The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1878-04-24

Now Almira was at heart a real
woman, for all her cool head and strong
will. To have Sam on her hands, help
less and appealing, for the last three
weeks, had softened her nightly toward
him. The handsome dark eyes, langnid
with pain and weariness, had their share
IN this influence, no doubt; and the
courageous patience with pain, the
grateful look and word which always
met any little service done for him, the
cheerful endurance of helplessness and
weary days--all these bent Mira more
and more toward her undeclared lover
for Sam had never yet said the first;
word Of love to her, yet by some won
derful perception this acute Young
person was as well aware of his passion
as If it had been blazoned in a thousand
words.
Sam did himself good service un-
awares on that Sunday, for Henry took
heart the same night to declare himself
on the way home from singing-school,
prefacing his offer with full, true, and
particular account of Sans threats and
hard words. Of course Mira was quick
enough to understand at once why Sam
had misled Henry on that eventful
night when he broke his own leg, and
she could scarce help smiling at the
piteous tone of her present adorer as he
recounted Sans fierce menaces.
Well, want skeert none, 'Miry.
now tell ye; but thinks ], I'll be even
with him, sure as shootin', for I'll tell
'Miry ont next time git a chance, an
ef that don't show her what sort o. q
feller he is, L dono nothin.'"
"And s'pose," retorted Mira, s'you
never thought you was a-showin' what
kind of feller you was, now did We
Look-a-here, Henery Pine 1 always did
despise a tell-tale from the time I was
knee-high to a hop-toad; and a grown
up tell-tale is the worst of all l'
Oh, Lordyl Almiry Calkins what
dew you mean? Why, 1 want ye to
marry me Hain't said it out plain p"
q" You needn't never say it no more, ;"
put in Almira, with noble disregard of
grammar in behalf of hnpressiveness.
~ wouldn't marry you eff you was the
King O. Siam"
swell ! well well !'' blubbered
Henry. "I never'd ha' thought you'd
ha' gin me the mitten, SEEM what a
farm our folks has got, an money in the
bank, an stock an crops. 1 don't know
how to b'lieve it.
Don't make me give We pair o.
mittens," said his enraged goddess: $50
l wish ye good night and better man
ners for here they were at the door;
and Almira slipped up stairs to bed,
filled with loathing and rage, and
thinking in her secret soul that Sam
never, neUer could have made such a
fool of himself. No, indeed Sam was
no fool. He became aware that Henry
was in a dlear and sore frame OF mind
the next day; and seeing that Mira as
more than usually snappy and alert, and
went about with a hot color in her
cheeks. our bedrid philosopher drew his
own conclus. ons, and when 'Miry came
in after tea to "visit with him" he
contrived to coax the tory out of her.
1t was abominable in Mira to tell her
discarded lovers secret; but let us for
give her, for she had her own reasons.
Sans face grew bright as she recounted
with unaffected scorn Henry's surprise
at her contempt of his money.
{" He's brute, said Sam, curtly, aud
then his voice softened. "Oh, 'Miry,
If should ask you, with no sort O.
temptation, only jest that I'd like to
kiss the tip of your shoe, 1 love We so,
should 1 get nitten too ?"
'Miry looked down IN her lap very
hard, and turning her face toward the
door as if she heard somebody coming,
said, slowly, Z" I dono as 'twould hurt ye
to try"
There was a nightly expressive
silence for a minute, and 'Miry's retty
head bent so low that Sam could lift
himself to meet it before he spoke again,
to say, with queer half laugh, ''Mother
said my broke leg was a Judgment, but
somehow it seems anything but that
jest now. dono's ever should ha' got
courage, 'Miry, without I'd laid here an
seen ye so dreadful good an kind to
me.
Mebbe you'll find it's a Judgment
yet, " wickedly retorted Mira.
Well, eff it's" answered satisfied
Sam, its nightly tempered with
mercy, as mother used to say"
And to this day Squire Peters always
says nothing ever did him so much good
as his first acknowledged Judgment,
though it took the form of broken leg.
-HarpeTs' BazGr.