The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1879-05-07

the dark corners of which the hollow
faces of the specters of want and starva-
ton seemed leering at him, Frank passed
quickly out the door, regained his cab,
said to the driver, Brunswick-quickl !"
and rolled away.
Two little red lips quivered percepti-
bly,, and two big black eyes filed with
tears. To be hungry = absolutely, un-
POLITICALLY and practically hungry-was a
novel experience to Bessie Prang. To be
hungry in a fashionable lodging house,
with plenty down stairs in a well-filled
larder and cool, pleasant dining-room,
was absolutely absurd. Sitting in a
pretty room, amid a mass of pretty femi-
nine knick-knacks and brick-a-brac,
hearing the rattle of knives and forks
come up on the air from the table below;
and yet to be hungry was positively,
maddeningly incongruous, she thought.
10 be sure there was no reason why she
should not have gone to the landlady and
explained her situation and been sure of
proper treatment, but they had been in
the house but few days, and had been
taking their meals out at neighboring
restaurant. Bessie's mother had been
called away to visit sister who was ill,
and she had left her little girl alone, not
without misgivings, and the night before
Bessie had lost her purse or had her
pocket picked coming from din
ner; at any rate it was gone, and with it
the money which was to have bought
her food for the next two days. A prac-
tical woman would have done the obvi-
Gus thing and interviewed her landlady.
But Bessie was even more than most
women sensitive about going to strangers
when in trouble, especially about money
matters, and feared TO encounter suspi-
ciOn; so she went without her breakfast,
and at lunch-time was ravenously hun
CRY. What curse good appetite is at
times Then it occurred to her that she
had heard her cousin Tom joke about
his Uncle" and she knew that he was
alluding to pawnbroker. What hor-
rid thing a pawnbroker must be. A kind
of crop between a Shylock and Fagin,
she thought and they would ogle her
perhaps. Oh, no! She'd starve before
she would go there. But as the afternoon
wore on and hunger increased, and with
it her perplexity, she began to cry. But
crying didn't help matters any; on the
contrary, the pangs of hunger rather in
creased, and with them her determine
ton to find her cousin Tom " Uncle
She resolved that no one but herself
mot even mamma, nor of her visit to
the awnbroker's-never that"
From under amass ofribbons and laces,
artificial flowers and dainty lace hand
kerchiefs, tumbled into bureau-drawer,
she fished ont small box, and took from
it a queer old locket. 1t was a carved
cameo, surrounded by a brilliant
ly enameled snake with ruby eyes, and ON
the back the initials M. E., and under
meath, V. ID. V.
"Poor old grandma; how Mortified
Won would be If you only knew, and
hadn't been dead these ten yearsin she
said to herself softly, as she put the
| locket back in its case, and ran do&&'
stairs in the late summer afternoon
1t was a long walk down Broadway,
the pavements were hot and scorched
! her feet, her face grew flushed with exer-
| ton, and her black curls clung damply
/ TO her white forehead. Besides, she was
weak from long fasting. She thought at
last that she did not know were she was
going, but she mustered up courage to
| ask policeman. He eyed her curiOusly
but told her civilly enough where to go
Hot waves of crimson dyed her face
and neck as she passed in at the doorway
under the trio of golden balls, and stood
at the counter. She heard a poor woman
refused the amount she begged for
on an old shawl. 1t was mOth-eaten,
and they did not want it any price.
Then a voice said
"Well, miss Pn
She produced the locket.
"HOw muchPn After a hurried ex-
animation she was relieved to see that
the man took 10 her novel situation cool
ly enough, and she spoke for the first
times
"Ten dollars, please"
The money was counted out, she gave
dollar of it 20 the poor woman
whose shawl had been rejected and who
/ still stood In a dazed way on the side
walk, escaped from her thanks into q
Fourth avenue car, and was soon bath
ing in her cool room, and forgetful, now