The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1876-03-03


woods, and she was eager to hear the de-
tails of the direction there, for she
shared the popular frenzy raging Just
then for bulrushes, and thought OF all
things she should like some great bunch
es of the soft brown velvety things IN
the vases, tomorrow.
CT believe, if l rose early" she said,
"I could be there and back before H.. p"
"Why IL ?" said Mallory, lazily.
"Oh, have an engagement at that
hour" she replied, bending her head n
little; that he might not see the color
creeping up.
at am at your service" he said.
"Will you come along, Netty ~ she
asked.
"At o'clock i'll the morning, and on
foot Net step. That hour in the after
noon, behind a pair of bays, would suit
me very we'll" Young Vary thought it
would suit him, too.
every well, Mr.. Mallory. If you
will come Mt 8, tomorrow, | shall have
my bulrushes and be back in good
season."
"We'll not fail, said Mallory. "And
to that end, assure this company that
it is the witching hour of night, when
the sweetest sound the ear can hear is
the slamming Of the big house door.
And with that they all departed.
AS o'clock in the morning came,
Miss Ali, q, with her shears hanging at
her side, md her hat tied on, was look
ing up and down the road impatiently.
She quite forgot her freak with the old
clock, the night before. at is very
indecorous way to serve me" she cried.
"Ten minutes past eight! And | shall
not wait another moment. | will have
my bulrushes, Mallory or no Mallory.
And if L am little late, l don't care I;
it will seem as though q body were not
SO very anxious and don't know-Pm
afraid-Tm really afraid | was gushing,
last night, and | do so despise gusher
And he may only want-may only want
to engage me to watch with old Miss
Steeres, the night she takes ether for
that operation :" And thereat the little
body was off for Lenders Lake, with
precious small idea of the exact wherea-
bouts of that pretty sheet. give
tongue in my head, suppose, F." said she.
AS Miss Alice continued her ideas
grew still less. She feared she would
lose her way, and not be back at all; she
wished she had waited for Mallory; but
she plodded on after her best sense of
locality, tore her gown with briers, lost
her vail, broke her parasOl, came near
breaking her ankle, and at II o'clock by
her watch sat down and cried-hot, bit
ten ny flies, tired out, and lost.
When she had finished crying, she
looked up, and there, glistening double
through her tears, lay Lenders Lake,
blue as sapphire, in the hollow of the
hills. Her courage came back at once.
If she could not keep her appointment,
she could show by the bmrushes that
she had intended TO. She forgot fatigue,
and was off for the edge of the lake, not
so easily reached, after all, and, with
triumphant handful of the brown velvet
wands and of great blue flags, was pres
emily homeward bound, having found
the highway, and staying only TO ask
at the door of Il little hut for cup of
water.
Nobody answered her rap; the door
was open-she pushed it wider and
peeped, but started back at the sound OF
groan, and quick, sharp sob, a per
feet storm of sobs. A moment Miss
Alice hesitated; but she was no coward
where pain was concerned; she took heart
of grace and walked i'll, and found the
brown old berry-woman with her little
boy, her grandchild, bleeding to death
in her arms. "Oh," she exclaimed "I
never knew you lived here. What is the
matter? How did he DO it2"
"With the ak ! with the AK just nowl"
faI l,n | l
and I'm all alone, and l can't leave him,
and he'll die-oh, he'll die -
"Oh, no, no !" said Alice. "What
haveyoudone2 Only cold water Letme
see. Lay him down. Get towel ;"
for she remembered still her school les
sons in physiology. And, before the
woman knew what had happened, Alice
had rugged tourniquet with the handle
of hair-brush, and was checking in
some degree the flow of blood with which
the boys vitality was ebblng. Now
don't let it slip, and III run and find the
doctor, if ] drop. Perhaps some team
will overtake me. Don't despair-the
child shan't die - and she kissed the
brown old woman, and plunged out,
eager as though it were her own little
brother. know just where the doctor
is, she called back.
She knew nothing of the kind she
only knew where he had been. "She's
gone to Lenders Lake with Mr.. NAL
lory," Aunt Huldah had said, looking
ND and down the road, with a vague idea
that her looking would excuse the culprit
-" for bulrushes, l heard them say"
The doctors ejaculation would have
Mortified Aunt Huldah if she had heard
it but, bidding her goodmorning, ne
had turned about, determined TO have
nothing more to do with Miss Alice
Truesdell. And then a sort of rage
had flashed up and swept over him, and
he vowed TO himself that he would Te-
duce the little rebel, and sprang into his
chaise and urged his horse to a run.
And that YVES the way it Glanced that,
less than ten minutes after Alice left the
hut, she saw something rolling up the
highway enveloped in as thick Il cloud as
ever an ancient god travelled in ; and he
saw little object flying down to meet
him, curls and ribbons streaming be-
hind. disheveled to the last degree, ard
with only breath enough left to say, as
ba loopo1 from fbo phoigp 90 Don L