The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1874-01-09

the purpose of breaking it to him as
gently as / could. 1 knew Solomon
felt this sort of thing as sharply as
felt razor scratch in shaving, so put
it that way, that hoped so, but could
not say that / was quite sure.
"I'm sorry you are not sure, Jacob"
said he; 81 should like very much to
see you at church tonight. 1 don't
feel very well to-day, SO will you come
in now and stay the afternoon with
me ?"
81 wish could, SOL" said as jaun-
tily as possible, "but the fact is, I've
promised an old friend ut Luckheaton"
Luckheaton lay in the direction exactly
opposite to Blagly) "tO go over and
have a quiet chat with him. He is not
able to go about much himself"
1 suppose Solomon was shaking
hands in his ordinary manner, but his
long fingers seemed to me to have
tied themselves about mine to hold me
back.
| /" You want new umbrella, Sol, J" re-
marked 1, neatly preparing the way for
the gift had in store for him; and, as
L thought, turning the conversation
with consummate tact.
"Do II" asked Solomon, looking
down upon the machine as if he had
never seen it before in his life. "We
both of us want good many new
things, Jacob new habits, new aims,
| new"
"Ah yes, indeed we do, sighed I,
cheerfully, as L felt the grip of his
fingers relaxing "You're looking all
right, I'm glad to see. Don't go and
fancy yourself ailing, Sol; it's woman
ish trick, and not at all like YOU"
"No, am not fanciful," he said,
tucking his book tenderly under his long
arm. Goodbye, then, Jacob; l shall
see you again some time tonight,
shall l ?"
Awkward, that query at the end, but
| nodded yes to him just as if 1 had
known. Let me see-where was
L? Well, Solomon and L parted very
good friends. He looked back at me
with smile as 1 waited; and afterward
/ looked back at him-with smile, too,
for at the moment / turned, branch
of his old pear tree caught his hat
(Which he always wore at the back of
his head and kept it and he walked on
to the parsonage door without an idea
that his head was bare. L hurried on
cheerfully then, feeling pretty sure L
was safe. Solomon would be in his
stn1y all the afternoon, and in his pull
pit most of the evening. Then he would
drink his cup of strong tea, and sleep
the sleep of parson till morning, with
his lattice window wide open, and
square of the night sky exactly before
his eyes.
My sleep is calm" he used to say,
I" if my last look has been on heaven.
And calm, / believe, it always was,
though his bed was narrow and short,
and he-though narrow, too-was long.
Sol never could be induced to spend on
himself any money which he could spare
to give away, and so he persisted i'll
using still the bed he had had as boy.
AS for mine, had been glad enough to
discard it for a better
Well, we had rare sport on that Sun
day afternoon, and our bird came off the
winner, though the Squire's was as
plucky little cock as ever got beaten.
There he lay when the tussle was over,
with his comb up and his mouth little
open, as if he was only taking in breath
for fresh attack ; yet as dead as if he
were roasted with stuffing.
10 gave us a supper after the fight !;
then we dispatched bottle of port
apiece over settling our bets; then we
gave our minds to pleasure, and enjoyed
a good brew of JOS punch and the
Squire, though he had been beaten, was
one of the cheerfulest of us all.
As it was Sunday, we determined to
separate in good time; so when it got
toward II, we set out, while 10 stood in
his lighted doorway shouting hearty
good nights after us. l had waited to
make an appointment with him for the
next day, that we might conclude the
bargain for the colt, SO i was little be-
hind the others in starting.
Take care of yourself" called 10;
"you have the most money and the
furtherest to go. Mind the notes.
bers that we may be safe. Tell the Squire
so, if he waylays you in the dark"
This was JOS parting joke, and when
L answered it ! gave a kindly touch to
the pocket-book in my breast pocket !;
and the Squire, who heard us, called out
that he daren't try tonight as there was
a moon behind the clouds.
| was riding favorite little mare,
who knew every step of the way between
my own stables and JOS, so / just rode
peaceably on in the dark, recalling the
flavor of JOS whisky, and singing over
one of the verses of a song the Squire
had given us
With five pounds your standing wages,
You shall dainty be fed
Bacon, beans salt beef, cabb-dges,
Buttermilk and barley bread.
Suddenly the mare made deliberate
stop, and reused me from my melodious
dreaminess. Certainly at the end of
this lane a gate opened on the heath,
but then she understood quite well that
she had only to lift and push this gate,
and she had never before reused me
here when j had been riding sleepily
home from Blagly.
Steady, my girl Why, what is
it ?" cried /, for she was shying back in
the lane, and behaving in every way like
a lunatic. | gave her such cut as she
had not felt since she was broken in !;
and then, without a word of warning,
she reared entirely upright I; took me at
disadvantage, and sent me sprawling
into the ditch then turned and gal
lopel toward Blagly without me.