The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1879-07-30

"Oh, Cyril!" she cries, at sight of me,
81 had no idea that it was so late, but l
couldn't help it. Oh, Cyril After all,
it was the Iuckiest thing. Those poor
children! If Bridget had not made that
mistake, we should have eaten them,
and there would have been no picnic nor
anything else for us"
"ChildrenP BridgetPn 1 exclaim, in
utter bewilderment. &C. Is Bridget one of
the children you are talking aboutP
And why on earth should we eat herP"
" Not Bridget-Mrs. Lcunsbury's chill
dren. They have been so sick! And
just think, only for Bridget's blunder we
should have taken them, and then"
" My dear Nell, do consider what you
are saying" l cry, aghast. 81 never eat
babies-never, do assure you. And if
you are in the habit of doing so pri-
vately, pray don't expose yourselfin this
way. Public opinion will never sustain
you"
"Now let me tell you straight ahead,
and without any more nonsense, what
mean, and then | must run up and dress.
About eleven o'clock l saw the doctor
going into Mrs. Lounsbury's, and of
course / ran over to see what was the
matter. found that Teddy and Mamie
had both been taken suddenly and vio-
lently i'll. When the doctor came he
asked what they had been eating. 1t
seems that Mrs. Lounsbury bought all
that left of the lot of mushrooms which
q man brought to our doors yesterday.
You know how delighted l was to get
them, and how vexed we both were that
Bridget spoiled the steak by her stupid
blunder."
Nell's face is quite white as she ends /;
and for Newell, there are pleasanter
ways of departing this life, even if you
are ready to do so, than by means of
toad-stools.
"How are the childrenp" I ask, after
rejecting for few minutes upon our es-
cape.
"Oh, they are out of danger now,''
says Nell. II left Bridget over there to
help them, for they have all been more
or less sick. Now l must go up and
dress. I'm going to dazzle you when l
come down but you need not be alarmed.
My costume combines economy and
splendor. You will be dazzled, but not
ruined"
Perhaps some one else may be even
more dazzled than l." l say; and Nell
laughs and runs away, blushing very
prettily.
Ten minutes afterward there is crash
and a shrek overhead. | fly up, four
steps at time, to find Nell lying on the
floor beneath the ruins of wardrobe,
which she had somehow managed to
pull over upon herself. The wardrobe
is in such state of universal smash that
it is very easy to clear away the wreck
and raise Nell in my arms. She opens
her eyes as l lay her upon her bed, and
asks, family: "What is itP Has the
world come to an end?"
Not just yet" reply; "but what
have you been doingP"
Then her senses came back to her, and
she raises herself upon her right elbow.
1T was the wardrobe" she says. Il
remember now, The door stuck, and l
was in a hurry, and tried to jerk it open.
Then the whole thing seemed to jump at
me, and was SO frightened that l
screamed, and, | suppose, tainted. I'm
all right now, though, and there's
nothing to hinder our starting"
Look at your DRESS" is my only
reply.
Nell looks, and nearly flints again
for the lovely dress is soiled and torn
beyond all hope of restoration.
- 1t is better for your dress to be torn
than for your bones to be broken"
: say, consolingly; but Nell shakes her
|, head in dubious dissent.
Bones will grow together again, but
| ClObuSS WOn Sll0 L
you only knew the time and thought
have spent on that dress, Cyril. II
was made out of three old ones, and cost
absolutely nothing, except time and
pains; yet it was fresh, and pretty, and
becoming. And my hat matched it pre-
cisely-straw- color and blue, you see
and OH" cries Nell, as she catches
sight of herself in the glass.
/ have not had the heart to tell her
that the hat is an even more hopeless
wreck than the dress. Such forlorn,
battered, dissipated-loOking object it is,
,, with one wheat ear perking up jocosely
over the left ear, and one forget-me-not
dropping Cejectedly over the right eye
. that even Nell herself is forced to laugh.
= 50 1t is hopeless" sighs Nell; and just
then the whistle sounds, and we realize
that the last chance of the picnic is
! over. "The end of an unlucky day, y
says Nell, as the sun touches the horizon.
1t is not quite the end, though, for the
evening mail is still to come in. II
t brings paper for me and a letter foI
, Nell, both of which bear the same post
mark. / open the paper while Nell is
3 still studying the direction of her letter
after the manner of all of us. The first
thing upon which my eye falls is para
graph around which some careful hand
e has drawn broad black lines.
e Aunt Jane is dead !" exclaim; and
t then, rs | look at the date of the paper
B.. l add, Buried too, by this time"
S Nell looks up with a start.
: Aunt Janer' she cries. - And my
e letter is from Fanny Blatchford, who
e lives next door to her"
D She studies the direction no longer
but tears the letter hastily open.
n Just what we might expect, coming
: on this day." she says at last Say
f what you will, Cyril, it IS an unlucky
! day."
| "More than unlucky if your letter
}, contains the news that suppose it does,
e / say, gloomily.
G How the dim years stretch away be
Y fore me as / speak-the years that il
n Il G..L-.. l...lI l.. !.