The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1894-12-19


too thoroughly imbued with the peace
and good will of the season to mind
dig in the ribs or bruised toe.
"How happy everybody isl" ex-
claimed a brIght-faced, middle-aged
woman, pausing moment on her way
past the store to look in. Then she
drew her old plaid shawl closer around
her and hurried on, the sawdust-filled
limbs of big doll dangling from a
cumbersome parcel on her left arm.
II she had paused moment longer
she might have caught the derisive,
contemptuous sneer on the face of a
young man who lounged in the open
doorway, his hands thrust into his
pockets and his soft hat pulled down
over his scowling brow. His eyes fol-
lowed the woman in the plaid shawl
until she disappeared in the crowd,
and short, hard laugh escaped his
lips.
Everybody happyl" he muttered.
"What fool remarks some women do
makel"
A little girl passing before him Just
then dropped bundle; but he didn't
stoop to pick it up for her. He wasn't
in the humor to do a kindness for any
one. All this Christmas excitement
and hurry had filled his heart with
anger and bitterness. In his pocket
were his weeks wages-twelve bright
silver dollars; but he didn't expect to
spend q cent. There was no one to
whom he felt inclined to carry even a
dimes worth of candy, no one who
expected anything from him.
He remembered Christmas Eve of
last year. He and Nan had gone shop
ping together They had bought
wooden cape for old Mrs. Bosley, with
whom Nan had lived previous to her
marriage, and a trumpet for a little
orphan boy Mrs. Bosley was ''rais.
ing" and stockings and flannel for the
Widow Wisk and her imbecile daugh-
ter. They had also laid in stock of
good things for their Christmas din
ner, to which old Mrs BosIey and
Sammy had been invited, and had de-
liberated long time whether to have
plum pudding or fruit for dessert.
Nan hadn't been sure the plum pud-
ding would prove a success, for she
had 80 little experience in cooking,
and so, they had bought fruit.
What fun it had been to buy their
presents ior each other Nan had
made him promise not to look while
she made hasty tour to the counter
on which were mems furnishings, and
where she had bought a crimson
muefar aud kyn I,ordara1 bo.JI-o.
chiefs.
Then they had stopped at a iewelry
store, and Nan had waited outside
while he went in and made q mys-
terious purchase, which she found
under her plate at breakfast the next
morning, and which proved to be
plain gold ring.
Heyser remembered how she had
kissed him and told him it was Just
what she had wanted, for she had al
ways regretted not having been
married with a ring.
The wind caught one end of the red
muller around his neck and whipped
it against his cheek, and Heyser flung
away from the store door with an
angry growl, the scowl on his face
growing darker. He turned from the
busy main street into one that was
comparatively quiet. and in a few
minutes was at the door of the great,
barn-like tenement house in which he
had lived ever since he and Nan had
quarreled and parted.
That was nearly nine months ago,
and he had never seen Nan since-hRd
never heard word from her nor sent
her message of any kind. They had
parted in hot anger; he had told
her she was wretched cook, and he'd
warrant she could spoil anything she
turned her hand to and when she had
replied that she wished she had never
married him, he had rejoined that she
didn't wish it half as much as he did,
and that he could have had Sarah
Humes for the asking. Nan had al
ways been little jealous of Sarah,
and this remark had famed her anger