The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1874-11-13

dispose of the victuals she was so fond
OF cooking, and could eat 80 little OF
herself. SO that suggestion set her to
work at once.
At sight of the table being spread,
Nettie locked dismayed and ran to the
window. The snow was falling furi-
ously now, and the horse and sleigh
was gone
Mamie began to cry, but the deacon
drew up two fluffy cushioned rockers
before the fire, lifted the two children
into them, and then brought them each
a mug CT milk and caraway cooky.
Then he nodded and smiled, and
pointed to the table, and fourished his
arms again as If he were in the middle
of swarm of bees. The children both
laughed at his signs.
can make signs 10 'em, you see, F"
he said with an air of importance,
though the signs he made were never
in use among any deaf and dumb peo-
pie that ever heard Of The children
understood his kindly face, however, as
well as the mugs of milk and caraway
cookies. So they sat contentedly before
the fire, biting their cookies, and SPELL
ing with their fingers the notices,
"For a good girl, and "To my daugh-
ter" on the pink and blue mugs.
Those mugs had been set away for
thirty years, and mother Pettingill
sighed softly and wiped away tear, as
she got them down from the top shelf of
the corner cupboard, for her two little
guests.
1 will not say that Nettie felt quite
happy a twinge of conscience at the
thought of the lost horse, and of Mr..
Gilbert, the principal of the institution,
kept her from feeling just right; but L
cannot think the petted child, accus-
toned q. home to have her own way
almost entirely, had as clear a sense of
the wrong in the case as an ordinary
child of eleven would have.
Then, the dinner was splendid, and
mother Pettingill looked so happy, and
piled their plates so full, and the dea-
con cut such big slices of turkey for
them, and laughed and made such
amazing signs, that they couldn't help
laughing and having good time, to
save their lives. They knew he didn't
make single sign right, and that was
why they laughed.
But the deacon not understanding
that it had to be any particular motion
of the hands, or that they really had a
language of the hands at all, thought
he was entertaining them in the most
appropriate manner.
Don't, father, don't throw your
hands up so silly" said mother Pet
tingill.
"That's the way to talk to 'em, moth
err" making his hands fly wildly into
the air.
"But you look as if you'd lost your
Senses" said his wife.
However, as Nettie and Mamie laugh
ed and ate heartily, and seemed to en-
Joy it ali, she let father make a fool
of himself to his hearts content.
When Miss Peabody marshaled the
girls in the study hall, ready for dinner,
the places of the two little runaways
were empty. A messenger was sent to
the dormitories to look them up, who,
being rather hungry, did not make q
very thorough search. When Mr.. Gill
bert was notified, he only laughingly
said:
go, let them alone, they will get in
soon enough, never fear, and then he
fell to carving turkey, and everybody
else fell to eating it, and the little alb
sentees were forgotten.
When just before dark, Deacon Pet
tingill set them down in the large front
hall of the institution with kiss apiece
aid big bundle of doughnuts and car
away cookies, they ran slyly up stairs
and hid the bundle under their pillows
Coming into the study hall, the girls
buzzed around them. They were sum
moned to Miss Peabody, who, however
was so deeply interested in the book
she was reading, that she did not take
proper notice of the offenders.
You cannot have any dinner at all,
she said in signs, for not being il
your places.
Nettie and Mamie hung their heads
and csc aped to retired spot behind tn,
door to have good laugh. They wer
"full to the throat" as the deaf ant
dumb express it what lucky punish
ment to tell them they could not hav,
any dinner And I'll en- hadn't they
big bundle of cookies and doughnuts
Deacon Pettingill had driven home i'm
mediately, as heavy snow was falling
and no one had seen him. Nobod,
found the girls out, and the doughnut
and cookies didn't dry up.
The following is copy of the lette
which Nettie wrote home few day
after Thanksgiving. 1t is a true copy
and she composed every word of it hei
self you Will see that she never said
word about her ride, but she told he
, mother the whole story the next vaca
? ton.
/ Nettie's letter:
DEAR MAMMA: We had thanks be uut
G d. turkey. and mince pie, and many othe
kinds of fruit, last Thursday. i love m
father and mother. There ara three huudre
: pupils in this institution. IT'S boys, 1875 girl
: All the pu liz are well, but some are sick
I Your loving dsugh'er, NETTIE.
/ Little Corporal
A prOspprOus Texan