The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1885-07-22
MISS FORBES FORGERY.

Old Captain Jonathan Forbes was tear
Ing through the village in n state of pitt
able excitement toward his neat, com
Portable little cottage. A cottage vino
clad, flower surrounded, tree shaded,
and tended and cherished as few homes
are in country or city.
The captain had been a hard worker
until within the last five years; then at
the age of sixty he had given up the
sea, bought the cottage, deposited all
his earnings in n city hank, said to be as
sound rs 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 spend
thrift inclined to profanity, following
the deplorable habit of sailors in general
and swearing roundly when things did
not work to his satisfaction. But his
extreme kindheartedness, also n dis.
tinguished trait Of the average sailor,
had won the love of a good, pious
woman; and under her influence, the
captain had grown proyident and saving !;
he also had gwen up the use of profane
language.
But give vent to his feelings in some
form Of expletive he must upon occa-
sion, so it had become habit with him
ander strong pressure to blurt out the
name or names of the first places occur
ring to him at such times; and the more
vide apart and incongruous the mating
Of ports or places, the better it answered
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 list
ened TO Miss Forbes advice, and not a
gone and chucked all my savin's in one
place, l shouldn't a been caught in such
miserable tight place as thisl"
Egypt and Cape Cod Just to think
Of it and there her brother, merchant
of fifty years standin', would ha' given
us within one per cent. as much interest
as that Iascally bank, But there!
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 tellin' her aw-
fully. Point Judith and Hurl's Gate, if
[ don't"
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 footrest as rheumatism in a
severe form rendered Miss Cynthy
Forbes confirmed invalid, and often
an intense sufferer.
At sight OF her usually unperturbed
brother mopping his warm and dis
dressed looking face she looked up with
anxious solicitude.
"Sing Sing and Bambay, Cynthy % he
burst out. 'pm ruined man il ever
there was one What do you think?
The L. bank has bursted and carried
with it every cent we have in the
worldm
"Why, brother, that's too hard. Can
it be true2n
True as the world It's town talk
There's the greatest crowd up at the
postofiice; there can't anybody think of
talking 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 himl"
"Now, don't, brother said Miss Own
thy, soothingly. "Perhaps it won't be
as bad as you think May be there's
something saved"
''Well, Turkey and Bostonp % roared
the captain, "if there is, we never shall
see the first cent of it."
Then he continued in a different
tone, a tone full of distress and regret:
'Oh, Cynthy, why don't they think
OF us poor fellows who've toiled night
and day to scrape together little some
thing against old agel Why don't they
think OF the poor widows2 There's poor
Widow Ellis most distracted, and old
lame Captain Simpson, he's round a
roarin' like a furious noreaster WHY
don't they think of us all, / say, before
they 60 to speculatin' and sinkin' the
little funds we have to set such store bv
and become so dependent on. / saw it's
inhuman, it's out o. all reason. it's
worse'n swearin', ten times, Billingsgate
and Carthage, if it anti"
"Well, now, I'd calm down if l were
YOU said Miss Cynthy, again using her
most consoling tones. 'It's too bad
Maria's gone to the city, but her weeks
most up, and | know she'll say some
thing comforting when she comes.n
"shed do just right to storm like a
hurricane, said the poor captain;
'course she won't say the fust word to
vex me, Miss Forbes never does, but if I'd
q listened to her, we might abeen com
Portable enough"
"Strange such trouble should come the
first time in dozen years or more she's
been away for a week. But there, we