The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1879-10-08

and she said so very decidedly; but it
made no impression on the cool persist
ence of the agent; he only drew PAM
phlet from his pocket and presented it
TO her, saying, Read this, madam, if
you please. am sure, when you think
of this matter further, you will change
your mind. will call again"
! oh, mol not at all; don't trouble
| yourself, sir. am sure shan't take it. "
"And l am quite sure you will" said
the bowling and smiling youth, as he
! disappeared through the door.
There was something in his sublime
assurance that daunted poor Mrs. Lyte; ;
| it is hard for any woman who has once
been under the lawful dominion of a
man to resist the tone of masculine au-
thority. Perhaps from habit, perhaps
from nature, Mrs. Lyte began to be
afraid she would take that alarm. By
the noon mail, however, she had differ
ent sort of alarm her brother-in-
law wrote on from Chicago that the
young fellow who had so persistently
made love to Annie had left for the East,
and he wanted her to be sure Annie did
not see him or meet him. for he him
self fnever could or would consent to his
marrying his daughter. The epistle was
| DIlSl duh pbIblllpJOI y anu bllCW Nllo
! Lyte into flutter of apprehension. In
side was little note from her sister
DEAR EM.-Do not think hardly of
Annie. Frank Chester is a fine young
man, well educated and well bred.
| Charles don't like him because he is poor,
but he is doing well in his profession.
You know, Charles keeps thinking how
much | suffered, when we were first
married, from his failing in business,
when had such poor health, and Annie
is the apple of his eye; he can't bear to
have her want for anything. Don't
blame him, dear. | am us sorry as ! can
be fer Annie, but it is best to keep her
out of Franks way if you can. Poor
fellow wish he was rich!
Goodbye, dear. CARRY GRANT"
A cooler reader might have smiled
over this letter, which was what a dis
tinguished man has called &C. mush of
cOncessiOn;" but it only worried and
agitated Mrs. Lyte more. She was
thrown into one of her dreadful nervous
headaches, lay awake all night planning
how to manage this business with
proper tact and prudence, and when in
the morning she wandered out among
her budding roses on the tiny lawn,
tired and unrefT eshed by the night, dur
ing which Pepper had added to her eX-
| asperated nerves the one straw too much
by spasm of furious barking, the first
thing she saw was q shiny hat mounting
the hill below, and its rapid ascent soon
revealed the alarm agent, as cool and
fresh in his drab summer suit as the
morning itself. She was too tired and
unready to make her escape; her head
rung with the echo of last nights pain,
her nerves were all unstrung, she was
| ,o1 ho
cool and resolute agent had an easy vic
tory. for in despair she retreated from
the battle she felt was already lost.
Some women would have sat down on
the step and said "No" over and over,
for an hour, rather than give in. but
such women are rare-as the multitude
of travelling agents shows-and she was
not one of them. She consented to put
in burglar-alarm merely to get rid of
this man who had so tormented her, and
the moment he left, with her order
recorded in his black book, she repented
of her weakness and bemoaned her
folly, and wished the man at the bottom
of the sea and Annie's lover along with
him. For to-day was the day of the
painting lesson, and in spite of her
headache she felt il her duty to 90 into
hartford with her niece, to play duenna
and though Annie demonstrated affee-
tionately and fretfully both, this pale,
tired little woman hung on to her duty
. with all her strength, as some women
will, and with heavy eyes and weary
feet saw her pretty charge safely to the
great city, established her in the studio
and guarded her home in the train en-.
tirely to her own satisfaction, if not tC
Annie's. Deluded soul! her honest
eyes never wandered enough to see the
dark flashes that went straight to An
nie's fluttering heart from another pain
. of eyes in the crowd at the railway; nol
did she once perceive that Annie's LITTLE
gloved hand hung listlessly out Of the
ear window before the train started
till it clasped n small note reached III
| from the side ofthe track by handsome
: young fellow who had his heart in hi
face.
Love laughs mt duennas as well as lock
, smiths. Mrs. Lyte went home in franz
! of mind best described by Captain Cut
tle's-or somebody else's-horid remark
DUTY performed is a rainbow in th
3 soul" She had done n hard days duty
! and felt certain strength and exhilara
ton that enabled her to sit down as sool
as tea was over and write a note to tina
obnoxious agent as follows:
5 "DEAR SR-I have changed my mine
| ABOUT your ulSldI dldlu III, anu WlSl
: hereby to countermand my order 70
l one. r. H. LYTE,"
Sam departed with the missive ar,
{ returned very soon with this answer:
!! DEAR MADAM ordered the alarm
at once by telegraph; it will arrive b
to-night's train, with a man to put it up
. Shall commence operations tomorrow
> morning. Your recall was too late.
"YOurs, respectfully,
"PETRARCH p. HART
e Mrs. Lyte burst into tears, and Ami
n stamped her little foot with rage as sh
e read the note. Mrs. Hill was happil
/. away on a weeks visit. 1t could not b
). helped now. Next day the house wa
e bored and wired and screwed an
It knobbed from top to bottom you cOul
d not open shutter without precaution
of various sorts, and each window run