The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1896-04-15


make one last frantic appeal to its
owners clemency, ouly to return with
the resignation of despair in her
heart. Twelve short hours of freedom
left to her, and then she must wed the
man she loathed. Tomorrow her
lover, Captain Hayling, would return,
and the first sound to greet him would
he her wedding bells. To think was
madnessl She crept to bed to seek
the oblivion of sleep, yet knowing all
too well that she would seek it in vain.
Little did her brother dream for what
his careless recklessness was responsi.
BILE neither did the father, with his
frail health aud dreamy ways, guess
of the sacrifice his daughter was max
ing.
Was she dreaming? What was the
noise which had awakened her from o
troubled doze? A heavy, dull sound,
coming at intervals, neither thunder
nor wind. Jean rose and looked out;
the night, or rather early morning,
was stormy, the sea running in big
white, tearing pillows; but above their
roar came this strange noise from the
eastward, between Brimley and Lynn
ton. In that direction smoke-like
haze hung heavy and dark. Slipping
on her clothes, she ran down stairs,
looking in at her father as she passed,
to make sure he had not been dis.
turbed.
She sped on on the wings of the
wind, keeping to the high ground
above Rinmore. There were collected
most OF the fisher folk-a scared,
frightened group of men and women,
yet thankful enough that their own
humble cots stood safe, since only Far.
mer Lodon's farm and buildings had
occupied the treacherous acres. An
old fisherman told Jean how they had
been aroused in the small hours of the
morning by the sound of sliding land
how their own houses had shaken and
household goods rocked; and how
they had rushed out to see Rinmore
Point below one heaving, moving
mass, the higher ground falling on the
lower, the whole slipping forward to
the sea.
Jean turned and went back to
Brimley. Intuitively her feet carried
her home, but all will power, all
thought seemed to have abandoned
her; she was incapable of clear ideas,
her head whirled, theTground seemed
still to be heaving under her feet ; her
brow was throbbing with pain, and
she shivered with the cold; she STUN
bled on blindly with the old fisher.
mans words ringing duly in her
brains: 'Mr. Lodon is dead, never o
doubt Mr.. Lodon is dead |"
While all the country around was
talking of the Rinmore land slip, and
people were hocking from far and
near to see the strange sight and to
shudder over the fate of the unfortun.
ate farmer, Jean was lying between
life and death. The miserable weeks
of strain she had undergone and the
awful climax at the end had been too
much for even her strong young
frame. Brain fever had laid her low ;
then during her wild delirium, father
and brother had learned something of
what she had suffered and endured. At
last the weary time OF watching aud
anxiety was over, and Jean began
slowly to recover.
During the crisis of her illness Cap,
tain Hayling had haunted the house,
and when, white and wan, she was at
last brought downstairs to lie on tho
couch by the parlor window, he was
there waiting to greet her. He knelt
beside her, stroking the thin little
hand which lay in his, so weak and
helpless. There were tears of thank
fulness in the strong mans eyes, an
swering the tears of weakness which at
sight of him had gathered in hers, she
knew not why.
What need to tell more? There was
a wedding in Brimley Church, when
Captain Hayling welded fair Jean
Alymer a union which brought peace
and luxury to the white.haired wears
declining years, and caused the re-
moval of Jim from the obnoxious desk.
Household Words.