The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1876-09-29

4
understand that I wished TO be Gus
tomer-to send me a pair of boots
worthy of the occasion.
"They shall be of the right sort, he
declared, over and over again. vi tne
right sort, at IL, they should be at my
house punctually.
| Snow, if he had been man OF MS
word, I mght have been enabled TO en-
dure the word punctual to-day but he
was not. The train would leave at LILO.
Twelve came, but no boots half-past,
vet still thew came not. It would take
quarter of an hour to reach the station
and as said to Susan twenty times that
".I wouldn't have missed that train
| for the world
WBoots or no boots, off l go, said l
at last. III the train stops long enough
at Lewes, 1 will buy pair there Il
was living at Hastings. If not, tell
Lionel about the shoemaker disappoint-
ing me. 1t will be line for him, and
put him in good humor to begin with.
"Another minute Ishould have started
with my old boots polished like glass;
but was stopped by the arrival of a
dirty child with the new pair.
"I put one on in twinkling-it fitted
admirably; then, giving the child my
old ones to take home to be repaired,
stopped to put the other on, saying gaily
"Now, then, on you go, and off go /.
"Oh, confusion BY all that is per-
verse-how stupid Why, how's this
Why, it's not the fellow one, but mile
too small.
81 dragged at it till the loops cracked
again, and the perspiration ran off my
face like rain.
"Run after that young imp of a
girl9' shouted. 'Get my old boots
back. Stupid why do you stand there
wouldn't miss this train for the world =
Why did you send the old ones till
you had tried the new2' retorted Susan,
sharply. Il think you are the stupid
"She was right. But when 1 went
hopping off after the child, she was soft.
ened in a moment, and darted to the
door. Whether the quick startling tears
blinded her, or how it happened, know
not; but the young hussy, as she called
her in her vexation, could not be found.
You are tired, 1 see," said Mr..
Siskin, as yawned YEARLY, and tried to
smile; "but the jokes in the sequel, and
l have nearly done. 1na
"I raved and fumed as / stood with
one boot on, and the fragments of the
other in my hand. The right was right
enough, but what was left of the left
was 10 larger than a child's boot; moth
ing short of hydraulic pressure could
have got my foot into it.
"Nothing in the shape of boots had I
in the house, but some old carpet slip
pers. 1t was raining, too; but in des-
peration L put one of the slippers on,
and started. Will the shade of Hood
pardon me if l say, altering his lines
shade
"'wth breathless haste, like soul in chase,
slipped it on and RAMP
and caught the train, to my great sur
prise and JOY. f
"There was handsome, sunburnt
fellow in the carriage, a perfect gentle.
man-capital, good-natured fellow he
was, too-entered into conversation at
once, and seemed 30 wonderfully inter
ested in my story of the strangely
so, almost. He asked as many questions
about my relative as if he had been an
old friend.
"Lewes is 10 60, he said; train
stops two minutes only, so that's
stumper.'
"Then he talked a little; and yet, as
/ looked at him, I noticed he was alb
stracted."
"'Mnd seemed other where,'s
1 murmured.
Eyacflv Ant Vow, o,>t
And he grinned horribly.
My newly-found FRIEND" he contin-
ued, "offered most kindly to help me
out of my difficulty-he did not know
Brighton very well, but having listened
to the description of the position of
Lionel's house, he decided 1 should have
a quarter of an hour at least to spare.
:" will take the pattern boot, and |
match it in no time at the first boot
shop; yau can wait at the station. 1 will |
not keep you lons.'
6 He was as good as his word when |
we reached Brighton. sat in the wait
ing-room, while, with the pattern boot
in hand, he hurried off on his generous |
mission. 1t was a ridiculous predica-
ment to be left there with one slipper on
and dependant on the word of stranger.
L shall never forget that time-the long |
est quarter of an hour ever remember. |
AT last the conviction flashed on me that
the time was gone. ran out of the
room on to the platform to see the clock.
Oh, horror the time was past by sew
eral minutes.
An astonished porter stopped, and
asked me what was up?
The time is Z answered sharply.
"Then more politely told enough of
my story to enlist his sympathy, which
took an emiuently practical form.
Take a cab at once, he said.
And giving me lift ON his back, /
was in another minute rafting down
Queens road like mad.
bolt, not to have thought of this
before. What will Susan say2 She will
never forgive me for being such an un
mitigated noodle 81
When my Jehu had Numbered with
the knocker notwithstanding to
his notions of propriety, which were pc
culiar the door of my dear relations
house was thrown open by my late trav-
cling companion, who, bowing in the
Dlandest manner, said