The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1878-12-18

this second honeymoon of his had rather
bitter flavor. felt sorry for him and
the three poor little step-children as
they went soberly down to their fine new
house.
had Hulda to myself now, and will
confess that left no stone unturned to
accomplish my purpose. l spared
neither her suitor's age nor his inhrmi
ties, and repeated, with many q shy ex-
aggeration, the taunt of Judith. So all
poor Marley's entreaties, and the threats
and wrath of Bob, we're unable TO mend
the mischief of one woman's tongue.
Hulda gave up Marley, and settled down
with me to old-maidenhood and the
dreary mOnotony of keeping boarders.
Even Hulda was past middle-age when
she came down to me that morning on
the kitchen floor. AS l said, there was
no necessity for Hulda's remaining
among the rust and reaches, the clatter
of the dishes, and the hustle of the black
serving-maids. / had kept Hulda the
lady manager OF the house. Her laces
were real, while mine we're any two
penny cheatery that came to hand she
rustled in her silks, while got about in
q gingham gown; but we worked togeth
er, Hulda and 1, and the time had come
now when we could shake the dust and
ashes of this drudgery from our feet.
It was growing hot for that season of the
year. i had been thinking all the morn
ing ofshhe budding larches out on the
old hi aestead, and the tender green of
the 5eillew slips down by the meadows
It sheIhed to me could her the youSg
Io, v.s,A koIN khEa-s llyxyh
of the cGE as they chewed their early
cud. It m4 4sht have been the steam of the
boarding-house breakfast that dimmed
my eyes as whispered to Hulda:
"It's all settled. Tue boarders must
be told to-day. We're rid Of all this din
and drudgery. I've paid the last cent
on the homestead, and it's ours, dearie,
to have and hold forever.
"And shall we live there alone, Mag
da 2" she said" only you and II"
"I shall take Chloe to help about the
house," said but as to living alone,
that's what thought we'd been work.
ing and praying for. You certainly
don't want to take any boarders along
Mrs. Post wants to bring her sick baby
out for the summer, and that young
student on the second floor back is pes
tering me to spend his vacation with US;
but surely, Hulda,. you would not begin
our new life with boarders ?"
"No, Magda, no." she said, with that
little melancholy, deprecatory, exasper-
| ating smile of hers and as she went
away she left the germ after her of rather
a bitter misgiving, which ripened into
full maturity when we got settled in the
old homestead, with all our household
| gods about us. These deities wore q
rueful and rusty air. There was some
thing out of Joint. It was Time himself,
no doubt. The tall clock in the corner
didn't tick in the old choery way,
| but put Hulda in mind of some weary
| Jingle she had read, with the one refrain
of "Never, forever-forever, never"
| I never could see, myself, the use of
reading rhymes-either they are too
silly or too grave-.but Hulda had always
been what they called romantic. be-
gan to hate the approach of moonlight
night, far she would sit out-of-doors
and run the risk of the ague and when
the air grew chill enough to have
comfortable fire on tne hearth,
Hulda spoiled it all by begging me
not to light the lamps, and There
she would sit in a blindman's holiday.
l began to get the ricketts, myself and
though wouldn't have owned to it for
the world, was sorry 1 hadn't brought
out with me Mrs. Post and her baby,
and the young student on the second
floor back. For one thing, 1 hadn't
enough to do. Chloe did all the kitchen
work, Hulda attended to the bedrooms,
and the cooking that was left to me
wasn't worth mentioning. It was
enough to break ones heart to see the
dishes come and go untouched and un-
tasted would almost have been glad
TO see that greedy Marley come in for
one hearty meal. There was nobody to
brew or bake for nobody to mend or
make for and, ah nae what a bitter
cry had one day when stupidity STUN
bled into Bob's snuggery up under the
caves of the garret, and saw there the
broken fishing rods, the old rabbit
hutches, the bird traps, kites, marbles,
and heaven knows what and all 1
couldn't get the boy out of my mind,
and began, now that 1 had pl uty of
time, TO think that might have been a
little hard myself, and grew to wonder
ing about the children of Bob's first
wife that I'd given over to the clutch Of
Judith Marley without one word to cheer
or comfort.
The hard northern winter came on
apace. All the little brooks froze tight,
the ten Ter green of the larches and will
lows had given way TO red and gold,
and at last there was no color or SUBJ
stance left them but their skeleton
branches against a leaden sky. The
snow came down in whirling drifts, and
day in, day Out, the clock ticked the dole
full refrain. ] got out some patchwork,
} but put it away again-for who would
inherit my handiwOrk ?-and made up
my mind we'd have no Christmas daintief
that year to stare us dolefully out OF
J countenance. Poor Chloe was getting