The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1876-06-02

Joke possible. With shouts Of laughter
they disentangled and picked US up.
But at sight of my face there was excla-
"Why, Queen Log, what is the mat
ter9 Are you hurt You are as pale as
sheet. You look as if you had seen
ghost. Don't stare so, Dolly. Do
speak. What is it2"
1 tried to speak, but, instead, burst
into tit of nervous crying. The girls,
frightened and perplexed, thronged
about me. In the midst of their rapid
questions an awe-struck voice was heard
saying: "Where are the spoons /
put them just here. / am sure 1 did.
And here is the very napkin they
were in"
Oh" sobbed, "those men took
them away"
"Men What menu"
Then it all came out, and the circle of
pale faces and wide-open eyes which at
tended my somewhat incoherent expla-
nation struck me as so funny that went
to the other extreme of feeling, and, be-
fore knew it, was laughing as hard as
Fad cried. And you lay still and
never moved" gasped Rosa. "How
bravei never could have done that.
should just have given one scream, and
then should have tainted away"
"That would have been truly jul
dicious," remarked Esther, dryly.
"But the question now is, What shall
we do 2"
"Do!" walled Rosa "why, get out
of these dreadful woods as fast as we
can, to be sure. Robbers and MUIR
derers 1 never heard anything so aw-
fui. Why did we Gomez Oh, how hor-
rid it is not to have any man to take care
of yous"
Her alarm infected the boldest of us,
and l regret to say our progress home
ward partoek of the nature of STAN
pede. Mrs. Pendexter, who was rolling
out ea-biscuit in the buttery, was taken
all aback by our sudden appearance.
"Sakes alive want to know! This
does beat all !" were her remarks during
our recital. "Such thing wasn't never
heard of in this country before. Ell
kins that's the squire. And the man
with the seventeen hundred dollars must
be young Mr.. bennett on the Brush Hill
road. He's sort of stranger, you
know. Mr.. Pendexter was a-saying that
he'd sold out all his hay at good price
to pay off his mortgage.
"Where is Mr.. Pendexter9" said
Esther, promptly. "He must go over
aud give this Mr.. bennett warning at
once"
cts, is, ts," clucked Mrs. Pendexter.
/" He's off in the medder lot, two miles
away, and SOS all the rest. There amt
a man about the place, Esther"
"There never is, put IN Rosa, des-
pairingly. 81 never saw anything like
it Oh, how horrid, horrid it must be
in the land of the Amazons can't
think why Joaquin Miller should write
poem about them"
How far is it to Mr.. Dement'S p
said Esther.
"It's good three miles, but straight
road all the way. Right through the
woods. You can't miss it."
Through the woods we all shivered
but Esther went on bravely.
every well. Amanda can harness
the old gray, can't shes Please tell her
to, and I'll drive over to Mr.. Dement'S.
Girls, which of you will go with mes"
Nobody answered.
Dolly"
"Yes," said, with sinking heart.
"In CO."
The girls wept and walled, but in vaip.
"Don't be silly" said Esther. "Oi
course somebody must CO."
"Wen, do admire your courage, u
said Mrs. Pendexter, "and there's this
about it; there amt no real danger.
They're always scared at daylight, y
speaking of the genus burglar as of o
wolf. "You won't see your men again,
Miss Dolly, L promise you. If / wasn't
sure of that, 1 wouldn't let you go no.
how"
Fortified with this, we set off, con.
cealing our inward tremors as best we
might. The. road seemed long, but al
last we came to a pretty brown cottage,
with little lawn, flower beds, and an
air of taste and refinement new to us In
that region. A handsome. sunburned
young man, who was cutting the grass
with q hand-mowing machine, came for
ward to meet us, and raised his straw
hat with the unmistakable air of gen.
tleman. Esther explained our errand.
MIR. bennett listening intently, never
taking his eyes off her face as she spoke.
CT am probably the person meant, y
he said. "Atleast have the sum alluded
to in my house to pay a debt which falls
due, next week. He paused, and
thought for a moment silently.
81 wonder you were not afraid to
drive over to this lonely place" he said,
smilingly.
eve were, little bit, perhaps" fal
tered 1.
"Yet yoa came. How very good Of
you You must let me drive you back. >
"Oh, pray don't leave your house un
guarded These men may come, you
know"
"Oh, there is no danger now. Fore
warned is ferearmed."
He called man, gave some orders
went into the house a moment, and We
were off. Dear me, how safe we felt all
at once The dark hooks had lost Their
terrors, and the return drive was delight.
full. Next day, Mr.. bennett came to
tell us that the thieves had been caught
red-handed, and were safely lodged il
the county Jail. He had recovered Mrs.
Pendexter's silver also; and altogether
there was so much to hear and to discuss
that nobody wondered at his coming yet