The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1881-05-04
NORMAN LAMAR'S BOARDERS.

He stood rubbing his hands before
the huge log in the open chimney, with
its breastwork of wooden mantelpiece.
The morning was cold the hoar frost
, lay in rare fretted work all over the
~ s5zli s and the breath of the cattle
issecEme snfolle as it met the atmosphere
The man beforl the fire stood six feet in
his stockings his physique was superb /;
his shapely head was covered with little
crisp rings of yellow hair, and his blue
eyes wore just such a mild meditative
expression as one sees in the eyes of the
gentler cattle. We grow like our COM
panions, and they had been his many
years. He was rubbing his hands, mo-
because they were cold, for they were
as white and warm and supple as a
babes. The act was simply an express
sion of the pleasure he felt in the glow
from the great back log The room was
rude and homely, but spacious, and not
lacking in comfort
Standing in one of the easements was
young lady, evidently accustomed to
far different surroundings. There was
aa air OF elegance about her. She had
been looking out the window at the wide
sweep of prairie and cattle ranging free.
Suddenly she brought her very hand
some eyes to bear, with frank criti-
cism, on the man upon the hearth, in
his blue flannel pantaloons and shirt
and red suspenders. Metaphorically
speaking, he owned "the cattle upon q
thousand hills !" in practical language,
he was one of the most extensive stock
.raisers in the territory in which he lived.
Zaida Burdett felt in certain man
ner overpowered by the vastness of
things--the vast prairies, the vast sky,
and the vastness of this man, both as
regarding his proportions and the pos
sessions which he represented. He
seemed to her like one of the audacious,
handsome, plundering Gauls that Niche
let dwells on in his chapters about the
world when it was new, with their blue
eyes, yellow mustaches, and fair should
ers decorated with golden collars.
She felt almost sure that even the col
lar was somewhere out of sight under
his blue shirt. She was certain that he
had swooped down ON things and owned
q great deal more than rightly belonged
to him.
'sHe ought to marry large, yellow
haired, fair skinned Amazon, and peo.
pie the land with progeny that would
put to the blush the puny race one is
accustomed to-" she said to herself, and
suddenly became aware that she also
was being regarded.
Pardon, mademoiselle, but I was
trying to make out your nationality; are
You French p he asked.
"What makes you think am" wal
her reply.
A little amused smile crept from undel
his yellow mustache.
"Your speech betrayeth You. Non,
but Yankee answers a question witt
another"
She laughed
"You are right Yet 1 call mysel
cosmopolitan. Mamma and l live al
over the world. Last year we spent il
London, the year before in Gemany
and so way back since was ten year
old. I'm twenty-three now"
Her frankness was enchanting.
"There is a good deal of Bohemian
ism about us. We always live in apart
lnents, so we can locate wherever W
choose. We haven't any particular oh
ject in living-that is, not any high, OK
alted purpose We just try to have a
good time as the means papa left U
will admit"
Then she suddenly blushed up to he
aparkling eyes to think she had bee