Republican news item. [volume] (Laport, Pa.) 1896-19??, 1900-07-12

OtQef since ne nau turned 4O, anu Sne
had avaiIed herself of her majority to
marry foolishly, 80 their early rela-
tions, if familiar, were unromantic.
Thanks 10 the line of forbears wearing
in succession the wig of jurisprudence,
he had been already bald and serious
when she had cast her child's glance
upon him; and now, quarter century
later, her widows scrutiny found him
much the same, save that the frame
of his badness, like his moustache,
was gray, and the seriousness of his
face become gravity, almost sternness.
If he had changed not very greatly.
in the shaded light of her own strategi-
cally planned drawing room she
seemed to him to have aged not at
all. The girl was grown full woman,
and, indeed, a widow of 40 cannot
properly affect genuousness; but her
weeds were rather becoming to her
beauty than illuminative of her sor-
row.
They were alone, and would, inten-
tionally, remail alone; for the game of
hide and seek OF chastened hearts is
not to be played in company.
"You are looking WELL" she OBJ
served. Better than when I saw you
last.
The occasion to which she referred
was her wedding breakfast, and cer
tainly the then captain Of foot was
not looking his best that day.
THANK you," said he, nodding
sti fly; i'm pretty fit. And you
you're as we'll as ever, l suppose?'
She smiled at the awkward speech.
'You are as ironical as ever, l per-
ceive"
"Me ironicalr' he blurtel-''not Il
But | thought you seemed so well, and
l remember you always seemed we'll.
We're you not always weli?'
She was silent, with fire cast eyes,
before she answered.: ''Ies, when you
knew me | wa we'll" A little pause.
".Since then ! have not always felt so
very, very well. Another brief pause.
Then, as the eyes travelled gayly from
the fire to his face, to fall demurely on
his watch chain: But you see l am
quite myself again.
Colonel Jemmett was entranced;
wrinkles of - years standing faded
from his countenance. and he tried to
recall speeches imagined before the
wrinkles came; but the futi.ity OF the
phrases crushed him now, and he said,
with a very little emotion: $50 you
missed grandpapa, after all?'
Used l to call you grandpapa?"
she asked; she really had forgotten it.
"Why should l have called you grand
papa?'
His right hand ascended to his
crown II think, at first, it was be-
cause of that" he said.
She stared. "Because of WHAT"
she begged.
Colonel Jemmett writhed in his
chair. Because of not having any
hair on the top OF my head. l WASH
so very old, don't you know?' he an
swered.
Laughter rippled from the widow.
"You are avenged" she said; my own
hair is growing thin now, and I'm
only 49,"
In spite of himself, he started; he
had just ordered a bracelet to he given
her on her 4lst birthday.
She saw she had made slip, and
FASTENED to recover her balance. "Don't
tell me you know BETTER she rallied
him since my birthday is in Febru-
ary may be forgiven for keeping it
only in leap year. But truly, l shall
very soon have less hair than you.
Don't you believe me?'
He shook his head incredulously.
She deliberately loosened some half
dozen pins and took from the centre
of her coiffure aplat of not very great
proportions. 1T is my own. she re-
marked incidentally. 'It was cut of
when ! was very-not very, very vel
Il had it made up. Now
come and look at my bald spot"
AS one who approaches a shrine,
Colonel Jemmett did her bidding
Two of her long fingers diving into
her hair discovered to him perfectl,
bald disk, certainly not bigger than
sixpenny piece; perhaps it had beel
once teuanted by contumacious patel
OF gray.
''Can you give me nothing to max,
it grow arain:" she asked pi.itullv.
Colonel Jemmett's heart tiutteyed a.
he stopped and kissed the place, bu
| the kiss itself was reverential. Th,
widows surprise was divid ID evenl,
between his gallantry and his auster
itv. She wondered what he would Il,
next.
81 hope you are not offended Will
me" he said.
"0h, no! dear grandpapa." she an
swered, with trace OF malice Isl
down and tell me all about yourself
about your exploits in the East.
want to hear parti .ularly about them
for the newspaper reports are so stu
pid / never can understand them"
"Exp,oits!' said the colonel; &c
never had one to my pame."
Don't he modest with an oil,
crony," she returned. 81 heard O
what you did in the Black mountain
or were they although
confess could not make out exactl