Sullivan republican. [volume] (Laporte, Pa.) 1883-1896, 1892-04-15
LAPoRTE, PA, FRIDAY, APRIL Is, 1892.

4 beautiful young woman, with red-
gold hair, large light-blue eyes and a
complexion as delicate as roseleaf,
stood there, wrapped in scarlet and
black plaid shawl.
ssMiss Polel" she said, hcsitatingly.
Naomi inclined her head stifily.
sYes," said she, 'that is my name"
tsI am Eda Stuart"
Again Naomi bowed frIgidly.
"And," hesitated the new school
| teacher, with smile that might have
| melted the earthen ware Chinaman on
the lid of granny teapot, but which
produced no sort of effect on Naomi
Pole, "I've started out to visit sick
pupil-Lousa Ledyard-and I'm afraid
I've lost my way. l hadn't any idea it
be back by seven o'clock, for l expect
some friends to try new piano that l
have had sent me from Boston. Your
brother has half promised to come, Miss
Pole. Won't you accompany him2"
"David isn't at home" said Naomi,
with sidewise glance at the road down
which her brother had strobe some ago.
"And / don't care nothin' about pianos"
Miss Stuart colored, and shrank back.
She felt as if this hard, handsome bru-
nette had slapped her in the face.
"Perhaps, then," said she, "you can
tell me the nearest way home. It's
quite dark, you see, and," brushing
some white, needle-like particles out of
her face, ''it's beginning to snow"
"Keep right along the path till you
come to the old stone tavern" said
Naomi, indifferently. 'Then turn to
the right, and it amt more half mile,
or maybe three-quarters!
The bright.tressed girl still fingered
on the doorstep.
al am not very well acquainted with
the roads around here," said she. "If
you could send a boy to show mes"
''We don't keep no boy" said Naomi.
"And we've no one to send"
Again Miss Stuart recoiled.
"Good-evening she said, gently.
"Good- evening""
And Naomi banged the door shut.
AS she sat eating her supper, and help
ing granny to fresh supplies of home
made bread and BUTTER sudden thought
darted into her mind.
In giving Miss Stuart the directions
for finding her way back to Skene's
Corners, she had forgotten the young
strangers total Ignorance of the neigh
borhood characteristics.
1t was true that the regular road
branched off to the right OF the ruiyed
pile which had once been an old stone
tavern; but there were was also dis
used thoroughfare which led through a
dismal swamp, towerd long abandoned
stone quarry, across a rotten corduroy
road, which had nearly sunk into one of
these frightful, quaking bogs which
sometimes appear in dense and swampy
woods.
To one unaccustomed to the local
topography, it might be peilously easy
to stray oil into the weed grown and de-
serted track, especially when everything
was whitened with fast falling snow.
Naomi sprang up and went to the
door. She looked out, with one hand
held above her her eyes.
"Am | losing my wits2' she thought.
"Of course | cannot see half a dozen
rods down the road; It's dark as pitch,
and showing into the bargain. Let her
90 her own gait! l amt responsible!" J"
A sudden light blazed in her eyes, as
if Satan's self had flashed lurid bomb
shell across her soul. John Classon, her
own ''steady company" had been dazzled
at least so spoke the tongue of popular
rumor-by the glitter of Eda Stuart's
sea-blue eyes. She, the late belle of
Skene's Corners, was quite out of fashion
now!
Eda had danced every dance at Squire
Marbury's corn -husking, and Naomi had
sat by among the wall flowers, her heart
swelling with secret anger.
Though Naomi hated the beautiful
blonde, she rose up again and reached
down the lantern that David had re-
placed on its hook by the kitchen chin
ney.
"Granny," said she to the doing old
woman, "Pm going out few minutes"
''Eh2 What2" shrilly questioned
granny. "Be you a-goin' to see the new
forte piannya B you bewitched arter
the new schoolma'am, too?"
Naomi made no reply. She lighted the
lantern, bundled a shawl around her
head, and rushed out into the frozen
darkness.
1t was showing hard now; the wind
rustled the pine trees with a mournful
sound, and had nearly blown out the
faint beacon of Naomi's lantern until she
sheltered it with her shawl.
She gained some distance by climbing
nimbly over a stone wall and traversing
stubbly meadow, instead of following
the windings of the road, and presently
arrived, painting for breath, at the ruined
| stone tavern.
She held the lantern high above her
head and looked around. Nobody was
visible. She called aloud, "Miss Stuart
Miss Stuart!" No answer came
For one second she hesitated; then,
changing the lantern from one hand to
the other, she stasted on run down the