The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1884-11-08
s.MIss FORBES, FORGERY.

s'MISS FORBES" FORGERY.
Old Captain Jonathan Forbes was
tearing through the village in state of
pitiable excitement towards his neat,
comfortable little cottage. A cottage
vine-clad, tlower-surrounded, tree
shaded, and tended and cherished as
few homes are in country or city.
The Captain had been hard worker
until within the last five years; thon at
the age of sixty he had "given mp the
sea-" bought the cottage, deposited all
his earnings in a city bank, said to be
as sound as sound could be, and with
his dear old wife and his invalid sister
had settled down to what promised to
be a very comfortable old. age. In
younger years the Captain had been
rather spendthrift, inclined to pro-
family. following the deplorable habit
of sailors in general, and swearing
roundly when things did not work to
his satisfaction. But his extreme kind
heartedness, also a distinguishing trait
OF the average sailor, had won the love
of good, pious woman; and under her
influence, the Captain had grown prov
ident and saving; he also had given up
the use of profane language.
But give vent to his feelings in some
form of expletive he must upon occa-
sion, 50 it had become habit with him
under strong pressure to blurt out the
name or names of the first places occur
ring to him at such times; and the more
wide apart and incongruous the mating
of ports or places, the better it an
swered his purpose.
And now as he went rushing pell-
nell through the fragrant country
roads, he calculated with distressing
vehemence:
Jerusalem and Troy! What shall
we do! I'm beggar-man and worse
than beggar-man! Now if I'd only a
listened to Miss Forbes advice, and not
a gone and chucked all my savin's in
one place. shouldn't been caught in
such miserable tight place as thisr'
Egypt and Cape Cod, Just to think
OF it! and there, her brother, a mcr-
chant of fifty years standin', would ha'
given us within one per cent. as much
interest as that rascally bank. But
there! l long to get home and tell
Cynthy all about it. Poor Cynthy,
whatever will she do! Wish to mercy
Miss Forbes wasn't out o. town; dread
telIn' her awfully. Point Judith and
Hurl's Gate, if DON'T" 4
But the Captain had reached the cot
tage. and swinging wide the gate, he
hurried up the gravelly path, and soon
entered the cool sitting room, where
his placid, Christian sister sat knitting.
Both feet were bound about and placed
on high foot rest. as rheumatism in a
severe form rendered Miss Cynthy
Forbes confirmed invalid, and often
an intense sufferer.
Atsight of her usually unperturbed
brother hopping his warm and dis
tressed-looking face, she looked up with
anxious solicitude.
'.Sing Sing and Bombay, Cynthyp"
he burst out. 'Tm ruined man if
ever there was one! What do YOU
tbinkp The L. bank has bursted
and carried with it every cent we have
in the worldl" s
..Why, brother, that's too hard! Can
it be truep''
True as the world! It's town talk!
There's the greatest crowd up at the
post-oflice; there can't anybody think
or talk of anything else at all. Some
others ruined besides me, all because
the President of the bank was brought
right up here and all thought him the
very soul o. honor, confound him!''
'.Now don't, brother,"f said Miss
Cynthy, soothingly. perhaps it won't
be as bad as you think. May be there's
something saved
'.Well, Turkey and Boston, roared
the Captain, .'if there is, we never shall
see the first cent of it,
Then he continued in adifferent tone,
tone full of distress and regret:
30. Cynthy, why don't they think of
us poor fellows who've toiled night and
day to scrape together little something
against old age! Why don't they think
of the poor widows! There's poor widow
Ellis most distracted, and old lame
Captain Simpson, he's round q roarin'
like $ furious nor easter. Why don't
they think of us all, say, before they
go to speculatin' and sinkin, the little
funds we have to set such store by and
become so dependent on. say it's in
human, it's out o. all reason, it's worse
y swearin', ten times, Billingsgate and
Carthage. if it ain't!''
s'Well now, I'd calm down if were
Tou,' said Miss Cynthy. again using |
Ter most consoling- tones. Its too