The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1881-04-27

And, Miss Helen, shall tell you? When
1 go home hope to take wife there
with me-"
"Why in the world should Helen
think he means herP" whispered Stan
hope "Look at her I" For Helen had
suddenly averted her face, and, thrust
ing her hands out before her in beau
tiful forbidding gesture, had cried;
ooh, no, no, no l could never leave
Americal"
DIR. Malatestata stopped short in his
walk, in blank amazement.
~ beg your pardon, Miss Helen" he
cried. you misunderstood me-" he
said. "Believe me, had no thought of
asking you" And then he drew himself
up proudly. "I was about to tell you,"
he said, that / am the promised hus-
band of Miss Jane"
But at that time Stanhope, who had
been in the secret for some time, could
not forbear q moment longer, and burst
into roar of laughter.
And then such an angry man as
Malatestata was may I never see again,
when he began adiuring Stanhope in
foreign tongues, while the latter leaned
AT any rate" said Helen to me, that
night the fact remains that 1 refused
him. He didn't misunderstood me-"
Well, it was the loyeliest little wedding
that we had two weeks later on Aunt
Elroy's broad gallery, with all the
flowers and vines and birds. And
grand italian gentleman came up with
Stanhope, too, who treated us all like
mobiles, and delighted Emily and awed
Maria. The doctor would have his
wheel-chair present, for he declared
it had been the best friend he ever had;
and he looked at Jane in her white
muslin and jesamines, as if it were too
much that any of us should touch her.
And then he took her off on the journey
over the continent; for we will see
America before we go back TO our home
in Italy," he said.
So letters came to us from Niagara,
from a shooting season in Colorado,
from Mexico, from Californian ranches;
then from the islands of the Pacific
seas, from Japan, from India; and Jane
was going to her home by way of the
Red sea and Egypt and the Mediter-
ranean.
"Just think of our little Jane p' said
I. "She is putting Marco Polo in the
| shade"
cts about time he settled down to
his practice now, though" said Aunt
Elroy, not meaning Marco Polo, but the
doctor. "I declare, what gap ii
| makes in life 70 have Jane gone; and
now Mrs. Knowles and Helen too. /
wonder if Helen is having the triumph
ant time she hoped for in Rome" For
Mrs. Knowles had gone to Rome, and
Helen had been buoyant with expecta-
ton.
''Are you speaking of Helen ?" said
Emily, coming up with an open letter
from the post. "She has seen some
very pleasant people. She has been a
guest at grand villa, been present at q
superb festival in the country and been
received by prince and princess. Do
you want to read about itY" And this
was what Helen had written on that
page:
1T was Just morning of mornings,
this April day; and Mrs. Knowles and 1,
having left the city and come up here on
the Apennines, were taking our stroll
stroll where we crushed the violets at
every step-when we saw that the vii
lage was all afame with flowers aud
banners, and the people decked out like
a scene in q theater, and there was music,
and there were throngs of children, with
garlands, and don't know what and all.
It was the Homecoming of the prince
and princess, they said. And we had
time to hear no more; for, as we stood
just inside the gates of the lovely gar
dens, we stepped aside, to let the low ear
riage, with its four cream -colored horses,
dash by. And all of a sudden there was
a cry, and the horses were pulled up,
and two people sprang ont Of the car
riage. And oh, Emily 1 had reason
to remember, all in rush, that it was
April FOOLS day, and the merest fool
that ever was-I, who had actually re-
fused this man For who do you think
the prince was but Prince Malatestata
And the princess-was our little Jane p
- Independent.