Republican news item. [volume] (Laport, Pa.) 1896-19??, 1900-03-01

and Mrs. Stone drove out OF
their farmyard and took the
road northward. The crisp snow OF
the highway, packed and polished by
weeks of good sleighing, creaked
lnder the runners of their "cutter. "
and the sun was shining gloriously
over the wooded hills to the east
ward.
The Stones were going to spend
Sunday with "Cousin Maria" Stones
second cousin, and the object of Mrs.
Stones admiration and envy. She
declared that there was no house like
Cousin Maria's, and no domestic con-
veniences and advantages like those
she enjoyed; that nobody wore such
beautiful clothes, or had such good
things to eat, or commanded such le-
sources to 'do with'a Cousin Maria
In short, Mrs. Amasa Stone, who had
not been great while married. and
who had one of the incest little farm
houses in the country, as we'll as one
Of the best and most devoted husbands
in the world, was somehow victim of
that most disagreeable aud distress
ing malady envious discomfort; and
the immediate occasion of it was
Cousin Maria If she could only ex-
change places (perhaps not husbands,
but everything else) with Cousin
Maria, how happy she would be!
Curiously enough-by that strange
irony Of fate which we often see crop
Ding out in human life Cousin Maria
,elt the same way toward Mrs. Stone,
She secretely, but sincerely, envied
the little woman with the big devoted,
.overlike husband and the model farm
nouse overlooking one of the most
beautiful and productive valley farms
N New England. ''If 1 could only
Keep house like Cousin Ella!" sha
would sometimes say to her husband !;
and then she would add to herself,
perhaps / might if l had as nice a
nouse and the things to do with that
she has,"
Sincere and cordial envy does not
make people dislike each other, by
any II cans; and it was natural enough
tha, Mrs. Stone and her cousin, Mrs.
Holmes, should enjoy visiting each
other and thereby adding fresh fuel
le their mutual admiration. They
travelled back and forth on these social
exchanges good deal. and their hus-
bands, who liked each other land each
others fare. by the way, We're never
averse to driving over" for days
outing. The two farms lay some 20
miles apart, in different townships,
IL, y hat
a village, where the Stones and the
Holmeses each had n special friend,
with whom il was convenient and
pleasant to stop for dinner while
going a-visiting.
The sleigh bells rang cheerily and
the miles rapidly fell away behind the
Stones cutter this February morning,
as they drove along toward Hydeville,
the half way village, "I hope nothing
will happen to the stock or the hens,
over Sunday" said Mr. Stone.
ooh, don't worry about that!" ex-
claimed his wife. ''You spoke to
Leonard, as usual, didn't you?"
eyes, 1 asked him to fodder once a
day and attend to the milking. But
he lives quite little piece away. and
If it should come on to storm
"Storm! Look at the sky!" ex-
claimed Mrs. Stone, with scornful
laugh. 'I declare, if you aren't the
greatest man to worry over nothing. I"
1t was still gloriously pleasant
when they reached Hydeville, at IL
o'clock. and they stopped there two
full hours. AS they again took the
road, at o'clock, they noticed that the
sky had become slightly tilmy, but as
it frequently does cloud over thus to-
ward the close OF fine winter day
they were neither surprised nor dis
turbed. At 3 o'clock, however the
wind began to rise, the sky grew more
overcast, and before long was splitting
sharply out of the northeast.
''What do you think about storm
now?" asked Mr.. Stone.
"Drive along and get there as quick
as you can, was his wife's only reply,
as she gathered the buffalo robe more
tightly about her.
When they reached the Holmes
farm, at about o'clock, the wind was
bowling and the snow driving across
the landscape in sheets. Mrs. Stone
got out at the side entrance and
plunged shiveringly against the door,
but turned at once to her husband
with look of surprise and consterna-
ton. The door was locked, So were
the front door and the kitchen door,
as they speedi'y y discovered
They're away from home," an
nounced Mr.. Stone.
They've gone visiting" groaned
his wife. ooh dear! do you suppose
it's possible they've gone to visit us?''
"Shouldn't wonder bit," replied
Mr.. Stone. ''Come to think of it,
heard mans laugh when 1 went over
to the store in Hydeville that soun led
like John Holiness. But I couldn't