bonnet and went to church The SER
vice was pretty well advanced when her
slEen skirts rustled up the tessellated
aisle, and her .jeweled fingers clasped
themselves together in the conventional
attitude OF prayer the officiating clergy
man began to intone that portion of the
liturgy known as the General Thanks
giving. But when it was concluded, no
responsive Amen found its way to her lips.
Miss Van Anden is too weary of existence
to be in any way thankful for it, She sat
the long service out with q stolid sort OF
patience, wondered why the sermon didn t
seem TO mean anything, yaWned iurtively
now and thon, and at tho conclusion OF the
last prayer rose TO depart. carrying with
her the same Old restless conscience and
dscontented soul. upon which q benedic-
ton had been pronounced, but no peace
descended
On her way to her carriage Miss Van
Anden bowed to such OF her dear five hum
dred friends as fingered about her path
The Taylor5 nod to the Andersons, as she
passes by, and remark GLOW frightfully
she has gone Off -
The old mans money doesn't seem to
do her much good" suggested Harry Du-
pOnt.
And then that dear delightful Mi Beck
man ought to have had it any way" re
piled little Celia Alinturn
As the lady in question drove away from
the sacred edilice, her glance lighted on
Gerard Beekman - the man who eight
Years ago swore either to marry the heir
ess OF break Old Jacob Van Anden's will
He had failed in the first undertaking
through having left one of his letters
where ii was carried straight to Portia
AN Audcn's hands, and IN the second
her own endeavors, coupled with
those Of her laWy ers. But it was q long
and in the course Of it the heir
ess had learned to know the world WE'LL
with its hypocrisy and sycophancy. She
took possession OF her wealth with q sore
heart, after the -four years Of weary litiga-
ton, for Miss Van Andcn had nearly
trusted her heart into Gerard Beekman's
keeping before she learned to know his
character.
Late in the afternoon Miss Van Anden
took her place in front Of 4 small organ in
an acove in her drawing groom. Soon the
air is filled with The melodious plant of
that glorious psalm, MY soul shall flee as
a bird unto the hills"
''Why should / not 90 to the hills ?n
asks Miss Van Anden. is there anything
in their grandeur and majesty to soothe
and cure this terrible soul~sckness, that
thou shouldst recommend flight thither,
Q King David. sweet singer OF Israel 2
You We're weary and heart-sick while You
sat upon your throne amidst the glory and
magnicence of Jerusalem, and | am sor-
rowlul and oppressed with the entouroge
of Jacob Van Anden's wealth Did they
tlatter You and lie to YOU, and cringe and
Il cd oil a11
things. . thou mighty KING until you
longed for the rest and quiet. the immova-
Bile liNedness, of the everlasting hills?"
Three days after, Miss Van Anden's
maid is electrified by the following order
from her mistress to pack small trunk
with the plainest dresses in the lady's
wardrobe. On the fourth day the stately
butler closes the great hall door behind
his mistress; and thus it is, at the end of
the fifth, we find Miss Van Anden vanly
endeavoring to ascertain the name of
Monadnock Mountain from .tson of the
soil" whose characteristic caution pre-
vents him from parting with any intorma-
ton without first securing an equivalent
in kind.
But we lett the young lady in an agita-
ted frame of mind regarding her supper.
Miss Van Anden proceeds to inquire at
the station if she can procure accommoda-
tions at the hotel She had no particular
reason for stopping at Monadnock, but
she had travelled all day. and is tired.
''One hill is as good as another in all
probability; and here is one that stands
grand and stately among his fellows,
dwarling them into insignticance with
his towering supremacy"
But satisfactory as hills may be, human
ity must eat and sleep. The gentleman
who presides over the tickets and tele-
graph wires at once inspects her critical
ly, and finally condescends to inform her
where the hotel is to be found. Then Miss
Van Anden secures an interview with the
proprietor of that establishment, and the
scrutiny she receives from this individual
reduces the inspection OF the ticket gentle
man to a mere tri1e. She is ushered into
the long supper-room, where party of
laboring gentlemen are Introducing thei:
supper into their mouths by means OF
Misunderstanding bone-handled knives
'Them's the help havin' their tea," ex-
plains the keeper Of the hotel; and then
A,,lo &c, IoI 10 ba