The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1898-03-09


she should have eaten him IL she had
not feared he would be toughl
She complained that Becky's pea
cock squawked and Dicky's Guinea pigs
squeaked, and the vane on their stable
had "a rusty squeak" that kept her
awake nights; and if one of the little
Bells mounted the fence she came out
and "shooed" him of as if he were a
chicken.
Christine, who was inclined to look
on the bright side and to think we'll Of
every one, said that she would proba-
bly, grow better when they got better
acquainted, and she gave Tommy and
little Rufus five cents each not 70 use
their bean singers over the fence or
make faces through the kuothole.
But instead of growing better their
new neighbor grew worse. She had
the mutual fence built up ten feet
high, she had the branches of the
sweeting tree Topped off where they
interfered with the fence, aud Chris
tines seat thrown down to the ground
so roughly that il was broken. She
said she had let people impose upon
her all her life, and she wasn't going
TO any more.
Papa Bell, who was on easy man
and absorbed in his business, said he
supposed that so many children and
squeaking things did make them
troublesome neighbors; but he thought
they should have to demonstrate with
Miss Pigeon about the fence, because
it took away so much of their sun
shine. Christine begged him to wait
she always would believe that ;people
were going to be better, and she knew
there must be something good about
Miss Pigeon because she looked like
her brother only the twist seemed
to be in her mind, poor thingr'
1t was November when Christine 8
seat was thrown out of the tree, so
she could not have used it any more
that season anyway; and when any
one asked her how she was going to
do without it in the spring, she always
answered. perhaps Miss Hitty will
be good by that time" But that
transformation didn't seem in the
least likely to any one else. She
never forgot that Mp Pigeon had
said she was Hitty, though how she
could ever be Hitty TO anybody was
more than the other young. Bells could
understand.
Christine wonld bow to her, too,
and smile, shyly, although Miss Pigeon
only scowled dreadfully in response.
Far more difficult to forgive than their
own wrongs was the injury that she
had inflicted upon her brother. He
wrote to them doleful letters which
showed plainly how homesick he was
for the good air and the good-fellow-
ship of Pippin Hill One of the
neighbors who saw him at Pequanket
said one would hardly know him he
had "pined away" so.
Christine turned a little pale when
she heard this about Mr.. Pigeon, and
she put ON her thinking-cap. She
couldn't go to school like the others,
she couldn't go skating; in fdct, there
were so many things she couldn't do
that it would have been very dis
couraging to one who believed less
firmly than Christine did that things
as well as people were going to be
better; but that gave her all the more
time to wear her thinking-cap. And
Christine's thoughts were pretty apt
to blossom into deeds some way.
Christine had made the Christmas
wreaths of evergreen aud holly from
their own Pippin Hill woods, and she
had sent two beauties to Miss Pigeon,
who had promptly returned them with
the message that she didn't want such
rubbish littering up her house. Now
when they heard THAT sad news from
Mr.. Pigeon she was making valentines.
She had a very dainty knack with
both pencil and brush, for fourteen
year-old girl, and her valentines were
more beautiful than any that could be
bought in the shops, or so Blooms
boro' young people all thought.
The fashion of sending valentines
might wane elsewhere, but always
Aourished in Bloomsboro', perhaps be.
cause Christine Bell kept it up. She
sent them to the very last people who
expected to have valentine-to ne
elected Iold people and forlon sick peo,
pie, to Biddy Mcguire just from the
old country, and "kilt" with home
sickness, aud to Antony Burke, the
old miser, for whom no one had civil
word and who, perhaps, didn't de
serve one. And for every valentine
that was disregarded or thrown i'm
patiently aside, dozen made little
warmth and comfort in a sad heart
for nobody has yet begun to under
stand how great is the day of small
things.
Christine was more mysterious thar
= usual this year about her valentines
| she colored when Peggy said she
r would better send one to Miss Pigeon
but they never thought she would
. they thought she was only sensitive
3 about her Christmas wreath. WheI
) Mr.. Pigeon went away he gave Chris
t tine an old desk that he had had since
l he was boy. 1t had initials and hearts
| aud anchors cut into it and was whit
: tied at every corner; you would have
| known if you'd seen it anywhere that
= it had belonged TO boy. But Chris
: tine would have it in her own room
, she thought it was beautiful. II haC
4 his Iboy-letters and diaries in it, and
] she had laughed and cried over them