The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1880-06-09
THE SECRET.

wish I could tell you'll do wish
I could / hate to have u secret;
it buns, like money in my pocke ct
It's an unnatural thing, anyway. One
wants sympathy; if it's a gloomy secret,
somebody to be gloomy with; and if it's
glad one, somebody to he glad with;
somebody to-talk it over with, to make
much or little of il with, to conjecture
concerning il, its beginning and its end,
to dwell upon 1t and gloat over it; how
in the world is one going to enjoy any
thing all by ones self! If I'm eating a
peach, | want somebody to have part of
it, to know how luscious il is; and /
wouldn't give a sixpence for coach and
four unless there were somebody by to
see me riding. So say to myself, what's
the use of knowing it if you're not u
speak or look, or wink, if you're to be
no wisaRkllsN aer people, and let no
body seethat you arep And as for me,
am always blushing, and my tongue is
tripping, and I'm sure to be on the
point of betraying the whole thing by
something / say, and clapping my hand
on my mouth like n silly child.
"A Still, although it's nervous and anx-
ious work, | can keep secret if l try,
or else when he-I mean she-at least
mean shouldn't have been trusted with
8 it ifI couldn't. Some people are so,im-
portant with a secret, and go about as
x If they knew er ough to hang the rest of
3 the world. But never am; only long
4 to tell it; and l do SO want to tell you
y this one. But there-I promised |
wouldn't breathe it, and a promise is a
promise, you know.
st / suppose / wouldn't care half so
much to tell if it were only common
place affair, if there were no romance
about it all But there is. Some people
are so fond of romance-our Romano
is; and | don't believe that anything
could have pleased her half so much
that happened in the regular. expected
way. Our Romaine always was so full
of iancies and IDEAS, and when there:
anything romantic going, it always fall:
to her lot. Don't you think she's {
beautyP | do; so tall, so beautifully
made, so gracious, such hair-such sof
fragrant hair-such eyes like jewels
and ,her skin SO like Il tea-rose! / dom
believe any of those famous beautie
that you read about can hold a candle t.
her--that 1 dOn'ti | always wondered
why she didn't take some one of he
lovers, although knew, too, or though
/ did; for she was just as lovely TEL
years ago, when she came home iron
school at seventeen-the very day thos
dreadful soldiers came, you recollect-
as she is to-day. She had been gone s.
long-four yeIrs-that everything abou
the place was Just as sweet and strang
to her as If it were a kingdom she ha
Just come into; and she was goin
round, looking at this and exclaimin
at that, caressing the creatures Whic
knew her, every one of them, even I
the parrots-just rejoicing in every
thing; aud l, a little siX-year-old wol
shipper, was following her in adora
lion, with the peacock following me
when all at once the lawn was crowde
with soldiers, and the yard was full {
foragers, and the horses, Romaine
own Gulnare, and mammals, weI
being led away, and all the COW
were lowing, and the pigs were squea
ing, and the fowl were cackling,
those wretches took possession; an
some were building fires in the var,
and the rest were swarming into Il
house. And they were in the chin
closet, ravaging the stOre-room, we
in the bedrooms, in the wardrobes, an
parcel of them had poor mamma in
corner, and had torn away her shaw
and one was hourishing her cap on ii
point Of his bayonet, and Romaine hI
sprung into the midst of them, thr6ete
ing them with wild Jury, when su
denly n voice rang over the uprOar,
terrible commanding voice, somebot
strobe through the throng, and seizil
by the shoulder first one and then a
other of the men who had corner
mamma and Romaine, flung them
this side and on that, and in one N
meat silence fell, and man by man tn
skunk away, and presently they we
lHAlmg down the stairs, and mare