The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1892-07-27
TOMS BARGAIN.

IWS0SVWSS neat a little little tiUW drawine inc
room, simply but elegantly furnished,
right away to the kitchen, wherc every.
thing shone again. And Tom had got
everything together in eighteen months,
too, when the luck had changed and his
writing all at once got to be appreciated
But, as Maggie put it, there was one
trifiing drawback, consisting of an al
cove in the drawing room which would
never-no, never look complete without
piano.
"And piano you shall have," Tom
said, looking up heartily from the break.
fast bacon. 81 had good slice of luck
last week which never expected. You
remember that long love story l wrote
three years ago, and which have sent
to pretty we'll every magazine in Lon
don. Well, Ned Hartley advised me to
send it to The Woman's Companion,
where it was accepted. They paid me
835 for it,not quite a half-a-crown a page,
but it's better than nothing. Don't you
think i could get decent instrument
for the moneyw
Maggie smiled pleasantly. She was
extremely fond of music and, being a
managing little soul, equally fond of a
bargain. 1t would be far better, she
said, sapiently, for Tom to keep his eyes
open than TO go direct to a maker, by
which he might save at least &10 of his
hardearned money.
"There are lots of them advertised
every day." she observed. "Give INC
the paper and will show you what |
mean. Now listen to this one."
ENOR SALE - A bargain; magnificent
IL piano, by a well known maker; upright
grand, overstrung, double check action
SOFT pedal, steel frame, full compass tri-
chord throughout; the property OF a lady
going abroad; cost 975 but few months
ago; viii sacrifice for 925 Apply Bee
thoven,n 1874 Gunnersbury road, Green
thorpe Park, Hampstead, or personally any
day this week.
Tom nodded approvingly. An instru-
ment costing but few months ago up
ward OF "three-quarters of century"
to be disposed of for n third of the
amount struck him as the very thing | G
desired. 1t was little strange, though,
an outsider would have decided, that so
valuable property should have gone SO
long begging, or that the lady going
abroad did not get to see the folly of ad-
vertising regularly at the rate of IL per
week.
81 tell you what it is" said Tom, ''as
Gunnersbury road is close I'll just walk
over there after dinner and interview
Mrs. Beethoven personally. If like
the look of the instrument you can come
over afterwards and try it."
So it was arranged, and Tom retired to
his writing den, where for three solid
hours the anticipated purchase was for
gotten. There was plenty of work now
for the young writer and journalist, who
for the last five years had found it a ter
rible struggle to keep himself, and find
Maggie, who had until recently been out
as a governess, with those trifing luxu-
ries which even the princely salary of n
governess does not afford. But the tide
had turned now, and although Tom
would never be great novelist or
brilliant essayist, he earned a comfort
able income, which by the end of the
year promised to touch close upon four
figures. 1t seems a lot of money, but |
know more than one of the quiet ones of
whom the general public have never
heard who are doing quite as we'll. 1t
is so easy to get living in literature if
you have the ability and know how to
set about it-especially know how to set
about it, which, perhaps, in the long
run is better than ability. But this
secret is only learnt by much grief and
pain and bitter disappointment.
So Tom finished his mornings work,
and, after dining comfortably, walked
over TO Gunnersbury road, pleasant,
seml- -genteel street, with little houses,
all bearing a strong family likeness to
each other aud all striving to look ms if
they were semi detached residences and
not the occupants of IL common terrace.
No. 1876 was, perhaps, little cleaner
and neater than its neighbors; the door
had been painted within recent memory,
there were extremely white curtains in
the windows, aud neat little maid took
Toms card after she had ushered him
into tiny drawing-room, the furniture
Of which struck him as being new and
cheap. But tawdry as his surroundings
were, Tom speedily forgot them as the
door opened and lady entered holding
his card in her hand.
al presume you come to see me about
the piano, she said.
Tom was a tolerablY self possessed man,
but he felt at disadvantage now. The
speaker was the prettiest woman he haC