The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1872-11-29
THE SMITHS AND THE BROWNS.

II! tel you what it is, wife," said
Peter Smith, and he emphasized the
remark by a wise shake of the fore,
finger, things have got into very bad
way. The farm is mortgaged to the last
cent it is worth, and | owe a heap OF
money besides-more by a long shot
than l know how to pay. What is to be
done p
I'm sure don't know, Peter" re.
piled the bothered wife shut it seems
100 awful bad TO be turned out of house
ana home at our time of life. Now, if
our son John would only marry Jonas
Browns daughter Sally, it would help
him out amazingly. The Browns, you
see, are we'll off, and the connection
would be a perfect gold mine to rs. Of
course they'd give Sally the hun.
drcd acres Of land and things they've
always said they would"
That's a good idea, wife" and Pc
ter frightened up amazingly. " You
Away was cute woman, and the notion
does you credit. But do you think the
young folks would take to it ?"
don't know, but it seems to me
that they've always taken great notion
10 each other ever since they were chill
dren-been more like brother and sister
than anything else"
But suppose the Browns should oh.
ject, as most likely they would. You
know we amt on good terms, thick as
the young folks have been"
III tell you what, Peter, is lust the
thing for Us to do-put up John to elope
with Sally
Agreed. III leave it all to you to
manage"
Thus the matter was settled, and the
scnemlng couple went 10 bed to dream
OF speedy release from their financial
endorsements.
Condolences are sometimes of the
most curious character-almost surpass-
ing bel.ei N some instances. About
the time OF the above conversation be.
tween Mr.. and Mrs. Smith, their neigh.
bors, NJ. and Mrs. Jonas Brown. held
an important conference.
"Do you remember that note for six
hundred dollars | gave for stock last
spgingY asked Jonas.
Yes" replied the wife.
Well, it's coming due in about q
month, and how under the sun we're
going to pay it don't know"
Mortgage the farm"
We've done that until il can't be
mortgaged for another cent. I'm clean
discouraged; and there's Sally wanting
piano. Where the money is coming
from is more than | know. We're on
the verge OF bankruptcy"
4 wish Sally would marry John
L. Al.
enough 70 take a notion that way.1'
" Yes; bat | don't see how that would
help us any
You don't, eh ? Well / do. Amt
his folks rich and wouldn't they set
him ny handsomely? Then we could
stand some chance of getting help
through Sally
That's Il good PLAN" was Jonas
conclusion, after profound meditation,
" but the difficulty is, that the Smiths
are not on good terms with us, and
would be likely to oppose the match"
Then the best plan is to set the
young folks up to an elopement."
SO it CHANGED that the Browns and
the Smiths planned to dispose of their
children to their own pecuniary advan.
tage. The next step in each case was
to mold the young ones to the proper
shape.
John Smith was handsome, brawny
country fellow, with plenty of good
sense and an ocean Of love for Sally
Brown. When his parents proposed
his marrying her, he informed them
that he would gladly do so, but he
feared her parents would object. Then
ms father siyly suggested an elopement,
ano offered to aid in carrying out such
an exploit. John said he would think
about it.
sally Brown was a rustic maiden with
much redness of cheek, and rejoicing
IN the possession of the lasting comeli.