The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1880-12-15
THE NEW CINDERELLA.

When the widow of General Spicer
married my father she swore that l. ms
only child, should be her first care. on-
fortunately, promises before marriage
are proverbially unsound, perlsha6ie as
uie crust. Those made by the Widow
Spicer were singularly light pastry; be-
fore the honeymoon was over she torgot
she had made any, and thenceforth her
maternal care of me was dead letter.
NV father was an embarrassed man.
Mrs Spicer brought him nothing but
ready-made family-one son, Jack
Spicer, already in the army, and two
dauohters. When they first joined our
domestic circle Cornelia and Adelaide
Spicer looked to my juvenile eyes full
grown women; and yet it was a curious
fact that five years later, when had
changed from q child to missy OF
twelve, they were still in their teens and
five additional years only seemed to
have the effect of making them younger
The Spicer girls were no beauties.
They took after their mother; they
we're larpe-nosed, shrill-tongued women
like her; they spent their lives dressing
and dreaming of possible marriage,
but each year seemed to make the
STRUGGLE more hopeless. Between them
they led my poor father miserable ne
He had always been meek little Snan'
but from the moment he fell under the
woke of the Spicers he seemed TO lose
his identity and to be merged IN them'
1t was quite enough for Mrs. Splcer TO
saw in her stentorian voice: my girls
must have a season in town, William.
Cindy's schooling must stand over fol
another YEAR," and SO it stood ovel
altogether. How I picked up desul
torv education heaven only knows. The
only branch that received any attentloT
was millinery; the Miss Spicers con
ceiyed that 1 had o nice taste 10
trimming. and kept me pretty busy
and by-and-bye Clementine, the trencl
maid. transferred her work to mel Sh
could not stand the temper OF zee
vielles files" she said, and after sh
\ left it was not found convenient to NJ
her place. The constant drains made b
the Sp: GERS generally on my tather
nurse were beginning to empty Una
iono-enduring article. The seasons l
town were becoming matters OF grea
dificulty and each took slice out
the moor residue. My stepmother VIZ
killing the goose with vengeance, an
the golden eggs were spent 1or no goo zoo
- Each season saw the return OF Ile MI
y Spicers crosser, older, thinner SQUIRE
Il Sometimes they would bring with the
@ some man who was supposed TO ma
;" taken a fancy to either Oornella
. Adelaide, and it was hoped that countr
"a house life might fan the languid Han
a into a healthy fire; but the old sayin
= f" Opportunity and importantly, SEEM
: to have the contrary effect on the MI
= Spicers' admirers; they made great
"A roads on the larder, but no progress
~ ward matrimony,
During these visits had strict ord'
to remain in my own room. MY SUE
e. sisters had a strong dislike to any
20 their so-called admirers seeing me. M
d have. unfortunately, a preference
fr fresh Young faces, and, in spite OF
\. the nostrums that the Spicers spen
little fortune upon, each day lncrea'
the difficulty of keeping up the net
of girlhood. To do them justice Il
90 worked hard. If they had been Iii
70 kinder to me l could have found 1t
90 nav heart to pity them, for surely
90 laborers put in a severer days I
Morning, noon and night they "
DIGGING in ungrateful soil, and
harvest seemed never ripe.
Adelaide, being the youngest, was
~ most gushing; she adored danci
lawn, tennis, picnies, and blllla
sav. Cornelia, on the contrary, was, as
s,sf mother remarked, steady as chu
mn She haunted the rectory, where the
hat Alfred Pringle dwelt, solitary wldo
| AZ, ~. a.. l,5e Iffe a burden To him.