The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1892-03-02


learned from a servant, who had been
kept awake by toothache, that his
daughter had arisen at four o'clock in
the morning and gone out hurriedly in
to the gray dawn. She had not returned
ut nightfall, ,and when it was ascertained
that her aunt in New York, whom she
frequently visited, was ignorant of her
whereabouts, and that her brother, who
was trying to build up a medical prac-
tice in Boston, had not seen her or
heard from her, dark suspicion arose
in Soualacket that she had run away
with Philip Mesmer; for Squalacket was
New England town, and every inhab-
liant in it had grown weary of compar-
ing his or her own goodness with that Of
the neighbors, and arrived at comfort
able If somewhat monotonous conclusion
that the home virtues were little pnrer
and rather more securely rooted than
any oth0's.
If there is such thing as an excess
OF righteousness, Squalacket knew what
it was, and ripple of wrong doing ap-
pearing upon the otherwise unruffied
surface of its purity was like a little
flavor of onion lurking in bowl of
salad. "Half suspected" it animated
the whole. So the people of the strait
laced town were perhaps unduly hasty
in grasping a forbidden fruit when they
declared, with something nearly ap-
preaching unanimity, that Philip Mes
mer and Mabel Stone had eloped.
To be sure, the circumstantial evidence
was strong against the young couple.
Philip was only twenty-five, and though
all his friends said he had iu him the
making of a great lawyer, he had not yet
been called to the bar. This would not
have matteIed greatly, because his life
lay before him, and his crusty old uncle
allowed him enough money to cover his
bare expenses, with the provision that it
should all be returned, with accrued in
terest and by increasing installments, as
soon as his profession began to yield him
an income. But Philip, though not vet
barrister, was too good a lawyer not to
be ignorant of the dangers of delay. He
had already, he hoped, carried one suit
to a successful issue. 1t was a suit for
Mabel's hand in marriage, and the young
lady had rendered judgment in his favor.
But Deacon Stone had reviewed this de-
cisiop, reversed it, and thrown Philips
case, on motion of appeal, out of court.
He said his daughter was his heiress,
and, as he was rich, no penniless young
fellow, on the strength of his expecta-
tions, should marry her.
DbfI,r ...,a
suited. At last interview with Mabel,
before he went back to Philadelphia to
digest more law, he offered to release her
from her engagement to him; but Mabel
was not the sort of girl to take advau-
tage of his generosity, and perhaps he
knew that before he exercised it. Love
Especially love with profound knowl-
edge Of lai behind it is rarely quite un-
selfish. s promised TO wait for him,
if necessary, until time was no longer
young, and he assured her that he would
return to Squalacket to claim her as soon
as he had mastered the contents of his
first brief, which he expected with the
new year; for he was called to the bar
about Christmas, and in January the case
OF Colly VS.. West would be tried in the
Superior Court, and Colly, who was a
ricnd of his dead father, was pledged to
retain him as junior counsel to show the
jury that West Aad cut down tree
which stood eyeniJ on the dividing line
OF the West and Colly properties, and
laughed derisivelY and scurriously rallied
at Colly for saying that his half of the
trunk should have been respected and
left standing.
"And if that ISM good case and a
sure winner, darling said Philip, en-
Enthusiastically, as he folded Mabel in his
arms, al wonder what is. Don't your
Then be kissed her again, and said he