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

Felicie rushed upstairs to show it to
Miss Shepard.
Gust thinkl Five hundred dollars
And only to sing for it And lessons
from Barilli What / have longed for
and could not afford p
Miss Shepard looked at her in de-
lighted surprise.
"Oh, Felicie, dear what will Mr.. Rus
sell sayP"
"Don't you think he will like it ?"
said Felicie, stopping short.
"Of course he will, my darling"
"Then it's all right" said Felicie,
skipping off to answer her letter.
: In little while Felicie began to think
she took wicked pleasure in her voice.
She could not but be proud of it. Sun
day became a day of triumph to her.
She felt that when she sung her solos
every note was listened to with de-
lighted attention but she kept down
her innocent, girlish vanity by saying
to herself:
"When Mr.. Thornton comes home he
will have heard so many fine voices
that mine will be nothing to him and
if he sees that 1 am vain of it, he will
be utterly disgusted with me-"
She had been singing in the choir
one whole winter. It was the afternoon
of Easter Sunday, and the church was
packed to hear Miss Brevard sing.
She had never sung SO gloriously
she felt delicious sense of impending
happiness.
At last the service was over; the peo-
pie had focked out; the sexton would
be around in half an hour to lock up
everything for the night.
Felicie remained. When every one
had left the church she stole to the or
gan and began playing. Then she be-
gan to sing simple little hymn that
Miss Shepard had told her was the ia
vorite of Russell Thornton's mother.
"I never heard anybody but she sing
it," she often said, as she heard Felicie
singing it.
She thought she was entirely alone in
the great, dark church, while the twi-
| light shadows slowly crept in the stained
glass windows but there was some
one else. A gentleman sat in the cor
ner of the church, who turned around
SO as to face the choir.
1t was over in few minutes. Felicie
rose and made her way down the rickety
steps that led from the choir gallery.
When she got to the church door the
gentleman came forward out of the
dusk, and caught her two hands in his.
'Felicie p was all he said.
81 thought you were not coming back
for three years and now-I am so
startled !"
"Are you sorry, Felicie?"
"No," said Felicie, boldly.
They walked together toward Felicie's
home in the soft spring evening.
Chow gloriously you sing, Felicie I"
said Thornton. "But do you know that
little hymn you sang last was my mothers
hymn ?"
"I knew it." said Felicie. "Miss
Shepard told me so, and taught it to
me ; and 1 have often thought I would
learn to sing-much better than do
now-and sing it to you"
They fingered on the way home, so
that Miss Shepard was quite miserable
when they came in.
"I knew something pleasant was 60
ing to happen" Felicie said, 'for felt
bird singing in my heart all day."
In week people were saying
'DO you KNOW hussell Iuorntoh IL
going to marry that pretty girl, with
the French name, who sings in st. Pc
ter's churchY
The report was true.
'Do brides ever select their wedding
presents ?" asked Felicie, just before
they were married.
''I don't know" said Russell, laugh
ing "but you may"
"Then give me that head of Apollo
Oh, what lucky thing it was that ]
unconsciously stole it !"