The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1877-02-02

family or history she had been doing
well for many a year.
Stern as she looked, Mrs. Williams
was kind to me, and I did my best to
please her. There was good deal OF
novelty and life to be seen about the
inn. soon got over the parting with
my mother and sisters, and was trying
hard to think no more of Harry, though
1 had made up my mind-minds are
easily made up at Ito live un-
married. for his sake. Thus the sum-
mer wore away, the harvest passed, and
the dull DAYS of November came on.
had got accustomed to the ways OF the
house. Though good, it was an old
one. There was the best parlor, and the
best kitchen opening from it; numbers
of pantries, closets and cupSoards, and
stairs behind the old dresser, leading
right up to Mrs. Williams own room.
It was over the porch, and had windows
on three sides, which gave her view OF
all who came or went. Her accounts
were kept there in an old-fashioned ash
desk, so were her choice recipes, and
she had them for making everything.
There was q cupboard set IN the
thick walls, its doors not to be distin-
guished from the rest of the waistcot, in
which Mrs. Williams kept the most rare
and curious of her stores. l was once
permitted to see them as q great priv
lege, for she never trusted the key to
any hand but her own. There were
spices and essences ut the time of my
story, but not common yet, old China
which had been brought in by the first
of the East India Company's ships
mixtures for taking out stains, pow
ders for destroying moths, and q
poison for rats, invented long ago
by some of the Cornish people, and
of terrible nature, so Mrs.
Williams told me, and I can remember
now that the poison resembled nothing
1 ever saw but red pepper, an expen-
sive luxury at that time, and kept in.the
cupboard also.
1t may be believed that was in great
favor, for not only were her treasures
shown to me, but / had tea with Mrs.
Williams in the porch room every even.
ing. She took kindly to me from the
first, because 1 exerted myself to learn
housekeeping, which my mother said
was the principal thing for young
woman expecting to have home Of hel
own, and still more because / kept quiet
and sober, and had no looks of levity.
Nothing of that kind would have been
allowed at the Golden Sheaf, inn though
it was, the house being kept with the
greatest propriety. There were nc
jokes, and very little gossiping, plenty
of work, for almost every thing was made
at home, and great deal of coming and
going. Our quietest time was about the
middle of November, just before the
winter fairly begun. Then Mrs. Will
Jams got her cattle killed, and her meat
sailed, and most of the servants were
busy about the work in the yard and
buttery.
One close, cloudy day, such as come
SO often at the Martinmas time, / was
sitting in the best kitchen, close by the
window, doing some needlewOrk, and
Mrs. Williams was in her own room,
settling the accounts, for it was in the
afternoon. The sound of O horses hoofs
upon the road made me look out, and
there was a gentleman handsomely
mounted, with servant after him, as
gentlemen did III those days. They
looked as if they had travelled far, and
were coming to rest at the inn.
When the gentleman alighted, saw
he was tall and handsome, somewhere
about 35, and had jovial, good-na-
tured look, like one who was well
pleased with himself and everything
about HIM. He walked in not at all
strange.like, and asked me in the most
civil and courteous manner if Mrs.
Williams lived here, and if he and his
servant could have dinner. The first
question was in a low tone, the second
in louder key and before l could
senswer it, Mrs. Williams came down.
Judging from her look, he was quite a
newcomer. thought the gentleman
glanced curiously at her at first, and
then, seemingly satisfied that all was
right, repeated his question about the
dinner, saying that he was stranger in
that part of the country, but that he
had heard 80 much of the Golden Sheaf
that ne wished to stop and dine at the
house.
l never saw Mrs. Williams receive any
gentleman with more respect and cere-
mony. She courtesied him into the best
parlor, called her hostlers to help his
servant with the horses, took his orders
for his dinner, and set about cooking il
herself, for the cook was hard at work in
the buttery. My first notion was that
she had discovered him to be some grea.
person travelling in disguise, and half
expected to be told of it. Mrs. Williams
used to talk to me good deal when we
were alone in quiet afternoons; but now
she went on cooking and making things
without saying word, and there was q
queer, fixed look in her face, which
could not understand, but it kept me
from talking. laid down my work and
rose to make the eel soup; it was one OF
those things for which the house was
famous--a Cornwall dish, believe-and
had been trusted with the making OF il
of late, to nay great exultation, but now
she stopped me.
" No, Mary; finish your sewing; those
linens will be wanted. III make the
soup myself"
L sewed away, wondering who the
gentleman could be, and what had got over
Mrs. Williams, till, happening to look
up, missed her out of the kitchen.
She had gone up to her own room, but
she came oack IN a minute with paper
in her hand which she shook into the
l IL