Republican news item. [volume] (Laport, Pa.) 1896-19??, 1898-04-21
CYNTHIA.
BY MARY SWEET POTTER.

so / have decided togo out west and
see what could do
"Well, T can't blame you, Jack;
Jennie's a good girl, and some who go
west do well. 1 don't know how [
shall ever get along without you,
though"
And the loving heart of the sister
asserted itself in burst of tears at
thought of the coming separation.
Jack looked at her regretfully.
'I hate like everything to leave
you, Cynthia, but 1 suppose L must.
We're going right away, too" he
added, looking out of the window to
avoid the rare and piteous sight OF his
strong, bright sister in tears.
Cynthia Lee swallowed her grief as
best she could, restoring her brother s
self-possession by few commonplace
words; then he went out, and she
worked on with nimble fingers, she'll
ing beans for dinn"r.
Soon the outer door flew open, i'm
PEELED by the eager hands of a young
girl.
''The Bartlett pears are ripe, Gym
thia; see these" rolling some beauti-
full specimens of the fruit mentioned
across the table.
The fruit did not call forth any en-
thusiasm on Cynthia's part, and the
Younger girl, seeing that something
was wrong, began to shell the beans,
her face disturbed by frowns.
She, like her brother, had an un-
pleasant communication to make this
morning, but the time seemed scarcely
favorable, Judging by Cynthia's face.
There was long silence, broken at
last by Cynthia.
Jessie" she said, "Jack is going
to leave us; how shall we ever get
along without him?"
"how-he is?" stammered Jessie.
She had known it for weeks. ooh, :"
she went on, "there's no use beating
about the bush, Cynthia; knew Jack
was going, and am going, too, at the
same time he goes"
Cynthia turned a pale, stern face
toward her sister.
You do not mean it, do you, Jes-
sie?" she said, with quaver in her
voice. "Why, L promised mother
never to let you ont of my sight till
you were grown up. able to-"
why, Cynthia. I'm II, and lots
of girls marry even younger than
that" interrupted Jessie, impatiently.
The expression of Cynthia's face
changed once more.
"Marry!" she exclaimed ''In the
name of mercy, whom are going to
marly?"
''Why, Frank Bailey, of course.
Jack knew it, and / should think he
might have told you and saved me the
trouble. L should think you might
have seen how things were going and
been prepared for this and saved get
ting yourself so worked up over it, ?"
grumbled Jessie in an injured tone.
"Why,I did know pretty near about
Jack, but you ou-youre only child, :"
said Cynthia, drearily.
''Well, I'm engaged to Frank Bailey,
any way, and I'm going to marry him
and go west with him and Jack and
Jennie and his folks, and you will
have to get along the best you can.
You ought to be glad Jack and / are
doing so well.
Cynthia thought that time would
prove whether they were indeed doing
well, but she did not say it.
''Then l must live all alone" she
said
''Oh, no! You have the two dogs
and six cats and Mooly and the hens.
And you know how to manage the
place. Wasn't it lucky that father
left it for your share and gave the
money to me and Jack?"
Cynthia listened to the end of Jes-
sizes speech, then dropped her face
into her hands and laughed and cried
Historically, till Jessie left the room
with an air half-indignant, half-sor-
rowful.
Cynthia did not harrow the feelings
of her brother and sister by any more
displays of grief. She set cheerfully
about preparing outfits for the two
young emigrants, and before the time
for their departure had arrived there
stood ready, locked and corded in the
hall, two big boxes for each of them,
containing, as Jessie we'll knew, the
lions share of the household linen
which by right belonged to Cynthia.
Soon the time came when the double
wedding, the good byes and the de-
parture were all events of the past, and
Cynthia was alone.
She felt indescribably miserable as
she turned to go in after watching
them out of sight, and the dogs, look
ing into her face, knew that some
thing was wrong and plainly showed
it by their affectionate demonstra-
tions.
''You dear old boysI" she cried, re-
turning their caresses. eve must
fight it out alone now"
Cynthia's nature was not easily
crushed. 1t bounded up from the
pressure of i'll fortunes iron heel as
does child's toy of India rubber on
which it has set it's tiny foot to see the
rebound.
She missed the brother and sister
naturally, but when two years passed
and they had not written to her more