The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1883-07-18

Seu IA second cousin OF Olu D an JOr-
gensen's daughter, livin' up in the
atskills. There was some old-fash-
ioned sleeve-buttons come in to be
mended yesterday, with y. j.. on 'em.
Bless your heart | could have told
old Jen's twisted initials anywhere.
Didn't have no monograms in them
days, you know. Niece left 'em. a
pretty girl, with red cheeks. I'm to
send 'em back by mail when they're
done"
Mr.. Pinto drew loIg breath.
"Pll go to the Catskills at once"
said he
Fair and softly, fair and softly"
said Old Caleb Grinder. "The white
heart diamond was always shy game.
Mind you don't frighten itr'
81 shall know how to behave" said
Mr.. Pinto, with dignity. 1.-THE address,
Grinder, if you please
And so, clad like unto the inevitable
sketching tourist who infests all the
of New York, Mr.. Peter Pinto "put
money in his purse" and started for
the cottage in the Catskills, resolved
to approach the subject with the most
cautious winds and turnings of diplo-
matte skill
Miss Jorgensen was a tall, crooked
woman of fifty, with scant. iron-gray
hair, forbidding visage, and eyes as
sharp and keen as those of a hawk.
Hetty, her -Mehitable, junior,
as the old lady called her-was plump
| NfrNl- al, hos -
poets gold, and laugh like the chirp
of blackbird.
ooh, yes" said Hetty, with the ut
most frankness, "aunty will be glad
to take boarder. Only, please, you
may transact all the business with me.
Aunty belongs to fine old family
I'm only related on the mothers side
and it hurts her pride to think of
keeping boarders. So, if you would
make believe to he visitor it would
be great accommodation, and no
harm done. We can only spare the
little garrett bedroom; but there's a
fine view, and you will find everything
very clean"
And thus to his unmitigated sur
prise and amazement Mr. Pinto found
himself at last under the same roof
with the white heart diamond.
OF course there was q certain out
ward show to be kept up. Mr.. Pinto
was obliged to spend much of his time
in the woods making meaningless at
tempts at sketching, while his heart
yearned after the mystic jewel
He strove vainly for something like
confidential intimacy with his hostess;
but in vain-Miss Jorgensen froze
him. She kept him at ceremonial
arm's-length.
Hetty was social, smiling, always
ready to talk, but Miss Jorgensen never
forgot that she belonged to afamily.
Until, one day, an inspiration seized
upon our hero.
"By jovel !" he profanely exclaimed,
I'm marry the old woman, if there
isn't any other way to get at the
white heart diamondp'
But that evening as he came in a
little later than usual, with the purple
twilight glowing in the horizon, and a
score of whip-poor-wills singing in the
glen, he met Hetty at the gate. She
started and colored like a rose bud,
and, murmuring some trivial excuse,
fitted away.
Mr.. Pinto stopped and picked up
flower which she had dropped.
Hello p he said to himself "this
complicates matters. Little Hetty is
in love with me !"
1t was not such an unpleasant idea (;
but, of course, it could not be enter
tanned for a single moment. The
| white heart diamond was his souls
sweetheart. The white heart diamond
only was the treasure on which hewas
bent.
Accidentally, as it seemed, but in
reality from carefully-laid train of
associations, the conversation turned
on Jewels that evening, as Miss Jor-
gensen sat knitting by the lamp, and
Hetty was picking over blackberries
for the morrow's jam, in the outer
porch.
"Talking of diamonds" said Miss
Jorgensen, fortifying herself with a
pinch of snuff-Mr. Pinto hated snuff
there's very valuable Siam in our
family, which"
Aunt" said Hetty, coming in,
" Mrs, Didcombe wants to see you just
a minute, about the next meeting of
the Dorcas society"
Miss Jorgensen hustled out. Mr..
Pinto smote the table with the fiat of
his hand
"I'll do it - he said.
And he did it within the next half
hour.
at may seem premature, dear Miss
Jorgensen,' he said, after having gone
stiAly down upon his knees, "but our
hearts do not beat by rule or calendar.
behold in you a congenial spirit. 1
love you Willyou be mineP"
Goodness me !" said Miss Jorgen-
sen. "Well, l never did But, of
course, if your happiness is involved