The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1888-10-03
CAUGHT IN A STORM.

CAUGHT IN A STORM.
ave might Just as well have been
standing behind the counter in New
GorA all these ten days" sighed Barbara
Hale, 'for all the out. of.the- way advent
ures we've had"
"Who wants out-of-the-way advent
ures~ said Dorca3 Dunn, scornfuly.
"Behind the counter, indeed !" chimed
in Mary Nanucckcr. "Can you breathe
in clover scented air like this behind the
counter, Can You get II mountain view
like this from Sixth avenue! What more
would the girl want, | should like to
know"
Barbara sighed once more, and shook
her head.
at isall so tame, said she. 'Itisn't
what | expected at all. ="
The three girls Barbara, Dorcas and
Mary-were sitting on side hill, under
the shade OF grand old cedar tree.
Barbara, who had once tai en- a quar- ter's
lessons in drawing. had a sketchboard in
her lap, and was trying with but i'll
success, it must be owned-to reproduce
the lovely, ribbor.like curves of the river
that wound its way through the valley
below.
Mary had her needleworl in her lap,
and Dorcas, with her hands clasped
under her head, had long given up all
attempt to read the paper co, cred
novel that she had brought with her.
"Ihe S y and the sunshine are so much
bcttcr." she said.
They were three shop girls-bright,
ambitious, spirited young things, fun of
life aud aspirations, even though they
were kept down by tn force of circum-
stances; and they had ubbed together
their slender resources in order to enjoy
their vacation to better advantage.
Dorcas, the business member of the
firm, had bought an excursion ticket
first, and Travelled out to Schepp's Valley
to see what could be done. But it is
needless to say that the hotel and board
ing.house prices were far beyond their
simple means.
''Is iherc no place." said she, "where
we could obtain one room aud the very
simplest fare, for less mJncyin
"lou might try Old Man Morris's,"
said the portly dame who kept the Valley
House. "lt's a qu.Ct place, and Mrs.
Morris she amt no great OF cook, but
there them rs has boarded there, Pm
told
"Whcre is it," eagerly askel Dorcas
And The land Lady went to the door
to point out slender blue thread If
smoke that was curling up heaycnward
from a III SIS of woods ON a distant hill,
and once more orcas set forth on her
pilgrimage, this time with undoubted
success.
She engaged one room. The board,
to-be-surc, was plain, the bed coarse
busk mattress, with blankets Apread on
the floor for Dorcas herself, the furniture
home made and unpaintod But there
was grove of p ne woods in the rear;
the biackbirds pipcd their silver flutes
all day long, aud the bees darted in and
out Of the rcd lilies by the garden wall.
and our three heroines believed them
sely &to be in Paradise.
But even rs Barbara Hale thus be-
walled herself, portcntous shadow
crept across the sun, and look ing around,
they saw that a mass of Iivid purple
thnnderclouds had piled themselves up
along the western sky, while distant
multerings, and now and then sudden
flash, announced the coming of q storm.
Dorcas sprang to her feet. Barbara
began hurriedly to fold up her keichiDg
apparatus. Mary put her thimble and
scissors in her pocket.
'We must get home as quickly as
possiOlem cried n three.
But in avail.ng themselves Of "short
cut ross patch of woods, they got
hopelc,sly lost. The sun set behind the
purple battlement of clouds, the dusk
fell rapidly in these dense woods, and
tue rain began to patter down in huge
droIs.
Barbara, the aspirant after adventure,
began to cry.
1--WE are lost - said she.
~ ost Nonsense - said brave Dorcas.
"Whcn can see the railway track shin
ing down below. Who ever got lost
close to a railway line2 Let's make for
the track
"And get run over" lamented Bar
bara
"'Not likely, when there's only one
train day, and that at noon," laughed
Dorcas. IF we walk along the railway
line, we must come out somewhere, don't
you see}'
"And besides" added Mary, "there
is little ruined cabin not far from
here where the railroad fagman used to
live before they changed the location of
the station. l remember Mrs. Mo ris
showing it to me once'
"yh ohn shrieked Barbara, al
couldn't 90 there The fiogman was
killed on the track. There's a g-g-ghost
theTem
Would you rather stay here and be
drenched through with rain" severely
demanded Mary.
"or struck with lightning" added
DoTcas.
Aud the upshot of il was that the
three fugitives took refuge in a mlsera-
BILE old shanty close alongside OF the
railroad track, where weeds were grow
ing up through the cracks Of the tioor,
and plentiful portion of rain came pat.
tering through the leaks in the roof,
while the old stone chimney, all settling
to one side, looked as if no stroke of
lightning could harm il very much