The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1874-07-10
A BASHFUL MANS WOOING.

Tickets y ierked the shrill voice of
the conductor as he opened the car
door and flashed the binding, winking
glare of his bUll's-eye lantern into the
faces oftired travellers from whose eyes
the crimson and gold of Il glorious sun
set had just faded. Ticket. sir p
and the brisk official iostled the shout
der OF Il brOad-chested, travel-brOnzed
man.
There it is in my hat, man. What
In the dickens is the use of stirring a
fellow up that way every ten minutes ?
| say, conductor, how soon do we reach
Albany"
&" We are due there in an hour and a
quarter-three minutes behind time at
the last station, sir D."
On went the conductor through the
car, and George Seabright Strengthened
himself nj in his seat, gave an elephan-
tine yawn, and smiled rs he thought of
the dear home faces he was fastening
to greet.
" Conductor = Vbeezed an asthmatic
old lady IN pokeSonnet, sliimp bonn
bazine gown, blue homespun stockings
and leather-faced buskins-" conduct
or / nope there amt nothin' wrong
about that young man over there. He
acts dreadful queer like, an I'm an on
perfected female Ithout noth1n' to de-
fend M self with but that ambriller, and
the handle Of that is broke -
81 guess he's ali right, ma'am, 4,
laughed the man of tickets as he pass
out OF che car, slamming the door shut
after him.
The old lady brilled in righteous in
diguation. she had not travelled all
the way from Podunk to be laughed at
for asking a civil question, and how was
the lie '5ed old innocent to know that,
instead of being an escaped lunatic,
George Seabrght was rubbing his
hands together and indulging III va
riety of facial contortions byway of dem
,onstrating his gIeeful anticipation of
the glad surprise he was carrying to the
home nest after a three years flight in
foreign lands
His impotence increased with every
mile that lessened the distance between
him and his. Speed on, o, belching
monster horse pant tiny way through
nesting villages where crOcuses and
yellow-eyed pansies sprinkle all the
garden5 with May-time bloom fly be-
tween parting grassy banks where vio-
lets nod in modest sweetness. larry
not where bidding apple orchards fling
q thousand wind-bOrue scents TO greet
you, nor where nelted shades allure
with piney doors. Pause not where
Gods acres point with white and spec
trail finger heavenward-not where
willow-fringed brooks babble coaxingly,
nor where Che Hudson reflects a million
stars mp from It's blue, cool bosom as
witchuIg aud bright as CiIcean eyes.
How every stride of the giant Steam
spans the distance between the WANDER
er and home now every throb of the
mighty pulse stirs the hot blood of irs-
patience in the heart But what if
there should be broken rail ahead ;
what If treacherous quicksand should
await their passage, and eternity should
set It's awful seal upon lips now culver
ing with words of loving greeting, and
shut out forever the sight OF longed-for
faces from eyes now quick with eager
ness Only quarter of an hour dis
tant from his native city, vet what
might not happen? We know how the
heart OF his mother would shiyer and
break should death strike their ont
stretched hands asunder but would
Kate-wee, winsome Kate Keryan-
would she mourn him? How like n
CLEAN of sunshine she frightened ali
his thoughts He could see her sbv