The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1895-10-23

mounted from his horse at the gate,
and proceeded to unbuokle the girth
and take off the saddle, which he
threw upon tho fence. pull at the
headstall removed the bride, and the
horse, with q snort of satisfaction, at
once lay down and rolled in the sandy
road. The bride was thrown across
the saddle, and the little man opened
the gate slowly and hesitatingly, as
one who knows what things the tor
turer is preparing for him.
81 was a-comin', Minervy," he be-
gan, but the strident voice interrupt
ed him.
''Comin'l Yes, / reckin so So is
Christmas a-comin'i Here I've had
this supper ready one solid hour, an
the coffee's not fit to drink by this
timei An the ole red COW o. Peterses
has been in the corn again, an no.
body but me to drive her out but it's
little you keer what 1 hev to suffer,
SOS you kin go to town an set roun'
the stores an tell lies with that no.
count gang that stays therel An
know jest as well as ef I'd q seen it
that you never brung that thread nor
them piepans"
II was a.goin' to git 'em, Minervy, 4"
began the little man, meekly, "but
they was up thar maxim up a COM
pany-"
Didn't know it, Jim Carroll
Didn't l know itP If ever there was
woman neglected an abused from one
years end to another, am that wo-
man. Here am, slavin' an slavin'
from mornin' till night, an never
KNOWN what it Is to go nowhere ex-
ceptin' to preachin' oncet a month
an gracious knows if it want for bein'
a Christian never could stand this
kind of life, an you know that we'll
enough; an here are you, gaddin'
about like of you didn't hev keer in
the world |"
The red-faced woman withdrew into
the house, and the meek little man
followed her. He hoped that the
worst OF the storm was over, and he
ventured to remark with a conclliat-
ing smile:
81 never thought you'd be SO mad
about it, Minervy."
"There it isl" shrieked the now
thoroughly aroused lady. "Yoo kin
tear around this house an treat me
worse than a slave, but if ever say q
word the fats in the fire. Things has
come to pretty pass if l can't open
my mouth but what somebody has to
accuse me o. beln' mad Ireckin I'll
hey to be gagged after q while, SOS /
can't say nothin'l If ever did see o
domineerin', overbearin' man, you're
that man. Here you kin insult me as
much as you please, but l don't dare
to say my soul is my own. An when
you knowed how i needed that thread
an them piepans, an you go all the
way to town, an then como back with
out 'eml Go out an git armful o.
wood to git breakfast with | reckin
you kin remember thatP Gracious
knows, if all the men was like you the
women folks would be plagued sight
better of without 'em than they air
with EN-"
The little man went out at the open
door and around the house toward the
woodpile. He paused there to draw
his hand across his perspiring fore
head, and to make q remark to him
self. The remark was simply
"Whew !" but it conveyed an amount
Of expression. Then he picked up
two or three sticks OF wood, and then
he stood up, looking Off down the val
ley toward the town, whose lights he
could just see glimmering family in
the gathering twilight.
He stood there so long, absorbed in
his own thoughts, that an impatient
step began to resound through the
house, and sarcastic voice was pro-
iected into the cleaning:
''Jim Carroll, air you a-comin' with
that wood, or air you a-goin' to stay
all night?"
The sound awakened him as from Il
trance, and he started 80 violently that
the sticks of wood fell from his arms.
Some strange emotion seized him at
the noise made by the falling wood.
He pulled his hat down over his
browa gave one glance back over his
shoulder, scaled the fence and fled
wildly down the slope of the hill under
the thick shadows of the trees.
1t was long time before he could
convince himself that he was not pur-
sued. The rustling of the leaves be-
hind him lent WinQs TO his feet. A