The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1872-03-15
He had stepped to the threshold of a

/
a small bed. lie stood there a moment
looking at the company, his bare feet
peeping from the blanket, and nodded.
Hello, johnny You amt goin' TO
turn in again, are ye," said Dick.
Yes, are, responded Johnny, de-
cidedly.
why, wot's up, old fellowf'
I'm sick"
4" How sick ?"
4" I've got fever And chilblains.
And roomatiz," returned Johnny, and
vanished within. After moments
pause, he added in the dark, apparently
! from the bed clothes" And biles."
There was an embarrassing silence.
The men looked at each other, and at
the fire. Even with the appetizing ban
quet before them, it seemed as if they
might again fall into the dependency
of Thompson's grocery, when the voice
of the Old Man, incautiously lifted,
came deprecatingly from the kitchen.
" Certainly! That's so. In course
they il. A gang O. lazy, drunken loaf
ers, and that ar Dick Bullen's the
onariest Of all Didn't have no more
Sqbe than to come round var with sick.
NESS in the house and no provision.
Thets what ! said; Bullen," seq /,
it's crazy drunk you are, or a FOOL seq
!, to think O. such thing Staples,
SEE |, be you man, Staples, and 'spect
to raise h-ll under my roof and in
valids lynn round 2 But they would
come-they would. Thets what you
must spect O. such trash as lays round
the Bar"
A burst Of laughter from the men fol-
lowed this unfortunate exposure.
Whether it was overheard in the kitch-
en-, or whether the Old Mans irate COM
panion had just then exhausted all
other modes OF expressing her con-
temptuous indignation, | cannot say,
but back door was suddenly slammed
and the Old Man reappeared, haply un-
conscious of the cause Of the late hila-
rious outburst, and smiled blandly.
"The old woman thought she'd jest
run over to Mrs. McFadden's for So
cial call, he explained, with .jaunty in
difference, as he took a seat at the
board.
Oddly enough it needed this untoward
incident to relieve the embarrassment
that was beginning to be felt by the
party, and their natural audacity re-
turned with their host. | do not pro-
pose 10 record the convivialities of that
evening. The inquisitlve reader will
accept the statement that the conversa-
ton was characterized by the same in
tcllcctual exaltation. the same cautious
4 60 "a, IL al
the same rhetorical precision, and the
same logical and coherent discourse
somewhat later in the evening, which
distinguish similar gatherings Of the
masculine sex in more civilized local..
ties and under more favorable auspices.
No glasses were broken in the absence
of any; no liquor was uselessly split on
the floor or table in the scarcity of that
article.
1t w.s nearly midnight when the fes-
Invites were interrupted. "Hush," said
Dick Bullen, holding up his hand. 1t
was the querulous voice of Johnny from
his adjacent closet 80, dad "
The Old Man arose hurriedly and dis
appeared in the closet. Presently he
reappeared. Ellis rheumatic is coming
on agin bad he explained, land he
wants rubin" He lifted the demii ohm
of whisky from the table and shook it.
II was empty. Dick Bullen put down
his tin cup with an embarrassed laugh.
So did the others. The Old Man exam
ined their contents and said hopefully,
I" reckon that's enough; he don't need
much. You hold on all o. you for
spell, and I'll be back !" and vanished
in the closet with an old flannel shirt
and the whisky. The door closed but
imperfectly, and the following dialogue
was distinctly audible:
"Now, sonny, whar does she ache
worst?'
Sometimes over var and sometimes
under yer but it's most powerful from
yer to yer. Rub yer, dad"
A silence seemed to indicate brisk
rubbing. Then Johnny:
levin good time out yer, dad p
y es, sonny
"To.morrers Chrismiss-ain't it?"
eyes, sonny. How does she feel
now?"
"Better. Rub little furder down.
Wots Chrismiss, anyway. Wot's it all
ahout?"
90, it's day."
This exhaustive definition was appa-
rently satisfactory, for there was silent
interval of rubbing. Presently Johnny
again:
MAR says that everywhere else but
ger everybody gives things to everybody
Chrismiss, and then she jist waded inter
you. She SEE there's man they call
Sandy Claws-not a white man, you
know, but kind o. Chinemin-comes
down the chimbley night afore Chris.
miss and gives things to chillern-boys
like me. Puts 'em in their butes |!
That's what she tried to play upon me.
Easy, now, pop, whar are you rubin
to-thet's mile from the place. She
jest made that up, didn't she, jess to
aggrewate me and you? Don't rub
thar. Why, dad ~
In the great quiet that seemed to
have fallen upon the house, the sigh Of
the near pines and the drip Of leaves
without was very distinct. Johnnys
voice, too, was lowered as he went on,
don't you take on, now, fur I'm get.
tin all right fast. Wot's the boys dom
out thar"
The old man partly opened the door
and peered through. His guests were
= - Al l.. - I ~