The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1898-05-11

Yes" said Annie. az had one
once that used to follow me. 1t died
that year Bess the COW died. 1t wa;
pretty hard haviu' two deaths in the
family in the same year..
She smiled with fine attempt al
bravery, he thought, for he had a clear
notion of her loneliness and dread OF
new associations. Then followed an.
other silence.
Lonesome here?" he asked.
eyes"
BE paused; then braced himself fo1
the effort.
81 was thinkin'," he said, "as it's
pretty quiet over to my house, now
aunt's gone and Sally's over to her
daughters in Lynn, an I've sort O.
got to hankerin' for bit of calico
round the house, that maybe you d
like the place."
Keep house?" asked the girl.
eyes. l don't mean as housekeeper
exactly. 1 mean get married"
"Oh!" she cried, looking at him in
astonishment. "Who TOP"
"Why, mer' he exclaimed, as if sur
prised at her dullness. "There' 3
enough for two, guess, and it's kind
of quiet for lone man over there. I'll
let you have your say about the flower
garden.
There was no affection for the girl
prompting his words. He had caught
glimpse of her face at the window
the day before, and the same impulse
that had led him to befriend the kitten
had brought him to this larger idea of
protection.
81 never thought about getting
married, she said hesitatingly.
'It's easy DONE" he said. "We'll
just step up to the minister's"
'But what if we should be sorry af-
terwards?" she said gravely.
"Oh, no danger" he said. "I'll
give you long tether. I'll do well by
you"
So, half in reality, half in dream,
Annie put on her precious best gown a
few days later and went with David up
the street. When they came back they
stopped at the gate.
"We must go in aud get the dishes, -
she said.
"Oh, I've got dishes, he said, ''real
china-with sprigs on; aunt set great
store by 'em-old blue plates, too"
''But 1 like these" said Annie,
drawling out the 'like" pleadingly.
"Oh, we'll get 'em then," he said
smiling. "You gather 'em up while
go after Ned and the long wagon"
In few hours Annie found herself
aud all her possessions in her new
home, and, looking about her tried to
realize the Arabian Nights transfor-
nation that had happened-that it was
she, and no other, who was mistress
and proprietor of the pretty ingram
carpets, the neat, cane-seated chairs,
the few treasures of curly maple and
mahogany, and the pictures of the
aunt and her sisters staring down upon
her from the walls.
When David came in with the milk
he saw her standing by the hearth,
while the kitten rubbed about her feet.
Her face was suffused with her new
happiness, and she gave him one swift,
grateful look, while she laughed softly
as if her new delight had made her
bankrupt in speech. A sense of her
sweet -womanliness seized him
with irresistible force. He felt the
sluggish blood quicken at his heart;
and at that instant unconsciously he
had received his chrism, and had en-
tered that old, old temple whose light
trausmutes what have seemed common
things and dross to pearls and gold.
Meanwhile Annie had moved toward
him.
II will take care of the milk, he
said.
But" she demonstrated. She was
seized with misgivings lest she might
not find work enough to pay her way;
for the Mosaic doctrine of something
for something had become q part of
the grain and fiber of her thought.
He did not answer, but went on
about the task. He had no fine words
at his disposal, no poetic fancies, OF
artists skill; but he was laying such
as he had upon the altar of the temple.
Annie moved away and picked up
the kitten, whose appetite for caresses
could not be appeased. She stroked
its head with nervous energy. 1t was
something to feel the little, dull, in
stinctive life within her hand, and feel
it reaching out in its blind way to
touch her own. She seated herself
and played with it with all the grace
and abandon of child. The child's
spirit was still dominant in her; that
was evident.
1t was still more plain in the even
ing when, after David had given her
a half dozen packets of flower seeds,
she sat playing with them. She shut
fled them as if they we're cards, shook
them to hear the seeds rattle, looking
eagerly at the flower pictures, made
odd little exclamations of surprise and
pleasure, planned how the flowers
should be arranged, and finally open
ing one and taking out seed of
mignonette, held it up between her
fingers and cried, "To think there
should be a blossom in that little
brown seedl" She fell to prattling of
the uses she should make of the flow.
ers, and quieted down at last to fall a
dreaming over the prospective garden
rs if there were nothing in the world
but flower stems and colors.