Northern tribune. [volume] (Cheboygan, Mich.) 1875-1885, 1876-07-29

supposed to suit her better than any thins
else she had. had yielded to the advice
and entreaties of my surroundings, anu
had dressed myself very carefully in
new suit 1 had just had made. psq'e
We all lowered about near the door
trying to look uncOnccrned, but failino
After a time the sound of on
wheels told us Tint the ner.
son for whom we were looking was i1ea,
ut hand. Another moment ami the ON.
nibus which piled in the neighborf,ood
drew up before our garden 9ale. and =
lady, that rightly supposed was nv
aunt, alighted. "a
She was small, spare woman, with n
severe expression of face. and
a sharp, piercing eye, that seemed at once
TO take stock of everything within a mile
of her. and that had the effect of any
thing in the world rather than that of
setting YOU at, your ease, 1t was with an
inward trembling-by no means con-
we went forward tofeceive
orr llewly-arrived relative !. but we man.
AGED i; pretty well, and before long she
was safely installed in the smaller
parlor.r Then, after the interval OF few
moments, my mother suggested that she
might like to go to her room and remove
her travelling dress, and as she at once
took this suggestion the rest of us were
left with little breathing time.
As far as was concerned however, this
respite wasa very short one. In drawing
up a plan of the1course Of action to be
,x-b;ab la,l hoo,, bopa I'm r., u,ilvl
cOnclave with the utmost amount of care
and de'iberation. it had been arranged
that rs my aunt might like a private in
terview with me, should be, apparently
by accident, in the best parlor when she
came down stairs again, and that my
mother should adroitly withdraw, of
course also by accident, and leave us
there together. = Ct}it ~ =
Accordingly, not long after the two Ia
dies had gone up stairs, went to the APP
pointed spot and assumed what seemed
to me the position of a spider in WEB
looking for flies. The position was by
no means a pleasant One-tO me, out L
consoled myself with the. reflection that
on this occasion at least the fly was Dy
no means an unwary one.
| had not been waiting many minutes
before the ladies came down again. I
went to the door of the room as gracefully
as Il could. and my mother, upon seeing
me, remarked, with an air of impromptu
that really did her credit: - ff
..Oh, here is Sebastian; you ex-
cuse me for a few, ninutes'if l leave you
to him?"
My aunt. little suspecting that this was
part of deep-laid Plot, bowed with. old
fashioned politeness, by no means want
ING i'm statelineSs, and surrendered herself
to my care.
There was something in the solemnity
of the whole proceeding, coupled with
the knowledge of what designing hum
bugs We all,w We're, that made keeping
graveyery difficult to me. EBut
with an effort [ managed to repress the
smile that tried so hard to rise to my
lips. and went forward to take possession
Of my aunt.
On each sidecof the fireplace, which
vas filled at this moment with gaily col
bred paper-tOr the time of the year was
an armchair, very old
fashioned, like the rest of our furniture,
with thin, spindley legs and wide seats
covered with chintZ. AS these We're the
most dignitied looking objects in the
room, thought the best thing would be
to otler one of them to the lady to whom
| was doing the honOrs. Accordingly
| led her up to one of them, turned away
with the most cOurtly bow | could man
age, and going to the one opposite to
her, sat down. 5,igozi ~
that had taken place in this
m for Ha to1 rcf
the seats OF these two chairs had been
taken out, and, as little as we suspected
it, mismatched. No sooner did my
weight come upon it than the treacher-
Gus foundation on which / had hoped Sc
curely to repOsc, gaye way, the seat tilt
edup, and in an Instant L found myself
sitting through the framework, my knees
and my nose almost in contact, and ut
terly unable to exIricate myself,
1t had happened so suddenly and un-
eXpectedly that-at first l. wasstoOs much
astonished to think of anything but my.
self; but in an instant remembered my
aunt and looked across at her. My feel
ings may be imagined when discovered
that she was in exactly the same posi-
ton as myself. rs utterly unable to hell
herself, and evidently as much astonisheC
as L was. Just as | caught sight of her
however, here self-pOssession seemed tC
return, and, in angry accents, rendered
somewhat uncertain by the inconvenient
posture in which she was, she said:
80, Mr.. Sebastian! this is the way in
which you treat your relations ?''
/ have all my life been possessed of g
very keen sense of the ludicrous. Wheth-
er that possession be an advantage or moi
L have never quite been able to deter
mine, there is so much to be said on both
sides. The position in which we now
we're, and which, indeed, was funny
enough TO have tickled the gravest OF
mankind, amused me so irresistibly that,
regardless Of the consequences. [ burst
into a hearty peal of laughter. ~.
Of course the madness of this proceed
ING became apparent to me at once, and.
making desperate etOrt-to check my
mirth and. to speak gravely. l began:
II assure you, Aunt Gregg"
There's no good in your assuring me
anything interrupted my aunt III
you were to go on assuring me from now
TILL the last moment of my life, should
not believe You p l-na3 a. ea.sl !as
But, my dear aunt - 5m'i & elt.,1
: 'Don't dear aunt me. Do you think
I'm not capable of putting two. and two
together and making four Pc. And when
L lind you alone in room. and then find
myself i'll such position as this, do you
suppose that | am going to believe that
you didn't do it OH purpose 20 =
Evidently my aunt had no strong per.
ceptlon OF what was funny, or she would
never have spoken of what had happened
III this way. Her gravity tickled- me
even more than the accident itself, and
L had to bite my lip nearly through be-
fore could get out:
'But do try to believe" .
Il Shan't try to do ANYTHING of the