The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1874-01-02

tlveness SICK with heaftache Tor such
hardness"
Mrs. Crowell was seen to smile, but
said nothing.
SIS Miss Pobjoy saying something
amusing?" said lady just entering.
81 have never seen Miss Pobjoy
when she was not entertaining, Miss
Flint, answered the doctors wife. "In
fact, she's host in herself.
You're too good, DEAR" said Miss
Pobjoy, well pleased "Sarah Flint,
I'm glad to see you. Come right here
and tell me the news"
Miss Flint and Miss Pobjoy felt them
selves in their element when they were
together. 1t was an element dangerous
to the rest of the world, however de-
lightful to the two ladies who made it.
There's no special news, dear, F."
answered Miss Flint to the others ques-
ton, Except about John Washburn
and Silas Bangs. just met
Bangs at the postoffice. Got
a letter from my Silas, says she. He's
coming home. Be here most as soon as
the letter, he says-next Friday per-
haps, or Saturday. And then she told
me ever SO much about him and John
Washburn. Johns coming home with
him. They've been getting on splen-
didly in California. Silas Bangs says
Johns great favorite with his princi-
pal, and every one thinks John might
have his daughter for the asking. 1t
would bea thing good for him, wouldn't
it ?"
eyes, indeed She'd have all her
fathers money, ! supposed"
every cent"
"Well, I'm sure / wish them every
happiness"
"Of course you do, you dear, charita-
BILE thing"
81 thought" said the widow, she
used to be very attentive to that hard
hearted little Bessie Paige. But I'm
glad to hear that there was nothing in
it. He deserves better wife. How
little she is like her dear, lamented
father y
During this conversation Mrs. Crowell
had gone into the kitchen, from which
the now emerged, saying that the soup
was quite ready and the ticket-holders
waiting down stairs, and hadn't they
better come up at once?
"To be sure, to be sure" said Miss
Policy; " let the poor creatures come
up" and Mrs. Crowell went down to see
that they did come up, while Miss Pob-
Joy proceeded to ladle out soup with the
air of its being all her own beneficent
giving.
The next morning Bessie Paige, with
bright, happy face, stepped into the
village grocery, where Miss Pobioy was
doing a great deal of bargaining over a
small key of fish.
Good morning, Bessie. How well
you look, my dear %
.Thank you, Miss Pobjoy. You are
well, too, l hope ?"
" AS we'll as can be expected, dear.
Attend to your business first [ like to
take my time. Yes, really 1 insist.
Have you heard the news ?"
mo! What news ?"
"Why, that Silas Bangs and John
Washburn are coming home this
week. "
"Yes'm," said Bessie, diving into n
barrel of apples to hide her blushing
face.
They've been getting on splendidly
i'll California. Silas says Johns going
to marry his principals daughter.
Bessie popped her head out of the
barrel with nervous haste, but,
meeting Miss Pobjoy's eye, plunged in
again. "Oh !" she says from the depths
of the barrel. rs she pretty? / mean
who told you? Where did you hear
it ?"
"From Silas Bangs mother. Oh
there's no mistake. 1t will be a good
thing for him, won't it ?"
Excellent !" says Bessie, emerging
from the barrel with scared, white
face. These are very good apples,
Mr.. Ketchum. Send me five pounds of
them and a peck of butter, and "a
barrel of salt" And leaving Miss Pob-
Joy smiling and the grocer dumb with
street, and in blind sort of way found
the road toward home, and stalked like
a ghost into her little parlor. There
Jim found her, standing with her bon
net and shawl still on, when he came in
from school for his dinner.
Dinner ready, Bess 2"
Bessie started like one from sleep.
and said no, she hadn't cooked it, and
proceeded to set before the wondrous
boy lunch of brown bread and milk
and apples You shall have your
dinnerat supper time, she said.
But at supper time jim found that
she had put salt in the pudding and
sugar in the mutton-hash. She ate
herself, and didn't notice that
he ate neither meat nor pudding.
Jim studied his lessons sitting by the
stove as usual, while Bessie sat idle and
silent, with pale face and strangely
bright eyes, not .remarking the boys
troubled gaze as he paused often in his
lesson to try to read the mystery. She
kissed him when he babe her good
night, but as if unconsciously and
merely from habit.
Jim walked from a troubled dream
Just at daybreak, and heard some one
creeping up stairs, and then the door
of Bessie's room shut. He wondered
if she had not been to bed all night.
At breakfast her cheeks had hectic
glow, and her eyes were supernaturally
bright. She talked fast and excitedly,
and loaded Jim's plate with good things,
telling him that he must be starved, as
he had eaten no dinner the day before,
seeming to forget that she had made
supper dinner.