The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1875-03-26

I II
OF events TO come. Then she took Allce's
hand and pressed it against her lore
head, and began to wink and roll up her
great hollow eyes in an awful manner.
IL was real scarey, Aunt Laetie. by
and bv she bobbed her head about and
mumbled something, and, still with her
ewes rolled back and half shut, she began
looking into the globe of magnetized
water. Then presently she opened her
ghostly-looking lips, and IN n sort OF
sing-song said to Alice My child, L
see pictures of your future spread out
here and there before my inward eyes
like moving panorama. / see lovers (;
YOU will have plenty of lovers, but see
no picture of wedding. Strange
There is no wedding ring i'll the circle
mt the bottom of the globe. How is this,
my child? / see one dim picture, long
way off III the future, it must be, because
it is so dim, and in it you stand up sur
rounded by people-ah! let me see, they
are children around you, and you are
greatly changed, taller, paler, thinner,
but there is no wedding. The water is
not clear to-day; you must come again.
Mercy! what is this Here is n great
crowd; they are making noise, and look
ing at two men-young lady, the two
men are fighting, and heavens the water
turns red it is blood, blood But L see
no wedding, no wedding. l see blood,
! but no wedding
"She looked so weird and dreadful
Aunt Laet, that / was afraid to have her
| tell my fortune after that. She told us
to come again when the water was clearer;
and then we came away, and Alice has
been cross since. But Tn sure |
wouldn't go back again for anything.
Whereupon and finally Aunt Laet had
her laugh. "What did tell you, Alice!
Didn't say You were TO be an old maid !
It was foreordained by the fates. Only,
Alice, let me request one thing of you,
yea, two things, come to think. Don't
you ever go to petting cats, or dyeing
your hair with vile-smelling sulphurous
stuff, when white hairs begin to sneak
i'll around your temples. III never will
you my teapot OF eyeglasses If you do
| that"
Aunt Laetitia, who liked to tease peo-
pie, laughed again.
1t was the season of peaches and mel
ons, the roasting season when idle people
hunt cool places, and devout people hold
camp-meetings. Alice went to camp
meeting with her father, mother and
Aunt Laetitia. Is there anybody here, 1
wonder, who doesn't know what a camp
meeting is? If there is, let her go to
the next one, and find ont for herself
Father and mother sat among the wOr
shippers, close to the preachers platform
Aunt Laet sat halfway back III the con-
gregation, like one who was doubtful in
her mind, as yet, whether to separate
herself from the world or not; while gid
dy-pated Alice didn't pretend to sit
among the congregation ut all, but how
cred away back on the extreme borders,
where the preachers voice could scarcely
be heard at all. Their position IN the
camp-meeting audience was an exact ba-
rometer of the devotional states of these
excellent people, namely, father and
mother, Aunt Laetitia, Alice. In point
of fact, the young paople on the outer
most borders of that devout assembly
were flirting with all their might. Ii
you've never been TO camp-mecting, |
don't mind telling you that is what
young people mostly go to camp-meet-
ing for. Alice Esmeralda Kildare was
flirting with Tom Creighton. Her be-
trothed, the slim, long haired student,
was coming home tomorrow.
"When the cats away the mice will
play, and the mouse will play till the
very last minute before the cat comes"
Alice had remarked to herself as she adj
mired her bright brunette face III the
glass that morning.
SO she sat upon one of the rude wooden
benches under tree and let Tom Creigh-
ton talk nonsense i'll half whispers to her.
Was all this wicked, of Sunday, at
camp meeting, Yes, certainly it was;
but two-thirds of the young people about
them were behaving in the same wicked
manner Suddenly Tom Creighton's
soft, lazy voice ceased, and Alice looked
up presently to see why. She could
hardly keep down a cry as she saw APP
preaching them her own betrothed, the
slim, handsome student who had been
gone year. Somehow she felt dread
fully guilty as she caught his bright,
gray eyes. 1t was such fun TO tiirt, but
dear me
The slim student passed her with a
cold bow. His mother was ON his arm,
and he led her TO seat up among the
devout people around the preachers
platform. Alice's heart beat little
queerly, and Tom Creighton watched her
keenlv. 1t wasn't pleasant, and Alice
hated unpleasant things. Suddenly her
betrothed came back toward them. He
had seated his mother and left her. He
touched his hat TO Alice.
u beg pardon, Miss kildare, but /
wish to ask You something, i'll presence
of this person. ] may not have the OPP
portunity again. l may not see you again
soon, indeed"
He took paper from his pocket and
unfolded it.
Read that, if you please" said the
slim student to Miss Alice, who by this
time was beginning to be conscious of
powerful inclination to run away. The
paper contained an exact copy of the
slanderous statements which Alice had
allowed Tom Creighton to repeat to her
concerning her betrothed.
81 only wish to know" said the slim
student, with simple dignity, "whether
you allowed this person to tell you the
stuff that is on that paperl"
Alice did not answer She wanted
worse than ever to run away, but to save