The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1872-02-23
BOMBAY SHIRLEY'S CURE.

the man." 1t seemed but q small fire
work, "an inconsiderable quiddity," tC
call forth such tempest of applause
and laughter.
1t would have fallen dead as a dool
nail from the lips of an ancient bloom
er, who had grown old in the pioneer
work of Woman's Rights; it was the
archness, the curls, the tout ensemble OF
prettiness, of this champion who had
come in at the eleventh hour, that did
it. 1t was possible to conceive of one
or two men, at least, being interested
in the question Of her love or hatred.
"When the crowd poured out of the
hall, and parted into innumerable little
groups and dots, like a drop of quick,
silver spilled on the ground, two young
men sauntered away, arm in arm, with
that air of ineffable superiority to the
rest Of the world peculiar to college stu
dents in the senior year they are demi.
gods to the freshman class, and they
have yet to learn that the outside world
is not like unto it.
" Is that woman out of her sphere, or
not?' said Lenox to Bombay Shirley,
his familiar spirit.
"That depends on how long a fence
you would put round a woman's
sphere She is at least out of mischief
when she is lecturing from platform
and her lecture has the virtue of hom.
@opathic pills-if it does no good, it
does no harm either"
4" am sure thought her argument
good one. had hopes of your con.
version"
"Her argument! My boy, the pos.
sessive feminine pronoun can never 20
before that word. She stole it bodily
from some man who favors the cause,
and trimmed it so deep with fringe OF
her own tlippancies, that you mistooh it
for hers"
At least, she's pretty; she might
reduce your COMPOUNDED stoicis m
through your eyes"
admit the prettiness, and regret
the brains which made her take up ora
tory, instead Of Irritation. When she
leans forward with that arch look which
seems to assure every man in her audi
ence that he is not the one she hates, it
may be better so than in moonlight
stroll with half dozen by turns"
Tell me the truth, Bomb. Have you
never known a woman whom you
thought you could trust ?"
Never. Who am | that | should
pretend to greater wisdom than Solo
mon?
When you fall in love may l be
there to see !"
"That will never happen. | may
possibly marry late in life, as those old
Romans did, when their emperor Me-
tellus reminded them that marriage,
however painful, was still duty"
| know not what possessed Shirley to
look over his shoulder at that precise
moment of his high discourse. Close
upon them was young girl, in light
gray suit, quakerishly plain, whose
haste would not abide their slow saun-
ter; and as she passed them she looked
at Shirley, with the faintest of quizzical
smiles lowering about her mouth. 1t
struck him with a sudden sense of hay
ing made a fool of himself; and he
watched the slight figure till it disap.
peared in the one little dry.goods store
of the village.
She came out with small package in
her hand, as Shirley was twirling a
walking-stick of twisted bamboo in his
hand, and, having a giraffe.like habit of
carrying his head high in air, as if look
ing over an invisible wall, he knocked
the parcel out Of her hand. He picked
it up and held it out to her without a
word. She received it with an infnit-
esimal nod of thanks, and smile of
amused recognition, which brought a
blush TO Shirley's face. These chest
nut.haired people always blush so
A tableau for deaf and dumb asy-
lum ~ said Lenox. You must own
you have seen one woman who refrained
from speaking when she had a fair
chance"
ado you know who she is p asked
Shirley, his curiosity getting the upper
hand Of his wisdom.
am sorry don't, as it is the first
time you ever asked the question"
Shirley caught himself watching the
gray dress out of sight, and came back
to his old way of thinking with a men.
tai jerk.
"What right had the girl to smile at
me in that superior way?" he said, pro-
voked by the memory of it.
The right of the strongest, my
man; she was far more at ease than you
were.'
This was as true as it was disagree.
able; and Shirley chewed the bitter
cud of it in silence till he reached his
room.
A woman hater is made, not born.
The leaning of the natural heart of man
is TO place the other sex only little
lower than the angels and, when this
order of things is reversed, he has either
been ruthlessly Tilted, or the twig was
bent early by a firm hand.
Bombay Shirley was woman. hater of
the most aggressive kind. He not only
cherished unreasonable contempt on
his own part, but tried to convert his
friends to the same way of thinking !;
and yet, I" the pity of it, IagoI" for he