The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1884-02-20
A PROUD WOMAN.

cloudless. lie had seen life through a
rose-lined haze, and had walked rough
shod over its meadow bloom. Nat
urally he forgot or never knew that
somewhere and sometimes there were
sodden paths to tread; that the mead
ow bloom turned to rustling broom
stalks, and the sky to "under-roof of
doleful gray" lie was sunshiny be-
cause he had never peered into the
shadows. To have purse well-flled
without knowing who fills it, TO open
your hand for gift of fortune and
have it drop in carelessly, to win love
without seeking it-ih short, to play
at living is pleasant occupation, but
very poor discipline. Perhaps John
Vandor was a trihe selfish, in spite of
his ineXhaustible good nature, his in
telligence, his invariable Good FORM"
Agnes Earle was the sort of girl
men call dashing women-out of re-
spect to their own preferences-dar
not classify. She had dark and unread
able eyes, matched to shade by a
profusion of crinkled hair, and set off
by long, almost curly lashes--lashes
that would have made the Sistine Ma
donna half coquette. Her complex
ion was that rich, deep, yet perfectly
clear olive one sees more often in the
best Spanish portraits than in Ameri-
can life. From remote ancestors she had
perhaps Spanish blood IN her veins.
In figure she was neither 50 tall as
Diana, nor so mature as Juno; neither
1.-THE or willowy described her exactly,
though either may help to indicate the
subtle something in her carriage which
made her as graceful in movement as
in repose, in speech as in silence, in
alert attention as in self-saturated rev.
erie. Indeed, Agnes Earle would have
been almost beautiful if she had no
other charm than the wonderfully
pretty hands which had made John
Vandor fall half in love with her
when they first met, and had helped
to persuade him that he loved her ever
after
Vandor was not exactly handsome.
He was iine-looking. One could not
but admire his physique, and one could
not help noticing, in looking him full
in the face, that he had brains.
These two began by liking each
other somewhat blindly and altogether
unreasonably. He liked in her the
brilliancy and dash of her style, the
suggestive fuency of her small talk,
and above all, her compelling beauty.
She liked in him certain strength, a
certain suggestion of restrained pow
er, which seemed to underlie his OBJ
vious conceit and his superficial empir-
icism of thinking and she liked his
open-handedness, his big, brave ways,
his love of dogs and horses and of "all
outdoors"
These young people were second
cousins, but they had not met or
known much of each other until he
was a man of 26 and she woman OF
10. He had come to California for nc
good reason-for no reason. One Sat
urday afternoon after week of some
comprehensive "doing" of San Fran
cisco, he walked into Richard Earle;
study at Berkeley, bearing note OF
introduction from Cousin Mary, who
lived in Albany. lie found a brOnzeC
grizzly, curt and gruff man, who scowleC
him dubious welcome without rising
"IIow long have you been in the
state young man? ?" asked the host.
"Just ten days-two in Sacramento
eight in San Francisco"
"Are you broker"
"Do you mean out of funds?' asked
the guest, smiling in spite of himself.
81 mean broke-b-r-o-k-e; busted
p'Faps you say. Come here to Dor
row?"
mo, thank you. l came to pay m.
respects, and wish you very goo'
day" And second cousin VandoI
turning on his heel, quietly left tn
room.
In the hall he was arrested by tn
unmistakble rustic Of feminine drapery
Just in time to avoid a collision with
lady.
81 beg your pardon" he said rathe
stifly.
"IIave you been quarreling wit
papa?"
The young lady smiled while sh
asked the question, and all the stitfnes
had gone from his voice as he replied
'1Not exactly; am cousin of you
father's-of yours too, by the way
and | had come to he very civil to IN
relative. Your father thought l ha
come to borrow money"
He had forgotten his anger; forgoI
ten that he ought to have been in fu
retreat.
"Come back with me, and let me e'
plain. I'll make him apologize Ou
cousin must not go away in such
fashion, with the afternoon sun abor
TO 60 down upon his wrath l don
wonder you were angry. but thel
twas only father"