The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1875-10-01

package III her lap. At his sudden en-
trance she started and hid the package
in her pocket, blushing so violently that
at any other time he would have noticed
and wondered at it.
But now his mind was full of his own
troubles, and he had no leisure to notice
trifles.
He went straight up to his wife and
took both her hands.
Margaret" said he, 81 am ruined
man. This panic"
And then he broke down and burst
into tears. He fell upon his knees beside
her chair.
"Oh, Margaret" he sobbed, q
thought / could give you pleasant
home And now we shall be beggars !"
Margaret put her arms around him,
drawing his face down upon her breast
When he was calmer, she kissed him
and asked him TO sit down beside her
and tell her ALL
She listened mutely.
"And if the panic ends, and these
country customers pay all that they owe
you, can you go ON, Harry 2" she asked.
Eyes ; that is, L need not close the
shop or go through bankruptcy. But
then, the panic may not end / see no
signs of it at present.
"Panics always do end, said Mar
garet, hopefully.
But in the meantime, Margaret, what
are we to do! All the bills for six months
past have come pouring i'll upon me, and
cannot meet them. And Saddler wants
the mortgage money on this house. He
has dunned me for it all the time since it
fell due, and lately he has threatened to
foreclose. Now he says he will do it.
We shall lose our home, and other peo-
pie will suffer because l cannot pay these
bills. 1 have strained every nerve to do
it, but it is all in vain. | wish ] was
dead and out of the worry of it all. y
fully. "Do you want to die and leave
me Z"
"Thcy would not worry you for the
money, my darling, rs they do me. And
yet | cannot blame them," said he. sigh
ing. "They want their money, and I
feel like thief rs long as / withhold it
from them. Margaret, | see my mistake
now" he added, enerPetically. "Credit
has been my bane. If | was beginning
life again, | would buy nothing that /
could not pay for at the moment and
before / would live in mortgaged house
/ would build log hut for myself at the
foot of tree ! But there 1t is too
late to talk like that" heconcluded, bury
ing his face in his hands.
"No, dear 1t is not too late Ii is
never too late to try and do better % said
Margaret, wiping the tears from her own
A houo o1t Ia1
debt, as you know, and | am glad to hear
you say that You have grown afraid of it
too. Oh my dear, dear husband, take
this. Pay all that we owe-pay off the
mortgage on the house-and then we will
live on bread and water, if needs be, till
the better days come round again.
"This was purplemorocco pocket
book, well-filled, which she thrust into
his hands, laughing and weeping at the
same moment, in her Joy.
"Open it-openit, Harry" she sobbed.
1t is all yours. have saved it for
you"
He opened it. 1t was full of bank
notes-tens, twenties, fifties and two one
hundred dollar notes nesting in COM
partment by themselves. Fifteen hun
dred dollars in all
"Where in the world did all this
money come from!" he asked with an
astonished look
Margaret wiped away her tears and
kissed him.
Isn't it delightful, dear!''
"But is it yours, Margaret 2"
1t was. 1t is yours, now, Harry -
"But where did you get it 2" he PEI
sisted.
CT have not been out on the high
way to rob people, and l have not COM
mitted burglary laughed Margaret,
whose good spirits began to come back.
"Come mp stairs, Harry, and you shall
see the good Fairy that earned it"
He followed her, with bewildered
look, up into n pretty back chamber, fur
nished with chairs, tables and stove.
Near one of the windows stood some
thing covered over with a cloth. Mar
garet drew the cloth aside. 1t was a
sewing machine.
Ever since L knew about the mort
gage on the house have used this, she
said, looking at him with her ewes full
of love. 81 had all the work / could
possibly do in your absence, and 1 was
well pau lOr lt' Anu WHel OHcle JOIn
came to see us this spring he gave the
two hundred dollar bills for birthday
present. am so glad if the money can
help you in your troubles, Harry"
Z" Help me 1t will save me !" said
her husband, clasping her to his heart.
"Oh, Margaret, 1 will repay you for
your gift thousand fold when once the
good times come back again. This will
pay off the mortgage, and settle bills,
and pay our way through the year, if we
are careful. Oh, Margaret, what
treasure you are ~
"And we will ask no more credit"
she whispered, with her lips close to his
ear.
Not bit, my love-so help me God.
say it reverently, my wife.
And he kept his vow.