The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1876-06-16
Nettie,s Centennial Club.

Nettie Burnham was taken suddenly
with bright thought, and of course it
Immediately became absolutely neces-
sary that she should run across the
street and impart the same to her bosom
friend, May Fleming, for Nettie isn't
bit selfish and always shares everything,
even to her last stick of candy, with her
little playmate. She found May in the
kitchen very busily engaged in teaching
her Oldest doll, Samantha, the art of
bread-making but when Nettie burst
in like young hurricane with the
startling proposition, "Oh, May, let's
be q club z" the embryo housekeeper
suspended her engraving occupation
and stood regarding the new arrival
with round-eyed establishment, which
quickly subsidized, however, when Nettie
added, GA 'tennial club, mean.
ooh !" said May, suddenly enlight-
ened, and leaving her lump of dough on
the corner of the table, she proceeded to
wash the flour from her rosy face and
fat little hands, that she might be able
to give undivided attention to the I'M
folding of the new plan.
Now Nettie's two grown-up sisters
were members of Centennial club,
which had lately been organized by the
young people of the village, and when
Nettie herself had proposed to join the
club her Indignation had been consider
ably aroused by the information that she
was hardly old enough, but would have
to wait until the next Centennial.
"'Tis mt likely I'll live 80 long, and
I'd like to know how old anybody's got
to be to learn about William Tell, and
George Washington, and the Swiss
Family Robinson, and Pocahontas,
scornfully remarked the young lady; but
her busy brain was fertile in devices,
and never succumbed to any amount of
snubbing, so it very soon conceived the
scheme she had just announced with
such eagerness.
"But we're only two; it takes more
than two for n club" doubtfully re-
marked practical little May, after hav
ing gravely reflected upon the matter
for moment.
"Oh, you can bring Samantha, and
I'll take my Gloriaua; they're both old
enough to begin to learn something.
And then there's Auntie; she'll be Pres
ident, guess. You know clubs always
has presidents to tell 'em things, and
she'll make frst-rate one, cause she
knows lots of nice stories; and then We'll
want to meet In her room, too. You
come over this afternoon and We'll
meet"
"Well, I'll ask mamma, but Tn sure
she'll let me, replied May, confidently.
Just then Nancy, the girl, coming in
to the kitchen, was greeted with the as
tonishing intelligence, ooh, Nancy
were going to be- a 'Tennial Club"
"You be- Well, 1 should think so
you look hike it, reioined Nancy, with
a contemptuous sniff. CT hope ful
land sakes you'll keep out o. my sight
then, fur I'm sick to death of the hui
thing. It's nothing but Centennia
this, an! Centennial that; I'm Thankful
enough for my part that I'll never have
10 live through another such time"
The fact was that Nancy had par
ticular private reason for her disgust tina
morning. Only the evening before hel
"young man" had presented her with
dress pattern of Centennial calico, at TIN
same time accompanying his gift will
the remark, "There's about the neates
thing / ever laid eyes on" 1t was, mos
certainly, striking affair, having tn
figures 1776 and 1876 in red and blu
skillfully combined in gorgeous plai
upon white ground, producing alto
gether dazzling effect. But Nancy ha
no idea OF sacrificing taste on the alta
of patriotism, therefore the unfortunat
present was buried in the deepest depth
of her trunk, with little prospect of
speedy resurrection. She had, NOR,
over, felt constrained to feign consider
able pleasure in accepting poor John
Offering, in order to avoid hurting h
feelings thing she would not do fC
the woodland az "making believe
never did agree with Nancy's constit'
ton, the unwonted effort had left her d
cidedly out Of sorts.
Not whit disconnected by Nancy