The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1889-08-14

flushing, looked at it over her shipping.
"Who drove into the yard2" Mrs. Ford
demanded, cutting gore at a wrong
angle with nervous hands.
"Oh, jeff Lowry / must tell you
about jeff, Miss Stowe. He's been wear
ing beard for two years, and he went
down town the other day without it, and
the fellows didn't know him. Hes"
"I thought you were going driving
with him" Mrs Ford interposed.
"Oh, it's too warm!" Jim responded,
as blandly as though rattling down shady
roads were indeed warmer than the up
stairs hall.
His sister watched him wofully. jim,
talking to a young lady, with smiling
gusto and fascinated gaze, and foregoing
drive and the morning papers and his
cigar for this alonel
lie had stayed in his room for three
hours to escape the Kenny girls, and
came nigh to dying the evening Miss
Markham had called. The Kenny girls
and Miss Markham did not have red lips
and shining eyes, to be-sure, and if Jim
had told them stories, they could never
have listened so prettily as did Miss
Stowe. But was she the girl for jim?
Mercy, mercy, no!
1t did not serve to calm Mrs Ford that
Mrs. Sayles should come over, and, after
inquiring of the girl, hustle up stairs.
Her sharp gaze fixed itself on jim,
lounging in the window, his handsome
head bent toward the dressmaker and his
honest blue eyes unfinchingly upon her.
"You dressmaking, too2n cried Mrs.
Sayles, with triumphant glance at Mrs.
Ford ''You don't mean that you're
staying away from the ball game-you2"
"Oh, don't care for it this weather" !"
said Jim, unblushingly-Jim, who had
breathlessly watched a game last week
from the sunny side of the grand-stand,
with the thermometer at ninety-elght.
Mrs. Sayles laughed delightedly.
eyes, / will have a point in the back,
Miss Stowe, said Mrs. Ford, with cold
ignoring of Mrs. .Sayles and her rejoicings.
But she was in a despairing mental
tumult Mrs. Sayles's small, keen eyes
seemed periods which pointed and made
complete and certain what che had tried
not to believe,
He was in love with her. And with
jim, who was ardent and single minded,
it was likely-it was certain to beserious.
And who was shel Mrs. Ford did not
know-probably nobody did. ,-
She stared at her hastings with unsee-
ing eyes.
Jim, with his good looks and clever
ness, and family histories for both sides
of the family, with coat-of-arms in
each-the lions on their hind legs in their
centres seemed to pranee before her eyes
and dressmaker whom they didn't
even know!
What should she do' What would
her father and mother say to it, and to
her? Ii would never have happened if
jim hadn't been visiting her.
She was in 4 whirl of helpless agita-
ton. She could not tell the right from
the wrong side of the cloth.
And where was ROBE His nurse was
setting the dinner table, and his mother
had meant to oversee him, but she hadn't.
He might bo over playing with those
rough little Beldens, for all she knew.
"Well, just ran over said Mrs.
Sayles, airily. Il won't stay, since you're
all so busy"
And Mrs. Ford knew, as she ran down
stairs, that the Dwyers and the Bidwells
at least would know the state of affairs
within half an hour
"You are basting those darts too high,
Miss Stowe" said Mrs. Ford, sharply.
And Miss Stowe, who was basting the
darts exactly right, flushed and raised
wondering eyes.
"And l never have my collars so high
-" Mrs. Ford stopped. ''What is that!'
she cried, nervously.
It was sound Of feet on the porch;
feet and shrill young voices and sobs in a
terrified little voice that Mrs Ford knew.
ats Rob-" she cried, flying down
stairs.
1t was Rob in the arms of the Beldens'
gardener, and the three small Beldens
were close behind and all talking to-
gether, rather enjoyingly than otherwise.
'.IIe fell out of the hammock. "We
was swinging him, you know, awful
hard "And you ought to heard him
holler." "And | guess he's broke his
leg; he came down awful hard"
Mrs, Ford gathered her boy into her
arms.
$50 home, you little wretches!" she
sobbed, Historically. "Oh, my baby!
And l didn't watch him-I didn't know
where he was Is the leg broken?" she
demanded, wildly, of Miss Stowe, who
had come down with Jim and stood be-
side her.
"I'll see" said Miss Stowe.
It did not seem odd to Mrs. Ford that
she said it, and she was not astonished
when the pretty dressmaker took Rob into
her own arms and laid him on a sofa.
She watched her dazedly, wringing her
hands. Miss Stowe rolled down the small
black stockings and leaned over them.
"There isn't anything broken" she
said, tremulously; "but the right leg is
dislocated at the knee. The sooner it is
set the better, and think, Mrs. Ford, if
you will let me, can do it.
The color was gone from her cheeks;
but she held Rob's hands firmly.
"Let you, cried Mrs. Ford, "Oh, if
You cam"
1T will hurt, " said the dressmaker;
''but only minute
And she gave a sudden, quick, strong
jerk to Rob's leg; and then sat down
- l., 1 II