The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1881-08-24


ants boat, cushioned, tagged and be-
decked for the auspicious occasion,
Sandy Mcpherson, Esquire, of Ailsa
Craig, planter, rowed alongside, same
like he governor, the native spectators
observed.
Scrambling up the side he took a
hasty glance at the many passengers
on the poop, and, instinct
lively guessing that Miss Effie was not
among them, he dived below and con-
fronted the stewardess.
"'Miss Medium on board, and wellP
asked he.
"'Yes, sir replied the matron, and
a very nice, good, kind, pleasant young
lady she is, and I've taken the greatest
care of her. She felt sure that the
gent was Miss Ms husband to be, and
that there was money in his purse for a
gratuity, Notwithstanding that, accord
ing to the terms of the passage money,
stewards and stewardess' fees were in
cluded--a fiction, gentlemen, pleasant
fiction, which you will find out when
you go down to the sea in ships.
"'Take this card to her, said the
pale and trembling gentleman. 'Pn
wait her coming up in that far corner of
this saloon
CHANGING at the pasteboard the
woman disappeared, and presently
there assembled, step by step, from the
regions below, first a neat straw hat,
trimmed with bright ribbons, beneath
that hat a face somewhat worn with
years and cares, but still fresh and
no,oo1xy fhay, N o1irbf Of
figure, draped in plain, wel-itting
garments, shawled end ready for the
shore. Miss Effie, in propria persona,
stood before her hand-seeker, blushing
celestial rosy red
"He advanced from his coign of van
tage to greet her, but as he grew higher,
instead of the warm, affectionate well
come he looked for, there was a fixed
stare, shudder, hasty retreat and a
loud scream which resounded from stem
to stern of the big ship and brought
every one from decks and cabins into
the saloon.
"'Miss Needum-Effie, my girl, what
on earth is the matter p hurriedly STAN
mered out the astounded Sandy.
"'Shiver my timbers, what ails the
lassieY put in the captain. Look out
for squalls, if you've annoyed herr And
all the bystanders echoed the words in
more or less threatening terms. She
was evidently favorite on board.
"Oh, take him away cried the lady,
piteously; take him away from me,
some onel / don't know him I've
been misled, deceived 1 can't marry
him-indeed, indeed can't. He is not
Mr.. Mcpherson who wrote to me, to
whom 1 came out to be mar. He is
so ugly. Oh, such a dreadful fright !!
I'll return him his money. I'll work
my way back to my poor mother. I'll
do anything, but l can't be his wife.
I'd rather die firstP
"'Miss Medium, 1 don't indeed un-
derstand this said the taken-aback and
completely ly-fabbergasted one. What
does it all meanp Are we not engaged
Have you not come out of your own
free will to accept the home and the
love offer youP Did I not send you
my ikenessP
"'No, nor
"Surely 1 did. It was taken by Col
lodion, our best photographer, and
when he gave it to me he said: "Mr.
Mcpherson, sir, there is no f1attery ere.
Your worst henemies would admit that. u
Why, I myself put it inside the letter
to your mother
"I repeat, no-decidedly and EN-.
phatically no! Look at this and
drawing from her bosom little locket
she opened it and displayed the head
and face of a younger, much handsomel
and in every outward respect more
lovable man than the scared one now
before her. 1t was the counterfeit pre-
sentiment of Mr.. Jack lie Geste, and
leave you to imagine what Mcpherson
thought when he saw it there.
Chow could it get into the locket, you
ask? Why, in the simplest way in the
world. That ood-for-nothing fellow
LIE Geste, when Sandy's letter came into
his possession, thought to sell him
and so had surreptitiously removed his
carte de visite, substituting one of hii
own, and Effie had W orn it ever since.
"The disappointed bridegroom plead
ed hard and tried every argument to in
duce the girl to let matters progress
but she was obstinate and determined
I" She would esteem and respect hin
always, but nothing more. To let the
cat out of the bag, Miss Effie had falleI
desperately in love with the picture O.
her supposed Alexander, and in vulgar
language had spooned over it awfully
during the tedious and lone hours of /
long voyage. OF course. she imagined
that it was her intended husband sht
was approving, or she would not have
done it-certainly not.
$50, quite chapfallen and in the mad
dest of RACES, Mcpherson returned t.
his estate.
"Arrived there he cut from one of hi
coffee bushes the thickest and knotties
of sticks and proceeded with it in searcl
of lie Geste but, fortunately for thu
Jester, he had made tracks and was gone
"Then he reverted to his old custom
and habits, sold his not now necessar.
goods and chattels and thought as littl