The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1882-07-12
MY LUCKY HIT.

like change; delight in the I'M
known and unexpected, in contrasts and
adventures. / had been ''out" several
reasons, and knew by heart the deadly.
lively routine of winter in the city.
Therefore was spending the winter In
the mountains of Maryland with Mar
garet Hastings.
Margaret had been "belle, o beauty
and sn heiress," a wife and a mother.
She wes now only the last. Her hand
some hust and had carried her away
from her past, worn out her beauty
spent her fortune, and died in time /,
save his memory, at least She shut
herself away from the world to mourn
Tor him in singleuess of heart, and give
her time to his children.
It was something of surprise whei
she wrote to me, once her intimate, and
begged me to come to her for the mex
four months. She had quietly and
steadily refused all advances for so Ions
that we had grown indifferent to ! eI
movements, and seldom spoke of her.
except to pity her changed fortunes and
her infatuation When the letter came
Iforgot her rejection of intended kind
nesses in the quite selfish idea Of some.
thing new. 1t was not until / saw her
pale and sweet and sad, that l felt for
her any of the old-time love, and re
allied there might be more in my life
with her than the mere escape from tire.
some sameness or the rapidly waning
pleasures Of novelty.
She lived in small house on the
mountain side-a curious, rambling,
one-storied structure, with an attic, in
which We slept, and odd little porches
between the downstairs rooms, where
they jutted out or Tapped over each
other.
She "kept her carriage"-a light
rockaway-a steady horse and her
servants, one old woman, half-grown
girl and young man.
Everything around her was neat, but
plain in the extreme. Society there
was none. The few farmhouses scat
tered here and there along the valley
were only shelters for their hard. work
ing, poorly repaid owners. No one had
time for mere courtesies or means fol-
other than pure hospitslity-food and
warmth for those who absolutely needed
them.
She was the "great lady" of the
country, and went to and fro in sort OF
stately exclusiyeness, which enabled
her to devote every moment to hen
little ones-a boy and a girl. id
not wonder she had at last grown restive,
and reached ont q longing hand fol
some kindred touch.
We had a very pleasant time together.
1t was SO delicious to do Just as one
pleased, and take up only such interests
as one chose. read good deal, and
walked, and drove and, above ali,
talked.
There was so much to tell of my
world, once Margaret's as we'll. And
there were some things to hear in the
quiet hours when the depths of oui
natures were reached. l began to
believe, after all, that " love is enough, +"
for Margaret had had that, and minded
nothing else. She had not been at all
deceived as to her husbands real self,
aud did not attempt to deceive me.
They had simply loved each other,
each with the best that ,yas in them;
and if his best had been poor enough,
it WAS his, and she asked no more.
Cne night we had an adventure that
suggested the charms OF more civil
lied state of society, as we'll as its draw
backe. The children were in bed, the
servants upstairs with them-the mar
went to his own home at highland we
were reading in the east room.
The silence was profound. The very
fire was noiseless. Suddenly we raised
our heads with one impulse and gazed
steadily into each others eyes.
"What is that p whispered Margaret
after moment that seemed an age.
"Some one at the long room win
dow" ] answered, almost breathlessly
The long room ran off at right angles