The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1897-11-17


Poor Anna! her tale was told in few
words, but those few words contained
volume Of sorrow. Her outward
voyage had been prosperous and ex-
ceedingly pleasant. She was leaving
poverty behind her, and was about to
meet the man to whom her whole heart
was given, and who had, as she knew,
made n comfortable living for himself;
she was strong and well and light
hearted, aud all on board the vessel
conspired to court and hatter her She
might have chosen a husband from
amongst half dozen men, but it was
jamie she wanted and jamie to whom
she was going. All through the voyage
she pictured his delight when he should
rush on board the Petrol to welcome
her, but the Petrol arrived and there
was no Jamie. Nor the next day, nor
the next day; she settled herself in q
hotel, wrote to him aud waited.
After three days waiting lady was
ushered into her room--a lady most
distinctly of the strong-minded genus.
Not bad-looking woman, Anna
thought to herself as the two stood
watchfully regarding one another; not
bad-looking, nor vulgar, nor quite q
lady, nor just at this moment quite at
her ease.
"You are Miss Edgar, aren't your"
she said, after that pause of inspec-
tion. at is rather awkward for us.
you see. am Mrs. Barrington-you
won't take it kindly, 1 am afraid--but
Jem would not come himself, he would
send me. Now what can we do to put
things as right as they can be?"
SO the delay was explained. The
delighted bridegroom had not rushed to
meet his bride because he was already
husband to another woman. 1t went
hard with Anna, but she was a proud
woman and compelled herself to give a
cold attention to the explanations that
Mrs. Darlington forced upon her. As
if, being betrayed, it mattered to her
how the thing was done! A rescue
from danger on the one side, a nursing
through an illness on the other. What
did it matter to the woman they had
cheated? Mrs. Barrington's offers of
assistance were haughtily declined,
and the first steamer that left Mel
bourne carried Anna Edgar with it.
"Did. you foresee this, George,
when you gave me the exact passage
money in that purse towards the
house plenishing?"
Don't ask home questions, dar-
ling" answered George with kisses.
"Lie still and get we'll as quickly as
you can"
For Anna had been exceedingly i'll
upon the return voyage, and was still
terribly weak and shaken. The SYM
pathy of all the place was with her,
for seeing the impossibility of keeping
the disaster secret, the Edgars had de-
cided to speak of it openly at once,
and friendly gifts of all kinds came in
to show the kindly feelings of the
neighbors. The little house over
flowed like cornucopia with fruit and
flowers.
Godfrey hung about, ready to nurse,
run errands, write letters or do any
thing that could be required of him,
as long as his business could spare
him, aud then unwillingly announced
that he must go.
''You will say it is heartless of me
to suggest that it is an Ill wind that
blows nobody any good" he said,
squeezing Georgie's hand as they sat
over the twilight fire; "but you see
Anna could not have done me better
turn than by coming to grief in this
way. All your misfortune seems TO
be good luck to me. If she had not
come back l should have been afraid
to ask you to come to me. George,
darling, for you would have said you
could not leave Josie. 1 cannot offer
you anything like what you are used
to or what you ought to have, but
you say you do not mind being poor. "
81 like it, Geoff, DEAR" answered
George; "and, besides, your poverty
is wealth compared with ours"
Three-and-twenty was Anna Edgar
when she went out to Australia in the
"Petrel." At three-and-thirty she
was Anna Edgar still, and the "Petrel"
was steaming towards England with
James Darlington on board,
The little house in Oxford Road had
proved a CHEEKY home during these
ten years to two busy and therefore
happy women. Josie had tended the
invalid to the close of her pilgrimage,
and now aided her young daughter in
the superintendent of the household;
Anna had stepped into the place that
George left vacant, and had become
famous through the neighborhood as
a teacher of elocution. Her romantic
story, instead of covering her with
contempt as she expected, had
brought her hosts of sympathizers and
admirers. Life had prcspered with
the sisters, and they could now afford