The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1876-10-13

4
not build there a small house, with three
comfortable roomsa and there we shall
find quiet lodging II you freely give
into our plan, as we have said, we VIII
pay the half. When We leave, the house
will belong to you; but, should this not
please You, we must go, although we
would willingly remain.
Van Rysvoort seized eagerly upon
the proposal, finding his own advantage
in every view. He kept els customers,
and enlarged his house OF their ex-
pense.
The same evening the honest Van
Rysvoort consulted with a builder, who,
at one and the same time, was his gos-
sip and godfather. The builder set
briskly to work next morning, for the
Englishmen would admit of no delay ;
and, as they marked out the ground, all
was quickly in progress.
From morning till night, MIR. Richard
Mowbray and Mr.. William Feathering-
ton never left the workmen. Van Rys-
WORT took great interest in what was GO
ing on, but said nothing. 1t is true he
was not quite contented that the haste
with which the Englishmen hurried ON
the building gave no great guarantee for
its durability. He would have been bet
ter pleased, perhaps, had the building
not been raised quite so much in the cor
ner by the old wall, and that it had been
carried up story or so higher; bu his
guests were iuexorable, and would only
allow of one floor. In fourteen days the
garden-house was completed, as il
by magic. The Englishmen were so de-
lighted that they took immediate pos
session.
Van Rysvoort and his wife were now
convinced that none but mad English
men would leave good, dry house for
new and wet one. However, that was
the business of his guests ; and being,
to all appearance, freak, they resolved
that it should be well paid for. The en-
tire building, according to the accounts
of the artificers employed upon it, cost
2,7S4 fiofins, sum which the inn-keeper
considered so unreasoDably low that he
increased it to A, T3S forms, for his own
benefit. Monstrous as was the bill pre-
scented to them, the Englishmen paid it,
the avaritl9us host consoling his con-
science with the reflection that it was all
little enough for accommodating such
crazy lunatics within his premises.
This matter being settled, the Eng
lishmen, now installed in their garden
house, seldom made their appearance
out of it. They ate, drank, smoked and
read the papers as usual; but the most
curious part of the story is, that they al
lowed no one to enter, and even made
the beds themselves.
All this time their accommodation was
not of the best order. Perhaps the frau
Van Rysvooit wished to try how little
they could be pleased with. Nothing
could be worse than their eating and
wine for honest Herr Rysvoort's rea-
soning was, that before mad English
men should drink of a good vintage,
they must learn to value it. The facil-
ity with which they paid his double
charges was only equaled by the I'M
complainingness with which they swal-
lowed his ill-prepared viands.
The more shamelessness he exhibited,
the greater became the forbearance of
his guests. The brain of mine host was
always at work to solve so much mys-
terry he ventured to display certain
logged anger still, he moved not the
equanimity of his customers. The most
puzzling and annoying circumstance
was the making their own beds. Why
did they always keep themselves fast
locked in9 Why did they burn a light
all night9 They moved into the garden
for quiet and sleep and yet, since they
had possession, they appeared to sleep
not at all. Van Rysvoort lost himself
in wild conjecture. He stood at his
window whole nights watching the light
in the Englishmen's rooms and at last
30 puzzled his senses with his guests,
that he could no longer enjoy life. The
bewildered and tormented landlord now
took good friend or two more into his
counsels, and the result of long de-
liberation was, that the two Engh,hmen
were neither more nor less than false
coiners. Van Rysvoort, not little
alarmed at this verdict, passed in re-
view the whole of the gold pieces he
had rec eived from the Englishmen, but
found amongst them not suspicious
piece. Urged by his thrifty better-half,
he took a guinea to a neighboring Jew
money changer, to ascertain its weight
and purity. The Jew made every usual
test, but declared it good. Now was the
honest inn-keeper quite at his wits end
80 was his wife ; and 80 was his gossip
and godfather, the builder.
Things went on in this manner until
the middle of October, when the English
men suddenly changed their mode of
living. Each bought gun and shoot
L. 6 pouch, and went OUTPUT never to-
gether-as they said, to sport upon the
dunes and canals. At last, one evening,
Nr. Featherington called the inn-keeper,
md informed him that they were both |
going upon three days shooting excur-
,lon.
And sure enough, the following morn
ng, long before sunrise, carriage was
waiting at the door, and the English
nen, in full sporting trim, jumped into
{ and drove off,
80 precipitate were they that the inn
Keeper had no time to make them his
owest bow, nor to wish them pleasur
lble excursion. During the next three
lays Van Rysvoort was in state of con-
'iderable pelplexity. The Englishmen
lad taken with them the key to the gar
len house; and hard struggle ensued
n his breast, between curiosity and
l,uo.nl.,,,