The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1891-10-28

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Reuben," said his sister, quietly rising
and putting up her work. "But we're
brother and sister after all, and after ten
! years of steady work for you and younS;
I'd a little rather have parted in good
will and amity."
"That's boshl" said Bevis, gruff1y.
'You've had your own way, and hope
you'll find it pays best in the long run. ("
Mehetty went slowly to her room,
packed her trunk and dressed herself in
an antique debeige dress, cut in the
fashion of full twenty years ago, with a
shirred poke bonnet, thick calf-skin
boots and pale-blue cotton gloves, while
under her arm she carried a green GIN
CHAM umbrella, thriftily patched with
material of darker emerald.
"Ill settle the question at once" she
murmured to herself, ''whether or not
they are ashamed of their old Aunt Me-
hetable, from Deer Horns, up in Maine I"
And then, wishing Reuben and Betsy
pleasant good bye, which neither of them
saw fit to notice by word or look, she went
straight to the stage Office.
Lawyer Darkley rushed out Of his office
as she stepped briskly by in her squeaking
new boots which, as the errand-boy re-
marked, soto voce, "was every bit as
good as band of music" and smilingly
accosted her
''Miss-ahem Miss Bevis, are you
leaving town without any more definite
instructions as to"
'tBush!" said Mehetabe, abruptly.
''Not wordl Yes. l will write in a
day or two. Remember, Mr.. Darkley,
everything is confidential between u.s."
The lawyer nodded, and retired once
more into his little den, and Miss Bevis
hurried on to catch the afternoon stage.
Mr.. and Mrs. Waller Cherryfeld were
having little evening reception that
| bleak November night. Miss Mehetable
Bevis had not been ignorant of this fact /;
in truth, Mrs. Walter had mentioned it
incidentally In her last letter to Deer
Horns aud she marched up the steps
looking curiously at the brilliantly lighted
windows.
"And now we shall decide this mat
ter, +" she said to herself, "as to whether
my city cousins are glad to see me-"
Yes, Mrs. Cherryield was at home.
The waiter looked obviously at the
strange guest, SO unlike the fancy figures
mufiied in soft white garments that made
them seem like floating clouds, that came
and went from satin lined carriages close
to the curbstone. He would call her,
he said, if the lady would step into
side room and wait. 1t was Mrs. Cherry
fed birth night, and,
"No," said Mehetable, az will 90 in
to her. Stand aside, my good man, if
you please"
Mrs. Cherryfelds face flushed up with
unmistakable pleasure at this unexpected
apparition, as she hurried to meet the
visitor from Deer-Horns.
"Aunt Mehetty," she cried. "Oh, this
is surprise, indeed! am so glad to
see you. Here's Walter, and here are
my girlsl And now you must let me in
troduce you to my friends. This is Mr..
Warrenton, the artist; you knowI told
you about him last summer-and Miss
Briginage, who wrote the volume of
poems you liked so much-and this is
Miss Stallenkamp and Miss De Vauren-
but what a thoughless creature am!
Let me take you up to my room to re-
move these heavy wrapsl"
''No," cried CHEEKY Walter Cheeryfeld.
"Up to your room, indeedl What for,
Alice2 Aunt Mehetable shall take off
her things here, and then we won't lose
bit of the fun. It's like Whit of the
fresh mountain breeze to see Aunt Mehet-
tvs face again-and I'll lead off the Vir-
ginia reel with her myselfw
While the girls clustered around her,
eager to introduce their friends, anxious
to make her wholly and entirely at home,
so cordial aud sunny, that Miss Meheta-
BILE scarcely knew whether to laugh or
cry.
"Reuben said your invitation was a
mere matter of form," said she in a
choked voice. "That you didn't want
to see me! But I guess Reuben amt
such good judge of character as he
thinks himself"
AMI then the umbrella, poke-b bonnet
and clogs having been removed by the
trim little maid-servant with the blue
ribbons in her hair, Aunt Mehetty was
whirled down the center by Walter Cher
ryheld in genuine country style.
Aunt Mehetable stayed a month with
the Cherryfields. She drove in Central
Park, looked with awe-struck eyes at the
smoke-crowned serpents of the elevated
road gliding above her head, and wan
dered through the aisles of the Metropol-
itan Museum. She went to see the
obelisk, was taken over Brooklyn Bridge
and when she went home to Deer
Horns aud tried to think of them all, she |
felt as if her brains had been chopped up
into very fine hash.
herself" MISS Bevis always added, ''the |
Cherryfeld's couldn't have made a greater
fuss over mel"
She had not been at the village hotel |
more than two days before her brother
Reuben drove over in his funny little
one-horse blackboard.
''Mornin'," said Reuben, succintly
Heard ye had nice time at Alice's."
81 never enjoyed myself so much iu all .
my life" Miss Mehetable answered, with
spirit, ''nor never was treated betterp
"Humph" said Reuben. "Wal, !
Betsy don't seem TO get along with the
hired help we've employed; and so, as
we concluded you'd be glad to get home
again, I've fetched the blackboard for
YOU"
"Much obliged, said Mics Mehetable;
''but this is home"
Reuben stared around the room.
lLWhu p anid hn with lnh.tnr nnna Of |