The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1874-06-19
OLD MAGGIE AND THE BURGLARS.

&" You are not afraid, Maggie?"
Me afraid - said Maggie. "Pd
no fear born with me. As for the
house, it's the strongest fastened ever
was III. You say yourself there's no
lock burglar could force, and I'm not
the one to let tramps or the like in of
nv free will. God knows the place will
be safe enough when you come back-as
safe as though there were regiment of
soldiers in it; ana I'll have all bright
for your new wife, Mr.. Archibald"
She called her master Mr.. Archibald
still, this old woman but she WAS the
only one who still used his Christian
name. He was an elderly man himself,
aud had few intimate friends, hospitali-
ty not being one of his virtues. Hewas
rich, and there was much that was valua-
bic III the house more ready money,
too, than most men keep about them
but then 1T was as secure as a bank
vault-patent locks and burglar alarms
that first sent Il bullet into anyone who
sought to enter by stealth, and then rang
bell to wake the household, were at
tached to every door, and a furious
Watchdog, that lived on raw meat. was
IN the back garden. The Van Mott man
SION could have withstood a siege at a
moments notice.
MIR. Van Mott was a money-dealer.
He had ways of accommodating property
which were mysteries to his neighbors,
and they were suspicious that the little
back parlOr, sacred to business, had
even seen such lesser dealings as the
loan Of moaey on the gold watches,
cashmere shawls, and diamonds of gen
teel distress. Two or three mortgages
that he had bought up had been rather
cruelty foreclOsed ; and he was a hard
landlord, ana bad person TO owe mon
ey to altogether. On the whole he was
disliked in the place, and rich as he was,
would have found it hard to get wife
to his liking among his neighbors al
Oakham. However, having resolved &c
marry again-there had been a Mrs.
Van Mott, who died years before-he
had sought out wealthy widow of 9
saving disposition, who lived on a small
farm some miles out of town, and, hav.
ing already disinherited her daughter
for espousing an estimable man of small
means, and turned her only son out OF
doors for equally prudent reasons, was
not likely to bring any troublesome gen
crosby into her household, and haC
offered himself TO her, and had been &C
cepted And now, though both then
economical souls revolted against it
custom decreed a wedding of some sort
and honeymoon trip somewhere, anC
they had decided to do it as cheaply a.
possible For this brief time Mr.. Val
Mott must leave his business and hi
house, and it was upon the eve of hi
departure that be held the above con
versation with his old servant standin;
with his portmanteau in his hand, an'
looking rather gravely.
4" Yes, yes" he said, 81 presume
is all safe enough. And III speak t
the night watchman, and give him dol
lar to take particular look at thi
house. Well, good-by, Maggie, max
things rs neat as possible, for if the.
look dirty my wife may think the fur
niture old, and want something ne1
for the parlor." And Mr. Van Mott de
parted.
" Yes, yes" said old Maggie, GO NJ
doubt she'll have fine, extravagant ways
Poor master What pity he shoul,
marry, after all--but old fools are tn,
worst fools. A young thing of eight ant
forty, too, when he has sensible ser
want, sixty last January, that know
what belongs to good housekeeping
If he wanted to marry why didn't h,
ask meP I'd not have gone gallivant
ing and spending. All, well, he'll suf
fer. not L. !" And Maggie trotted ava,
to begin her sweeping and busting.
She had said truly that there was n,
fear born with her, but as the nigh
drew on she began to feel somew5a
lonely. Her masters presence wa,
strangely missed out of the great honse
and there was something ghostly in tn
look of his empty chair when sb
peeped into the little back Office.
g II i was superstitious, she said {,