Sullivan republican. [volume] (Laporte, Pa.) 1883-1896, 1895-10-11

three score and ten
and who was still fighting daily battles
with his chronic aches and pains for
the sole reason that Providence had
never seen fit to let him die.
On the morning when she was thirty
two Miss Coleman thought sorrowfully
of the unmerited plague that had
swept away her kinfolk, and more than
one tear rolled off the end Of her nose
and FLASHED in the cup of lukewarm
tea that stood on the table before her.
She finally swallowed the last drop Of
the concoction of Oolong and waters
of Marah, at the same time drying her
eyes with tho corner of her white linen
handkerchief, that she might make
sure of the identity of the messenger
boy who came slowly up the walk and
round the corner of the house to the
door of the dining room, which oc-
cupied the front portion Of the
north l..
He had q telegram for Miss Abbie.
That worthy lady had learned to look
upon telegraphic communications as
the most potent disturbers of the pub
lie peace that were allowed unbridled
circulation throughout the land per.
haps she had we'll grounded reasons
for SO regarding them when it was
taken in consideration that every one
she had ever received had notified her
of the death of another Coleman. SO
that day she let the yellow envelope
10 ha IN 1,1 xul,n hn Il 1o1 4
it and eyed it suspiciously for several
minutes after he had gone. Consol-
ing herself at last, however, with the
thought that there was only one more
Coleman to die except herself, she
opened it and read:
"Dear Aunt-Will arrive at 1890 over the
Wabash road. Your loving nephew
TON COLEMAN"
She pinched herself as she had been
wont to do in childhood days to as
sure herself that she was not dreaming
and then she read it again. A second
reading necessitated second pinch
ing. That reviving process having
been brought to satisfactory ter
mination, she called in the man-of-all-
work, who was trimming rose bushes
just outside the window and proceeded
to lay the matter before him, in the
hope that both brains in conjunction
might evolve some plausible solution
of the strange message.
"John," she said, holding the tele-
gram out for inspection, ~ have just
hear from my nephew Tom"
John laid down his pruning knife,
which he had anwittingly carried into
the house, and removed his hat.
Have you, ma'am p he said quiet
Eyes, she returned, she will be
here this morning at half-past ten. !"
John shifted his hat quickly from
one hand to another and looked at
Miss Abbie wonderingly.
II didn't know you had such a
thing as nephew" he said at length.
his curiosity getting tho best of him.
'I've been here fifteen years come
next month and during that time /
have seen everybody die of that was
my known relation to you. Where's
he from"
Miss Abbie gave vent to her emo.
ton in shrill little laugh.
"You know as much about him as
do. john" she said, confidentially.
81 never heard OF him before in my
life. OF course, I have no nephew,
never did have nephew aud never
can have nephew, but what am l to
do? There is no other Abbie Cole
man within fifty miles of here, 30, OF
course, the telegram Is meant for me.
In some way this young fellow has
glthered up scrap OF my history,
and tho only way can get oven is to
investigate his pedigree in return.
Anyway, it will bea comfort to shake
hands with a young man who has for
a time supposed himself to be my
bona-tide relative. Let tho rose bushe.
alone this morning, 1hp, and get
ready to drive down to the station aut
meet him."
The 1920 train over the>Wab asb
road was three minutes aheadSf tim,
that day aud when Miss ColA,an',
man, who was five minutes later tar
he had intended to be, drove up\
tho unpaintcd wooden station, th
only persons left in sight were tho sta
tion master and middlo-agod gentle
man, who seemed to be harassing tha
crusiy official with numerous unwe
como questions about the topograph
of tho country thereabouts and tn
means Of reaching any desired dssti
nation.
| "fhere's Miss Coleman's man now,
said the station master, locking tn
J door and throwing tho mail sac