The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1872-02-23

Now you may 60 for the DOCTOR"
said the girl in gray, coming into the
kitchen with no more hustle than if she
had spent her life there.
Shirley went joyfully, feeling that he
must be entertaining an angel unawares.
The fever would ran its course was
the doctors verdict. Good nursing was
all the patient needed for few days.
"All !" thought Shirley, as he measured
his great siren ,th with the intelligent
weakness of the "girl in gray" who
instinctively did the right thing at the
right time.
81 must look for some one to help
you," he said when they were again
alone.
"Thank you, but there will be no
need. Sickness is my strong point"
81 begin to think | have no strong
point, unless it is Greek verbs"
She gave mellow little laugh. If
you are turning meek you must be hun
cry"
81 believe l have eaten nothing to-
day"
81 thought so. You shall show me
the pantry and will see what there is
for our supper, for am hungry too"
Shirley wondered at himself that he
could eat 80 heartily in that presence,
but hunger and the good example of
the girl in gray were too many for him.
"My name is Rachel Gordon" she
said as soon as she thought of it. "My
mother was first cousin to the Gordons.
There was some unpleasantness be-
tween them while she lived, but she was
deeply anxious that should win over
Miss Temperance if possible"
Shirley was Immediately convinced
that she could win over anybody to any
thing, but, having no practice in COM
pliments, he remained silent and stared
at her numerically. Rachel kept him
busy all the evening with bringing in
wood for the night and making all sorts
of slight changes for Miss Strong's COM
fort.
"Now l have no more need of YOU"
she said at last. 81 will bid you good
night, and if need anything before
morning will 60 up stairs and knock
at every door till / find yours.
But--but-" stammered Shirley,
who had fully made up his mind to
share nights vigil with her.
~ know no such word"
e You must need rest, and am much
stronger than you are"
"The last clause is self-evident, but
you don't know SO well how to use your
own strength" said Rachel, opening
Miss Strongs door.
But-but-" persisted Shirley, utter
ly at a loss for the proper phrases for
such an emergency.
"That must be one Of your Greek
verbs, you are so fond of il. Good night,
and l will see you in the morning"
She disappears, and Shirley was rout-
ed in his first campaign. He was GER
tain that he should not close his eyes [;
but exhausted nature overcame him,
and the small hours were growing large
again when he stole down stairs, and
was guided to the bedroom by dim
light within. He meant only to look at
the invalid, but his eyes were caught
before they reached Miss Strong. Ra-
chel mad been sitting by the bed, and,
laying her head where the least motion
of the sick woman would wake her, she
had fallen asleep.
Shirley thought latter he came to the
thinking point that he had never seen
anything so lovely in all his days. Rachel
had put on white wrapper with long
cape to it, and, for comforts sake, had
taken the pins out of her hair. This
light brown hair rippled round the
small ear and strayed over the dress,
and finally lay on the floor in a soft,
wealthy way that was bewildering to
Shirley, who had never before seen q
woman's hair-her glory" A pas
sionate longing seized HIM to touch it
once, to see if it felt like his own stub.
born curls. Rachel's face was too earn
est to be pretty. She had more of the
"romance of your stone ideal than
those "ripe and real" women whom
Byron preferred. Her best feature was
a straight nose, which, as Miss Bronte,
says, will give a clear look in any face.
Hers bore marks of trial and hard earned
rest, but its purity struck Shirley with
awe. He never knew how long he
leaned against the door-post, gazing
with his soul in his eyes at the sleep
ing girl. He learned her by heart in
that look, as if she had been lesson,
from the little purple sprig on her
white gown to the blue veins in her
forehead. He saw woman for the fir-t
time, and he never saw another with
the same eyes.
From that moment the current of his
eager soul set only on her; a rage of
covetousness possessed him; she was
the one thing needful to round his life
it must have been for her that his heart
had waited through his youth.
He drew back at last with an inward
wrench, in the fear that she might wake
and find him spying on her solitude. He
went into the cold kitchen, and there
Rachel found him, sitting bolt upright
on the old fashioned settle.
"You have not been sitting here all
night, / hope" she said.
"No," said Shirley, with look Of re-
pentance that he had not done so, and
so have been worthy of little scolding
on her part. She had twisted up all her
wandering hair into loose knot, but it
did not alter the picture which was
newly hung for all time in Shirley's