The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1882-03-01

"Well, my DEAR" said the luckless
iconoclast, looking dolefully at his
finger which had been cut with one of
lhe pieces OF broken crockery, what
have you been thinking?
That / should like to 20 mp into
Maine next week." said the lady, in
sinuatingly.
/" Into Maine In midwinter?" ?"
echoed her amazed spouse, opening the
dim eyes very wide indeed.
70 see Aunt Gizzel," explained
Mrs. Symington-"my Aunt Grizzel
Grumpton, you know, at Wild River"
Humphp remarked Mr.. Syming
ton, bandaging his finger with his
pocket handkerchief. CT didn't know
that you cared so very particularly
about your Aunt Grizzel."
"My DEAR" said Mrs. Symington,
merging her speech into a mysterious
whisper, i've just remembered, all of
sudden as it we're, that she has set
of very old faring blue china. She
must have. 1t belonged to her moth er
before her; and how I've forgotten It all
these years I'm sure / can't imagine.
Even now shouldn't have recalled it
to my memory, suppose, if 1 hadn't
CHANGED to see, at Mrs. Hepburn's
afternoon tea yesterday, the darlingist
little egg-shell cups, with bridges and
pagodas and willow trees all over 'em,
exactly euch as Aunt Grizzel's mother
used to have. Then it came to me like
a fash of lightning-Aunt Grizzel's
china u
Probably it's all broken by this
time" gloomily suggested her hus-
band.
Nonsensel" said Mrs. Symington,
briskly. "Aunt Grizzy never broke
anything in her life. She is careful
ness itself; and up there in Maine, you
know, they don't have clumsy mattresses
to fling things about. No, no ; you
may depend that she has it all safe and
sound in one of those odd little three
cornered cupboards of hers. A treasure,
wouldn't buy such a set as that; a
hundred years old, il it's day. So, if
you won't mind, my dear, I'll just run
up to Maine, and see about it,"
"Do as you please, Arabella," said
MIR. Symington, resiguedly. He knew
that Mrs. Symington generally did as
she pleased, and he saw no especial ad.
vantage in debating the question.
"Thanks, dear; so kind of You +"
uttered Mrs. Symington. "And of
course can't go to the polar regions
entirely unprotected, so I'll order
one of those comfortable seal dol
mans that everybody is wearing now,
| and new plush hat with cluster of
ostrich tips. One must go dressed like
other people; and if you can give me
twenty-five or thirty dollars l dare say
Aunt Grizzy will let me have the set
for that (she don't know the value of
old china, poor thingD and the jour
ney won't be more than thirty dollars
both ways, if 1 go by sea. including a
stateroom."
SIT appears to me-" said Mr.. Syming-
ton, discouragingly, "that this is n
good deal of wild goose chase, going
dancing up to the northern boundaries
of Maine at this time Of year for an old
set Of trumpery china which probably
didn't cost ten dollars to start with"
"Oh, Stanhope, it did 7" cried the
lady, Indignantly. "It was real India
ware, imported, without paying a dollar
of duty, by an old sea captain in the
India trade, expressly for my grand
are SO groveling and prosaic in your
ideas. AS if the original cost of q thing
of this nature signifies It's the aesthetic
value that We look at, don't you seeT
"Ah I" said Mr.. Symington. "Well,
If you must go, you must go, suppose;
and of course l shall have to give you a
check for what money you are likely to
want"
And Mr.. Symington sighed deeply
and went upstairs to get a piece OF
court-plaster for his cut finger.
Mrs. Symington went to Wild River,
in the northern boundaries of Maine,
where the pine forests were thatched
with snow, and the icicles tinkled in
the woods OF a moonlight night like so
many castanets gone mad. She made
the greater part of the voyage by sea,
and was consequently very seasick, for
the water was rough and the gale tenn
pestous.
will come back by land" she said
to herself, as she sat in the little hotel
at Portland, and viewed her green and
yellow complexion with a shudder.
+" Money wouldn't induce me to risk my
life again in that horrid steamer, where
one is buffeted and seesawed about on
waves that are as high as house. The
palace-ear fare will be something of an
extra expense, and 1 shall lose my re-
turn ticket by steamer, but I'm sure Mr..
Symington won't grudge it to me when
he hears how I've been pitched and
tumbled about on the ocean in peril OF
my life."
And she-put on her black brocaded
silk, her new plumed hat, and the seal
dolman, and took the northward- bound
train, resolved to present an imposing
appearance to Aunt Grizzy Grump.
ton when she should reach Wild River
station.
1t was very cold-a dull, bitter ,leaden