The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1877-10-19
George touched his cap politely and

une," was the ready answer.
"Well, / shall not have to waste very |
many words on you, foresee. But do
you understand the terms which l re-
quire?"
George assured him of his readiness to
agree to anything, provided he could
have merry life here on earth.
"Well, / will allow you twenty-five
| years of merriment and pleasure, but
| then you are mine.
"All right" said George.
"And now what am / to give you in
exchange for your soul ?"
George thought moment or two, but
the only thing of which he could think
was the asking for three wishes, which
he did. The devil laughed aloud at
this. "What that old story not dead
yet But it's all right. Come and sign
the contract"
| He took sheet of paper from his
breast pocket, the only clean thing about
him, showed George how to draw blood
from his finger-tip to sign it with; then
placed his own signature upon it with a
pencil of sulphur and phosphorus, tied
the roll carefully with long worm, put
it in his coat pocket, and said with
pleased grimace:
"Now, wish quickly; L have much
work to do"
First, wish for great bag of gold
and wheelbarrow to carry it on.
The devil nodded, and quick as flash
wheelbarrow with bag of shining
gold stood beside the delighted George.
"Secondly, 1 wish Elise would love
me enough to wish to marry me-"
The devil nodded again with half
closed eyes, made a waving motion in
the air with his hand, and said
"That will be all right, and now your
third wish.
But Georges thought had gone as far
as possible in one day, so he said he
would like to talk the matter over with
Elise and find out what she would like.
every well. You have enough to
torment you for the present a wife and
money!" sneered the devil. Farewell
and be happy" So saying, he van
ished.
George seized the wheelbarrow with a
gay heart, paid the Walloonet the sum
promised, and trundled off toward his
native village. By dawn, to his sur
prise, he saw Elise running and spring
ing to meet him. How delighted he
was. They fastened to the nearest
church, were made one in trice, and
then proceeded homeward.
/ cannot picture Elise's surprise when
she heard of the contents of the great
| sack. No matter how often she rubbed
her eyes or how widely she opened them
there still shone the bright gold-a solid
, reality, not dream.
, She felt little frightened when she
heard that her husband had only twen-
ty-five years in which to enjoy the honey
of life, but by degrees she became ac-
, customed to the idea, and concluded
with him that it was better to live a
quarter of century in dulce ju6ilo than
drag along double that term in misery
and discomfort.
eve will buy good farm with a new
house, said Elise, and twenty head of
cattle. And you must wish the enemy
would never come in our neighborhood
and that you had only black hair instead
of your stiff, yellow hair, and smooth,
rosy face instead of your pocked- marked
one, and long blue coat with bright
silver buttons"
George nodded his head contentedly,
though little doubtfully.
"Then 1 must have something for
myself. So 1 wish that 1 may always
be young and pretty as now, and have
, the incest dresses in the whole coun-
try"
George nodded again with pleased
face.
} "Then we will need more money, and
} we must have a closet that no thief can
enter"
And great cask of Nuremberg beer
that will last forever" added George,
phlegmatically.
"And an invisible servant to do all
the cooking and homework for me while
L am asleep" said Ellie.
"And a soft armchair which will carry
me all over the house" added George,
quite lost in delightful anticipation of
his prospective luxury.
"And pair of gold shoe-buckles for
me-"
Roast pork and cherry cake for me
every day !"
"And a-Oh, dear" said Elise, sud-
denly checking her enthusiasm.
George looked at her questioningly.
"Ah we have wished for so much
already, and yet there is still so much
we need. How can all that be got with
one wish ?"
"I'll see to that" said George, COM
posedly "The devil must keep his
word, and I'll call him tonight, and talk
the matter over"
But George did not need to wait for
midnight and magic circle, for Satan is
never far from the soul he owns. In
deed, during this conversation he had
been listening behind the bushes which
bordered the roadside, and now nodded
and winked to George to come to him.
81 have heard your whole converse
tion," he said, laughing till poison ran
like tears over his red face. "But the
500 things you have wished for cannot
be got at once. So choose which you
want most, make your third wish, and
let's end the affair.
Now in the whole world there was not
more cool, collected person to be found
than George, 80 he was not the least dis
turbed by Satan's jokes or ridicule.