The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1902-04-03
BY Mrs. w. A. Owens.
Copyrighted by Daily story Pub Coz

make ner STRONG III love.
Lena Raymond had always been
Just heart high to Francis Rowland
son. Ii. their juvenile days they had
swung on the same grapevine, and
then fought over the fruit; robbed
birds nests of eggs as well as the
helpless young, and then sobbed re-
pentance in a mutual embrace after
u parental chastisement-
As time passed they grew in stat
ure, and disfavor with the cOmmuni-
ty. 1.-The neighborhood scourge" was
a sample epithet bestowed upon the
pair. Destroying angels" was the
best which even their respective par
ents could endear them. Unbeliev-
able were some of their antics. Lean
ing over uncovered and abandoned
wells just to see how far without
falling in; riding, circus style, two
horses at the time (Which horses
they had led out of a neighbours un-
guarded stable without so much as
Shy your leave0; climbing telegraph
poles and touching the wire with the
tip of their noses to see if the wire
were "alive," were some of their
calmer diversions.
Never had Lena a sound garment
or Francis a whole skin. These tri-
fling incidents happened before the
girl was IA. Francis lived next door
to the Raymonds. Youthful ameni-
ties and dissensions were stopped
without warning one summers day
when the girl walked out on the lawn
braided neatly and Topped up with
blue ribbon. I'm getting a big girl
now, Frank. You kids can continue
to play marbles in my back yard and
spin your top on the side hall floor"
And that finished it. There was more
in the delivery than the phraseology.
Frank stared and swallowed his rap
idly enlarging Adams apple and
dropped on the grass. One eXpletive
escaped as he took it in that clearly
reached Lena's accustomed compre-
hension: ''Well, I'll be durned!" He
felt estranged from his old comrade,
alienated from the object of his boy
ish devotion, eXpatriated from home
and country!
Then he braced up. He took sud-
denly to long trousers, thought deep
ly in neckwear lore, passed into a
heavy voice with embarrassing indie
cision between tenor and bass, and
ultimately left for college. The two
following vacations found Lena alb
sent from home. The third brought
him home from his military school
with shoulder straps and his final ses-
sion left him covered with more hon
ors than he honestly came by" &C
cording to Lena's verdict.
That young miss had arrived at the
diarykeeping age. Here is an ex-
tract. She had views about this
young fellow whom she had always
bullied but secretly feared:
June 30.-Old Frank is home now,
a Man. Good enough to look at, some
thing better to talk to, but as diff
cult to lasso as Texas broncho. As
he babe me good night he leaned
over and told me l was still lust
heart high to him. I'm glad | stopped
there, for he has taken on six feet
now mot literally, but by measure
ment), and don't aspire to his mans
prerogative."
Francis sat in his room reading a
love story and scribbling Lena on
the margin as he romanced out of it's
text. The next page or so found this
marginal note: Pretty enough to
make a man throw brickbats at his
wife, is Lena" One other: "As I'M
certain as a game of pigs in the
clover. His thoughts were run
ming back over his 20 summers, mixed
with all his escapades and escapes.
He recalled how his mother had
sighed over his incorrigible boyhood,
and lamented his dead fathers guild
ance and control. Then how DR.. John
son had come on the scene and de-
clared that he was beyond a father;
that it was stepfather he needed
He recalled the-lack of ceremony with
which he collared the "beginning to
take notice" widower, Dr. johnson,
and forthwith kicked him out of the
house, lad though he was. AS he
unused he colored with rage at the
monotony of the occasion. His moth
er had gone to ''where there is
peace" but DR.. johnson was still
above the daisies. Between his life's
retrospection, scribbling random
thoughts of Lena and persistent men,
tai vision of DR.. Johnson, the evening
passed. The summer was spent in
running over the ''ifs" and lands" of
the several professions. He chose
medicine. His patrimony was accu-
INFLATED and banked, and he DEPART
ed for New York. In due course of
time he returned to his native SOUTH
ern home and opened an office. He
was magnifcently equipped in learn
ing, but shy on Office fixtures and in
struments. And then DR.. johnson
came on the scene again. He was
jealous of his young professional ri
val, and began an organized persecu-
ton.
Upon one propitious Sabbath the
minister was handed note as he en-
tered the stand and requested to
read it aloud!
IF DIR. Francis Rowlandson is pres
ent will he please withdraw to the