The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1881-07-20

of respectable place where you can
live. Let me see-you are about fif-
teen ?"
"NearlY eighteen" said Felicie.
Thornton stared.
She was, then, quite woman, and
an uncommonly pretty one, too, he said
to himself.
"You are sure you will not repent ?
But perhaps am wrong in taking you
away from your natural guardians in this
manner"
"You may take me away or not"
said Felicie, coolly. "But if some one
does not take me away shall take my
self away. am going now to get
everything I have, and nothing will in
duce me to sleep another night under
this roof"
That settled it. Thornton took a
card and wrote an address on it, and in
less than an hour Felicie presented her
self at her new friends, with a basket
containing all of her worldly posses
sions.
Mrs. Monson came home to find Fe-
licie gone, and no clew to her, while
Felicie was being snugly ensconced in
a little sunny room at Miss Shepard's.
Miss Shepard had been an humble
friend and dependent of Russell Thorn
toms mother, and was only too glad to
have it in her power to do anything for
'Mr. Russell"
Thornton appeared in the evening,
and fixed upon plan for Felicie's fu-
ture arrangements.
"You shall have certain amount a
month";" said he, "beyond your board
With that you may do as you please.
You may go to school, or learn dress
making, or anything else you like. I
leave for New York tomorrow evening,
and in q week 1 sail for London. / shall
be in Europe certainly for three years,
and at the end of that time 1 shall look
you up to see what you have made of
yourself"
Felicie looked at him with her pretty
dark eyes brimming over with tears.
She had learned to dread and fear
strangers. These two-Russell Thorn
ton and Miss Shepard-were the only
two who had ever been kind to her in
all her life.
'T will try will try p was al she
could say.
Thornton rose to say goodbye.
"When I come back expect to be
dazzled with your requirements"
He shook hands with her as he spoke,
and then with Miss Shepard, and the
next moment she saw his graceful figure
disappear in the darkness. She turned
to Miss Shepard.
'Will he ever-do you think he will
ever come back ?" she asked, with quiv-
ering lips.
"Of course. Three years will slip by
easily"
1t seemed an eternity to look forward
to, in Felicie's Imagination.
The next day, she said to Miss Shep.
ard:
'Do you know what 1 am going to dc
with what Mr.. Thornton gives me?
intend to learn to sing p
'Learn to sing p said Miss Shepard
in the same tone as if she had said
''Learn to fly |"
eyes," said Felicie-''to sing like the
great opera-singers. Ny mother sang
beautifully, and l mean to sing like
her."
Miss Shepard interposed no objection
and she soon learned to oppose nothing
that Felicie said. She wGs sc
bright, and so helpful Miss Shepard's
dull little house had never known any
youthful merriment, and it warmed the
poor old souls heart to feel Felicie''
active and magnetic young presence
about her.
She summed herself, as it were, in Fe
licie's youth and beauty; and Felicit
found herself soon to be the very apple
of Miss Shepard's eye.
She had begun her singing lessons
the week after Thornton left, and might
be heard trilling and caroling down il
Miss Shepard's stuffy little parlor, and
touching light chords on Miss Shepard'i
wheezy old piano, all day long.
Nor did she forget to learn some othel
things besides. She never knew her
self to be fond of books. Her life hat
been so hard and colorless that she
really did not know what she liked ex
cept singing. But she read with {
steady purpose of improvement tina
worked wonders. She bought copy
books and changed her uniformed, child
ish handwriting for one full of vigor.
She had natural quickness in learn
ing everything that belonged to domes
tic affairs, and two years slipped ava,
in a happiness and content that poor Fe
licie had never dreamed of.
About this time, when Felicie wa
twenty, she saw an advertisement for
first soprano in one of the great cit,
church choirs. She determined to ap
ply for it, and without saying a word t,
Miss Shepard, she slipped off, and wen
to the vestry-room where the candidate
were being examined.
When she found herself before S,
many persons, and saw the strange pro
fessor who presided at the organ, he
heart sank but when at last ''AIiss Bre
ward" was called forward, and she say
the familiar notes, her voice returne'
to her. She had never felt more mis-