The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1908-12-23
His
Broken
Engagement.
[Original.1


Words. az ,S9%
4mid II aflshe felt very well satis-
'fis4 withst sti,hselE He realized that
he had taken the situation with all
he composnre o,ene to whom being
teiected ,bj. one'stbest gifl was an old
story andnot at all as novice would
have takeptit. q
Cattle vas the first girifwhonilhe
had hepesed nv devoted attentions
Filor three ipoHths he. had looked up
on liz with. the t6ierance Of the
worldline. MAS he. not engaged?
Were not he.and Callie to get mar
riei some day when he's was more
firmly established financially?
At 20 man regards ansincome as
a mere incidental annoying because
of its slimness. He and callie
had vaguely cheerful idea
that with years come inereased
salary as mattel Of course.
He had called her <'littleF girl"
as he planned ON 1't future
and he haa grown several inches by
realizing that she depen1se ok his'
superior wisdom and p|litys !.
And after a fooiIsh little quarrel
she had decided tE<lt he 1iil mot love
him as she had thoVeht Ronrls
McNatt read 1t again a ne chewed
the end of his cigar ttageiXNa 3, Y
my dear Charles. nd after
last evenings exhibition of temper
on your part 1t is bettef that we
should not lei our dream go on. Al
Is over between us. Our .liVee are
sundered henceforth. Forget be, as
have no doubt you viii It has
been mistake. Do not fcplE as |
am going with Mr.. Lester q the
theatre" -
t'Tried to make me jeal0us, i9eol-
ish grill" muttered young Me- Matt,
alluding to the last senfence. Wo-
men are SO transpareA W Callie
was not quite IS. .Thfe PIE over
as calmly as If wen sr empty
candy box-ani with no iu0fa heart
IL Culc q lCilON up
He walked to the window and
stared hard at the payenents he
was searching vigorouslyS fof the 'eIa-
otion he ought to have, crashing back
the insistent knowledge that all he.
felt was complacency at having ar,
rived at the point where he could get
engaged and thea have his heart
broken by frivolous girl.
II am we'll rid of her. he told
a banana cart that was being pushed
by. Then he scowled as he had
seen a villain on the stage do q
short time before. But tQ a man
with heart an ideal is slow to die
She will go gayly on-with that
Lester idiot. suppose-because she
is shallow While -ah, perhaps in
years to come, Callie, can blot you
from my memory"
Young McNatt almost caught him
self beaming at his ready graspof-
the obligations of the occasion. He
remembered that when his older
brother had gone through a similar
experience he had trampled his best
necktie under foot and slammed
things. That, young McNatt felt.
had been crude and sign OF mex,
perience. He had better grasp on
the possibilities. There was real
ache on his left side;tn0t far enough
over really to be his heart. but tben
his heart might be misplaced for
all he knew.
"A blow just at the openirs a
mans career" he told himself with
gentle bitterness. But the world !
shall not know, shall not pity me-
Naturally things never can look the
same to me again, but | shall laugh
ami go on and pretend to have an
interest in life and no one will know
that carry a disiIlusioned spirit, an
enskty heari, beneath the smiling ex-
terror. / have loved and lost Well,
so be 1t. am not one to scatter
my affection about. | shall never
love again never"
Entranced with the thought OF
this horrible fate, young McNatt sur
veyed himse If in the mirror.
"Pale" ho murmured. II am sen.
sitive and show when | am mofe1
Little Callie Foolish girl! Spoilin
her life foI a whim. Some day sht
will know ii when 1t is too late,
am done with women. They have
no interest for me now. They are
merely an incident and must not be
allowed to interfere with a mans
career. 4 shall
Hello, Rirney!" he broke of, as
another youth about his own age en-
tered attireJ in the latest agony.
Say" remarked Birney, breath
iessly, with no respect for the TRACE.
dy in which his friend was involved
come along with me and call on
that Larkins girl we met last week.
She asked me to call and she said
to bring you
mot that stunner-with the blue
eyes and" f
"The same" returned young Nc.
Natt's visitor, nodding his head to
give greater emphasis to his reply.
Young McNatt whistled. "Gee!'
he exclaimed What luck! shoulS
say | would go! How'd you evei