The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1895-12-18

Maud Buchanan, young lady of
beauty and wealth to whom Miss Wit
temore had been, for many years, a
mother. Although Maud's fiancee was
q count Count Kanolky, a young
Frenchman of Polish ancestry, there
was but slight futtering of the
wings of society. For those who were
interested in counts had gone abroad
to seek them and those of Miss Wit
temore's set who remained had met
counts before and had found them to
be like all the rest of mankind, good
and bad-mostly bad.
There was largo attendance at the
garden party, however. There always
was at any function given by Miss
Wittemore. She was an old maid it
is true, but she was the sweetest, most
lovable and youngest old maid in all
Christendom. And besides, there was
about her the atmosphere of that most
interesting thing, a romance in real
life. Indeed, Miss Wittemore, in her
day, hid been the belle of all Amer
lea she had been, aud still was, very
rich woman, and she was of the very
innermost social circle of New York.
She was an old maid. Yes, she laugh
ingly acknowledged the fact herself.
But her friends considered her such
more because they thought she would
eventually become a prim, old, un-
married woman, than because she was
really so very old. No one could have
criticised the pink of her complexion,
the lustre of her hair, or the brill
fancy of her eyes; and her figure, her
bearing, her manner, were royal.
Old Colonel Tom Appleton used to
declare that she had received an aver
age of proposal day for over ten
years. And there was probably some
foundation for the statement. The
frank old soldier was alleged to know
more about the rich girls of New York
than all the young fellows in town put
together. Having no daughter of his
own, he maintained that he had a
right to be father confessor to all of
them. But it was darkly limited that
the Colonel based his statement more
on his intimate knowledge of the ac-
tions of his friend and boon compan-
ion, Charley Thornton, than on any
thing else. And Charley was noted
for but one thIng-that was his life
long devotion to Laura Wittemore.
But that is part of the romance.
The story is short and not so very
uncommon. Laura Wittemore when
young girl had spent several sea-
sons abroad. During a winter in Paris
she had met young Frenchman, who,
although untitled, was of an excellent
family and Lieutenant of Engineers
in the French army. They had loved
each other at first sight and soon be-
came engaged. She had returned to
America for the season preceding their
appointed nuptials. He had resigned
mis- commission in the army and be-
come an engineer on the Panama
Canal. There was a long period OF
correspondence between them, fol-
lowed by period of silence on his
part-the conventional percurser OF
an estrangement. One day she
received information that he he
become an embezzler. A year
later the news came that he had
become a swindler in a South Ameri-
can State. Later, through the alleged
kindness of friends, she had learned OF
his continued degradation, until at last
she heard of him no more in any way.
The average woman would have speed,
lily forgotten such an experience. Not
so with Laura Wittemore. The meI
who believed that she was like the or
binary run of women there were many
such men) and proposed, with the de
lghtful hope of winning a celebrated
beauty and fortune at the same time
got a curt ''No9 for an answer. And
| few Of them ever had the courage t,