The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1885-11-04

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against the wall for a moment before
she could find strength to unbolt the
door, the face was so startling, and it
was so terrible to think that somebody
had seen her tampering with the letter !
Her fingers trembled so that the bolt
resisted her efforts.
"Good land, Laviny, what is the mat
teri" her husband called, impatiently.
When at length the door was opened
she fell into his arms, gasping, "Oh,
Nehemiah, there's man looking in at
the window IL was Providence that
sent you home.n
Deacon Stebbins was there to lead,
and 1 heard something that wanted so
much to tell you that l couldn't stay.
Never mind about the man--let him
lookl" The deacon was in astonishingly
good spirits. sat that window, was
it2 Why, the. blinds are shut. You've
been dreaming, Laviny."
"The blind was open, and there was a
mans face pressed against the window
and oh, Nehemiah, the letter is gone n
''What letterY"
~ brought Tildy Slocomb's letter out
here, just to see if / could make out
where it came from, and tore it little
mite, and he saw me, and he's been in
and carried it off No, haven't put it
in my pocket, nor mislaid it anywhere;
it's gone"
The deacon hastened to the wood-shed
door; it was open.
"And / turned that button the very
first thing after Huldy went out How
could he have got inG" said Mrs. Kit
tredge.
! The deacon bowed his head upon his
hands and groaned.
SIT couldn't be of any great conse-
quence, Nehemiah, letter of Tidy Slo-
combs" faltered his wife. "You don't
think it's goin' to make great troubled"
1.-The letter was in our keeping; we
must account for it. If nothing was
ever said about it, it would be our duty
to tell just how it was lost" said the
deacon.
II s'pose yBu're right" said his wife
Gas she had said thousand times since
their wedding days ''but it's hard; it
will look so much as if meant to open
it! Nehemiah, you don't suppose they'll
turn us QUIT"
The deacon walked the floor with
great strides. "We shall have lost peo-
ple's trust; if / am not turned out, I
shall give up the office" He kept back
the reproaches that rose to his lips, but
he walked into the sitting-room and
closed the door behind him. He opened
it soon, however, and said, in gentler
tone, 'Laviny, was going to tell you
something that heard about Saul"
The little woman hurried to him, her
anxious blue eyes overfowing at the
mention of her sons name.
1.-THE minister says that the musical
company that Saul belongs to is nothing
like minstrel troop; he says it's respect
able. He seemed to think we needn't
feel so bad about it,"
1 can't think of anything but how
Saul will feel if we're turned out of the
postoffice. "
Mrs. Kittredge suddenly broke down
completely. 'If I'd never touched that
letter and could have things as they
were, would be willing to swallow even
such bitter pill as Tidy Slocomb," she
sobbed Then she crept off to bed, and
forgot in a few hours troubled sleep the
dismal morrow when all the world would
see their fail
All night long the deacon paced the
sitting-room floor. His wife found him
there when she came down in the cheer
less morning, and they looked in each
others faces in dumb misery, each with
the same thought by this time every
body in West Eden might have heard
the story and seen the torn letter.
Huldah came bustling in. ''Such do
in's" she exclaimed; "trampin's in the
house all night, and tracks all around the
house, and nobody come in And
dreamed of maxim currant jelly that
wouldn't iell, and that never failed yet
to be sign of trouble. And why folks
should want to stick letter under the
woodshed door, when we've got whole
postoiiice to the front one, is more'n
knowp'
Mrs. Kittredge's trembling hand
snatched the letter which Huldah pro-
duced. 1t might be-no. it was not
Tidy Slocomb's letter. It was addressed,
in pencil, to Mrs. Kittredge;
"MY DEAR MOTHER: 1t was who took
the letter. I'm sorry l frightened you. l
was sneaking round to get a glimpse of you
when father was away, and knew by your
curiosity that the letter was one | had writ.
ten IA friend directed it for mel and l wanted
10 back again very much, because-weli,
had round out Things that made me wish
hadn't written TO Tidy Slocomb. l can't
write much, because I'm in a hurry to get
this back 10 the place where maybe you'll
look for the lost letter, because I'm afraid you
may worry about it. But it belonged to me-
So it's only little family affair, and neither
Tidy Slocomb nor anybody else need know
anything about It, l wish 1 dared to ask you
and father 60 come over TO Haverford and
hear me sing. Mr. Willett and Mary are
coming.
''Your affectionate son,
"SAUL KITTREDGE"
'Hurry up, Maria There's another
carriageful goin' over to Haver-
ford to hear Saul sing basso pro-
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