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

- - - AN-N-'
--
ave might Just as well have been
standing behind the counter in New
1orN 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 Dorcas Dunn, scornfully.
"Behind the counter, indeedw chimed
in Mary Vannecker. "Can you breathe
in clover scented mir like this behind the
counteri Can you get a mountain view
like this from Sixth avenue! What more
would the girl want, should like to
knowp
Barbara sighed once more, and shook
her head.
at is all so tame, " said she. at isn't
what | expected at ALL"
The three g!rls-Barbara, Dorcas and
Mary-were sitting on side hill, under
the shade of a grand old cedar tree.
Barbara, who had once tai en- quart
lessons in drawing had sketch ,oard 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 needeworl in her lap,
and Dorcas, with her hands clasped
under her head, had long given up all
attempt to read the paper COY cred
novel that she had brought with her.
''Thc and the sunshine are so much
bctter" she said.
They were three shop girls-bright,
ambitious, spirited young things, full of
life aud aspirations, even though they
were kept down by the 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.
s'ls there no place, said she, "where
we could obtain one room aud the very
simplest fare, for less money!"
"lou might try Old Man Morris's,"
said the porily dame who kept the Valley
House '1i's a qu!ct place, and Mrs.
> Morris she amt no great OF u cook, but
there them as has boarded there, Pm
told"
"Where is it !" eagerly askel Dorcas.
And the land ady went to the door
TO point out Il slender blue thread IF
smoke that was curling up heayenward
from IN SIS of woods on a distant hill,
and once more | orcas set forth on her
pilgrimage, this time with undoubied
success.
She engaged one room. The board,
to-be-sure, was plain, the bed coarse
husk mattress, with blanket spread on
the floor for Dorcas herself, the furniture
homemade and unpainlod But there
was grove of p ne woods in the rear;
the biackbirds piped their silver flutes
all day long, aud the bees darted in and
ont Of the red lilies by the garden wall,
and our three heroines believed them
selves to be in Paradise.
But even as Barbara Hale thus be-
walled herself, portentous shadow
crept across the sun, and looking around,
they saw that a mass of iivid purple
thuDderclouds had piled themselves up
along the western sky, while distant
mutterings, and now and then a sudden
flash, announced the coming of storm.
Dorcas sprang TO her feet. Barbara
began hurriedly to fold Up her skeiching
apparatus. Mary put her thimble and
scissors in her pocket.
1--WE must get home as quickly as
possiblel" cried a | three.
Bat in availng themselves OF a ''short
cut aross patch of woods, they got
hopelessly lost. The sun set behind the
purple battlement of clouds, the dusk
fell rapidly in these dense woods, and
the rain began to patter down in huge
drops.
Barbara, the aspirant after adventure,
began to cry.
I'VE are lost - said she.
80 ostl Nonsense" said brave Doreas.
''When | can see the railway track shin
lug down below. Who ever got lost
close to railway linel Let's make for
the track. y
"And get run over" lamented Bar
hara.
"Not likely, when there's only one
train day, and that at noon.n laughed
Dorcas IF we walk along the railway
line, we must come out somewhere, don't
you seel'
"And besides, added Mary, F'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"
"Nh ohn shrieked barbara, 81
couldn't go there The fiagman was
killed on the track. There's a gig ghost
therein
would you rather stay here and be
drenched through with IA in !" severely
demanded Mary.
"or struck with lightningp added
DoTcas.
Aud the upshot of il was that the
three fugitives took refuge in a mlsera-
bic old shanty close alongside OF the
railroad track, where weeds were grow
ing up through the cracks OF the iloor,
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 it very much