The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1875-07-09

y
you. You'll see she's wrapped up, won't
you, Mr.. Alsop2 It's such comfort
that You are there to take care of her.
"Are you warm enoughl' asked
James, in formal voice.
"'Yes, indeed;' and 1 showed him
that my wrap was lined with fur.
"'That is we'll, he said there is
always draught in a shaft like this.
Well-of course nobody could keep
on being stiff under such circumstances
we got to dinner. The dinner party
arrived. One by one they came to the
glazed door to look down and pity us,
and what, between sympathy and the iu-
dicrous nature of our fix, they laughed
and we laughed, till we were in the mer-
riest moods. All this time, confused
sounds of scrapiDg and saving came
from below, but we remained immov-
able
"Do go to dinner, 1 called ont.
I'VE don't care for soup do we, Mr..
Alsor9 We will come in for the fish,
" Neither of us eats SOUP echoed
James. Pray begin without us, Mrs.
Peyton. Well make our appearance
when you get something we like.
lutIt were I'LL SUI VI DOlllt
of course, but at last they went away
and left us tete-a-tete.
"'This is absurd enough, said James.
GO Yes, / said; but, after all, it might
be worse. 1t is only to forget that we
can't get out. Let's make believe, as
the children say, that we are at party,
and that this is cozy little boudoir into
which we have come on purpose to rest
and entertain each other, and it will be
quite nice.
"' had no idea you were such phi
losopher,' said James. | could see that
he was smiling behind his mustache. "A
boudoir be it, by all means, and we will
entertain each other.
"We did What we talked about /
couldn't pretend to say-everything in
heaven and earth, L think-poetry,
science, religion, gossip. James says it
was the pleasantest evening he ever
spent. He says / never looked so pretty
in all my life.
+" Every little while somebody would
leave the table to condole with us, and
report how far the dinner had progressed.
L began to grow hungry, and James be-
came ravenous.
GO / say he called out to Mrs. Pey-
ton. If some sandwiches were cut long
and narrow, and judiciously lowered, l
think we could entice them in through
this network.
"I think we did look like chickens in
a coop. Never was anything so absurd
seen as Mr.. Peyton and Mr. Dalrymple
dangling morsels of bread and butter
and chicken tied to long strings toward
us, and James spearing them with the
hook of his umbrella. They sent down
fried oysters, one by one, wrapped in
paper. They sent down macaroons and
lady biscuit. They even attempted
champagne in a cologne bottle but that
upset and rained down on my dress.
"' What PITY cried James, spong
ing me with his handkerchief. Your
gown is ruined, / fear.
&c Champagne improves everything,
/ said laughing it off. ] really didn't
care. What, with the singularjty of our
adventure, and all the fun we had made,
I was quite enjoying myself, and the
gown seemed of no consequence.
"All this time | was lost in wonder
that he should be so agreeable. / can't
tell you, Ernest, how nice he was that
night. All his scholarly stiffness faded
away he was easy, merry, friendly, and
oh, so kind ! found myself talking to
him about all sorts of trifes, which the
day before | should as soon have thought
of confiding to the observatory. even
told him what l was to wear TO the char
ity ball Think of that
at was 10 o'clock before the elevator
stirred. Then it gave a jerk, and before
we could speak, down, down it fell with
dreadful, smashing rapidity. The
stupid people, III trying to mend mat
ters, had let the chain slip off the wheel
Oh !"-drawing long BREATH 1t
makes me shudder now to think of it.
The sensation was sickening."
"Were you hurt z"
mo; never was such miraculous es-
cape. Do you know, in the very middle
of our descent / recollected having read
somewhere that to rise on your tiptoes
and come down again on the soles of
your feet at the moment of touching
would break such fall. And rose on
mine"
Wonderful And were you really not
hurt 2"
Hardly ut all. / was Jared and
bruised little, and James good deal
more, for hadn't time to tell him about
the tiptoes, and he was intent on holding
me firm. Our friends from above rushed
down, expecting to find us in little pieces
and were beside themselves with Joy
when we were drawn out almost un-
harmed. We all vowed that we should
never venture again into an elevator, but,
bless you, we have all broken the VOW
since. Such house as this would be
uninhabitable without one."
I" / really don't think L SHALL, said
Ernestine, looking quite pale "It ter
rifles me to remember that only to-day !
came up in this of yours. "
"Oh, ours is the safest in the city,
now. You know the superstition about
the cannon ball never entering twice in
one place. We have had our accident
and IL is over.
$50 then and there your romance be-
gan Z" remarked her friend.
"Then and there. OF course James
came to see me afterward, and kept
coming, and / had quite got over being
! -. I'll 4