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


unseen, an interview between her two
lovers the next morning. They we're
both planting corn in the long lot--a bit
of meadow land at the extreme limit of
the farmland when their bags were
empty, and the drills levelled over their
golden sprinkling of seed, Henry was
turning his face homeward, when Sam
stopped him.
Look here, Hen; hold on; I've
somethin' to say to ye."
Hay 2" responded Henry, with an
air of idiotic astonishment, but turning
back on his tracks.
"Don't yawp 80. jest want ter say
that / know what you're snakin' around
this here humstead for; an you can't
come it, now I tell ye."
What be yew a-talkin' about 2" put
in the naturally astounded Henry.
"Why, I'm talkin' about Miry Calkins.
Maybe you think you're goin' to git that
gal; but tell ye you amt, not by long
shot |"
"Well whose troop do you ride in p
inquired the other, with fine sarcasm.
"Not your'n, anyhow, Hen Pine-and
l amt jokin', you can swear. I'm goin'
to marry Almiry, ef any living man docs;
so you'd jest as good haw out out O. the
road afo=e you're kicked out"
Mighty Moses how yew talk -
gasped the alarmed youth.
"'Tain't all talk, sir. Be you goin' to
quit without haulin', or not2"
a. know" answered Henry. sui
lenly, his native obstinacy asserting it.
self in place of courage-"I do knows
I'm goin' to be walked over this fashion.
] guess I'm as good as you be, and I've
got sight more chink."
Darn your dollars who wants 'em I?
Miry amt that sort; she'd ruther marry
man than pocket book"
"She amt nobody's fool, now I tell
ye, Sam Peters. See eff she wouldn't a
heap ruther settle down on our farm
than go tin-peddlin' long O. you. Ho |!
1 guess 1 sha'n't haw out O. your road !;
not much. No, sir p
Look-a-here," calculated Sam,
growing savage. "You'd better hear to
me, Hen Pine. Eff / ketch you hangin'
raound Almiry any more, I'll make you
sos't you'll wish t you was further,
pretty quick. A bumble-bees' nest won't
be nothin' to it. Now this say an
swear; eff you don't go easy, you'll go
hard; jest you rec'lect that"
Sans handsome face grew dark and
his fist clinched involuntarily as he
spoke; and with an uneasy chuckle,
which he meant to have made defiant,
Henry went off alone, resolving to per-
severe in his devotion to Al1nira, and,
besides that, to tell her all about this
small interview with his rival.
But Sans keen wit warned him that
this would be Henry's first move, and
that luckless wight got no chance to
speak to his adored all day, and was
even obliged to see her drive off to the
village with her mother, quite ignorant
of Sans audacity.
Now it was Henry's duty to fetch the
COWS from pasture at night, and he set
off early to-day, that they might be back
by sunset, and his chores all done when
Mira returned, intending to ask her for
a walk after supper, and put his fate to
the touch, as well as bring Sam to con-
fusion. But he reckoned without his
host. Sam took short cut asross the
hill, drove the only Alderney heifer, the
pride and delight of Miss Calkin's heart,
out of the pasture into a moving lot
up, betaking himself to q clump of
hemlocks which overlooked the road,
till Henry came sauntering along, and,
letting down the bars, began to call the
creatures out of the lot. They came on
after the fashion of COWS, as if time was
no matter and speed unknown or impos-
sible; and perhaps Henry would have
driven them home without missing the
Alderney, had not Sam, who was some
thing of a ventriloquist, thrown his
voice across the further hillside, and
uttered faint f" Moo-oo."
Henry started, looked, started toward
the sound, then back to the COWS, and
after rubbing his eyes and counting over
the slow procession filing past him,
seemed to become aware that Miss Betty
was not among them. Another distant
low convinced.
Darn it all !" Sam could hear him
mutter (; "that ALFRED critters ben an
strayed agin. Well, they'll go hum
dy-rect, guess. l must hunt her"
And hunt her he did, first up hill,
then into the deep woods, Sam stalking
him all the time ike a deer-hunter, and
Henry disturbing the fragrant stiffness
of nature with various expletives of both
wrath and disgust, but not daring to go
home without the COW, which was Miry's
especial pet. After various tribulatiohs
Sam landed his luckless rival on the
edge of great swamp, from whose
tangled thickets the distressed utterance
of Miss Betty issued more than once be-
fore Henry dared attempt the boggy
surface and darkling growth at last,
however, he plunged boldly in, and
Sans device having taken effect, he
himself, familiar as a squirrel with all
the wood ways, hastened back to the
pasture, released Miss Betty, who had
been kept quiet with a bunch of juicy
carrots, and turning her into the road
where the rest had gone, took the short
cut homeward, and would have arrived
there in time TO be seated on the door
step to receive Almira but for an unfore-