The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1878-03-06
A st. Valentine Experiment

III was the eve OF SAINT Valentine n
day. Two girls we're sitting before a
bright open fire in the cozy sitting room
OF an old-fashioned house amongst the
New Hampshire hills. It was about
twenty years ago, when open fires were
more in vogue than now. The warm
glow glinted and glimmered upon the
walls and furniture and touched the
forms and faces of the girls with ten
der, p oetic grace. "Now's our chance
to have a peep into futurity," said Grace
Elmore, the younger and gayer Of the
two. "If we walk down cellar back.
wards with looking glass at the witch
ing hour Of midnight, we shall see our
future"
shouldn't dare to try the expert
ment," said Irene :Beresford. "Pve
heard of persons seeing their coffins in
stead OF true lover. Poor May Gay
lord tried il last year, and though she
wouldn't mention what she saw, she told
me before she died that she could never
think of that nigl without shudden'
Nonsense how superstitious you
are !" said the more practical Grace
How can you believe such things
Now, haven't the least idea either lover
or coffin would appear. If should try
the experiment, / should only do it for a
lark.
"Call it superstition, or what you
like" returned Irene, "I know that
many fine, bigh-wrought, and yet pow
erful natures, are strongly controlled by
such notions. You know we have high
authority for the assertion that there
are stranger things in earth and heaven
than is dreamt of in our philosophy. ;
l do not believe in supernatural infu-
ences, subject to laws whose workings
we do not understand, but which are
none the less real. Now, I'm Just SEN
sitive enough-cowardly If you like
to prefer doing almost anything dis
agreeable TO the ordeal of walking down
cellar alone at that hour"
"Well, there's no need of our discuss
ing this subject before Paul in such a
gloomy manner" said Grace, hastily.
"He's low-spirited enough now, aren't
you, Paul ?" getting up and crossing the
room to the side Of Paul, who was re-
clining upon a low lounge that sat in a
recess. "I guess you weren't noticing
what we were saying" she continued, as
he did not speak. Come, co.," pat
ting him on the cheek, "cheer up, aud
let us have some fun on the eve OF dear
old Saint Valentine.
81 did hear what you were talking
about" he said, quietly, sand I agree
with Irene. believe"
90 yes. of course YOU believe any
thing that's dismal, and hateful, and
disagreeable. Come, Irene, help me
wheel him around out of these shadows;
he'll never move unless we do, and see
if this bright freight won't dispel these
dismal ideas"
Irene lent hand, though the occu-
pant protested. and the lounge was
placed before the rosy freight. Then
Mary, the housekeeper brought in APP
pies and nuts and cider, and the girls
ate and drank and laughed and ioked
with intent TO cheer mp their invalid
cousin, who wRs in a decline, some said,
and others that he was only low-spirited.
Paul Wentworth was a dreamy, mag
NATIVE youth of nineteen, whose sensi-
tive temperament had acquired a morbid
TINT from the misplaced kindness Of an
indulgent mother. Believing him too
delicate for the rough-and-tumble play
of ordinary boyhood, she had treated
him like hot-house plant, which hed
further strengthened this tendency. She
had died suddenly a few weeks before
the opening of our story, and the shock
had thrown him into a state of hopeless
dependency. His two cousins from q
neighboring town we're spending a few
days at the farmhouse, trying to cheer
up his spirits, but all their efforts were
| in vain.
AS he sat before cozy fire in his sleep
ing room after the girls had retired, his
unnaturally bright eyes and the vivid
dush on his cheek seemed good evidences
of the truth of his friends fears, thai
consumption was doing its work. The
subject on which the girls had beer
speaking in the first of the evening haC
a strange fascination for him, and h'
was resolved to try the experiment o.
which they had spoken. Not that h'
really believed that there was any trutl