The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1876-11-24

posed to make tile excursion family
reunion Mt the old mansion-Mrs. Mid
dleton, her daughter and himself to
constitute the family. He therefore
suggested Thanksgiving day-he was
devoutly thankful man whenever he
thought of Miss Middleton-as proper
occasion for the reunion, and this was
what produced the rupture
"We don't keep. Thanksgiving at the
South" replied Miss Middleton, when
no had explained his plan to her:
"True." he answered, 81 had Tor
gotten that but it will be good time
to begin. The custom OF observing TINS
feast has outgrown New England and
become national now.
"Yes, in your nation, but not in
NINE"
His gray eyes looked inquiringly into
| her black ones.
"I had never thought of geography
in connection with you, Ruth" he said.
Then. after a pause, he resumed
"If You cannot go to Middleton Hall
in honor of Thanksgiving, Ruth, who
knows but that you may hereafter keep
Thanksgiving in memory OF our trip to
Middleton Hall? That will be pleas
ant reversal of nay plan. Besides, l
think you will like after while to join
in the beautiful custom of keeping this
harvest feast. Our sterile New England
should not be allowed to Guido this
fruitful Southern land nssthe giving of
thanks to bountiful Providence.
One can never say with certainty what
woman will or will not think III any
given case, else 1 should say that under
ordinary circumstances Miss Middleton
would have taken no offense at Mr..
Breese's sensible speech. The circum-
stances were by no means ordinary ones
in this Csc, however, and Mr., Breese
ought to have known it, although, as L
said before, there was no way In which
he possibly could have found out the
facts that made the ground he was tread
ing on unsafe. He felt as if he had
been struck in the face, therefore, when
her black eyes flashed again as she said:
"What have we to be thankful for,
either to Providence or to you Yankees,
that we should join in keeping your
Puritan feastsl We have been reduced
to beggary, and your Thanksgiving day
is the one appointed for the sale OF Mid
dleton Hall by the Sheriff.
Mr.. Breese was quiet, almost a
phlegmatic person, in whose character
patience was the most strongly-marked
| feature. He was a man, how
ever, and logical, wherefore he fell
into the error of supposing that to
win pardon for his slip it was only
necessary to plead the ignorance which
had caused 1t.
=" I really beg your pardon. Ruth, !"
he began. eff had known word of
this, -"
"But you ought to have known of it,"
she exclaimed, and it was at this point
that she stamped her foot.
"How could II" he pleaded.
"Don't let us quarrel" replied the
young gentlewoman, "and that me may
not we had better say good-by."
"But, my dear Miss Middleton"
"There, it's of no use to argue the
point. Ny mind is quite made up. We
ought to have known from the first that
we should never get on together. We
shall never be able to agree, and it is
better that all should now end between
u.s.
And with that the young woman swept
past him and into the house.
Fred. Breese was resolute fellow. and
before he had fairly Quilted the place he
had determined his course for the fu.
ture. Hiring a horse at a stable in the
village, he rode away toward the railway,
and was heard of no more In the neigh
! borhood.
Ruth is right" he wrote to his Sis
ter the next night. "My cold, gray
eyed nature would never fully compre-
bend her black-eyed one, and it is bet.
ter that we should part now but it is
sore sorrow, and, if had no great pur-
pose in life, fear it would work me i'll.
As it is, l shall be too busy and too
much absorbed in my own LIES work to
gIieve ovepmuch.
Miss Middleton saw that she must be-
stir herself to keep the wolf from the
door. IN sending away her lover she
had sent away her mothers only boarder,
and 1t became her to DO something by
way of compensation. But what could
she do? She might teach, perhaps, if
there were any pupils 10 be had able to
pay for their tuition but there were
none and the young woman determined,
as all fairly educated young women do
in such cases, to write for the magazines.
Nothing is 80 easy as to write, and Miss
Middleton found the labor of production
so very light that, by the most moderate
calculation she could make, she thought
herself certain TO earn more money every
month than she dared mention even to
her mother.
She hoped that the publishers weuld
pay only III checks, lest the abundance
of money in the house should tempt
burglars. She wrste her manuscript
upon beautiful paper covering both
sides, of course), with delicately sharp
ened pens. and tied it together at the top
with the iauntiest blue ribbon inAagin-
able. Then she sent it to an editor, who,
after keeping 1t fortnight, returned it,
with very polite letter, indeed, explain
ing the crowded state of his columns,
and suggesting the probability that some
other editor, less absolutely overwhelmed
with manuscripts than he, would eagerly
accept it.
The next editor was trifle less elab-
crate III his epistolary style, but polite
aud encouraging nevertheless. The next
returned the manuscript with printed