Northern tribune. [volume] (Cheboygan, Mich.) 1875-1885, 1877-12-08

I cannot set down I'm so many words
lust when or how IL came 10 De unuer-
stood between my partner, Johh otiii-
h;s ..nobter Mamie when she was old
enongh. | have vague impression that
She Was i'm long clothes ut the time we
first talked of IL.
Her mother died when she was little
pirI. and old Mrs. Stillman took her
lone to the family house at Owls Cor
ner, one OF the pretticst villages ever
had the good fortune to see. But Nam
nie was eighteen when first saw her a
woman, ard this was the scene OF our
meeting.
John had sent for me to come to Owls
Corner on "A certain July d,y, promising
To drive over To the station AMI meet me.
as my elderly legs covered the ground
but slowly. We had retired from busi-
ness. rich men both, some five years De-
fore, and correspoEded regularly. But
| had been abroad, and this was my first
visit to Owls Corner in ten years. l re-
membereu Mamie us romplng child,
fond of swinging on tue gates, climbing
nm crane arbOrs and imperiling her neck
fifty times day. john always saying
on each occasion:
s.She's a little wild, but she'll get over
that"
waited at the station for hall an hour,
then. seeing no sign OF John, started TO
walk to the house. 1t was middiy anu
fearfully hot, and when had accom-
plished but half the distance turned of
this road, and started through grove
that gave me a longer walk, but thick
shade. | was resting there on broad
stone, completely hidden by the bushes
ON every side, when l heard Johns
voice:
s.Where have you been?"
There was such dismay and astonlsh-
ment i'm the voice, that l looked up In
surprise, to find that he was NOT greeting
me but a tall, slender gill coming to-
wards him. Such a sight! She was
dark and beautiful, dressed in thin
dress of rose pink. faultless about the
waist and throat, but from the waiss
down clinging TO her.. one mass OF the
greenest, blacklist, thickest mud anu
water.
I'm the duck pond.n she answered,
with a voice rs clear and musical as a
chime of bells. Don't come hear me y
You are enough to wear a man into
his grive!'
There, don't ScOlu, was the coaAufS
reply little Bob Ryan fell III face down.
Ii did not make any material difference
i'm his costume. but was afraid he would
smother, so | waded in after him. The
water Is not over two feet deep, but the
mud goes clear through To China, be-
lieve. 1t is rather pity about my new
dress, isn't 1t =! -,
"A p,ty - roared John. you'll come
n flnu fnIrr
freaks. As ii there WAS nobody TO pick
ND an Irish brat ont OF the duck pond
but you"
There actually was nobody else about.
There, now, don't be angry. Ill go up
Tn the house and put OIL That bewitcling
white afflir that came from New York
,st week, and be all ready to drive over
TO the station with you at What time 2"
about three Lawrence is coming OIL
the 2:10."
And had come on the 1910. This
accounted for the failure to meet me. /
kept snug in my retreat until John and
Mamie were we'll OH their way home
ward, wondering little how many
Young ladies' i'm my circle of friends
would have so recklessly sacrificed a new
dress to pick up a beggar's brat out OF
the mud.
When |, i'm my turn, reached the
house, John was oil the porch, waiting
for Nannie's rcappearance. He gave me
:; cordial welcome, ordered a luncheon.
called Mamie, his mother, and ordered a
man to 90 for my trunk, all liz one breath,
aud seemed really rejoic.d TO see me.
Presently a slender girl with a truly
..bewitchiner white dress trimmed with
dashes of scarlet ribbon, and smoothly
braided black hair, died with scarlet
bows. came demurely into the room, and
was introduced. Never, however, in
that first hour, could the widest imagin
alton have pictured Mamie Stillman
wading into duck pond. But the halt
shy, halt dignified company manner soon
wore away, and Mamie and were fast
friends befo, dinner. She sang for me
i'm voice as deliciously fresh as birds
carroll, she took me TO see her pets, the
new horse that was her last birthday gift
from ..papa," the ugly little Scotch ter
rier with the beautiful brown eyes. the
rabbits, Guinea hens, and the superannu-
ated old pony, who had preceded the
new horse.
In a week | was as much i'm love as ever
John could have desired. Mamie was
the most bewitching maiden had ever
met, childlike and yet womanly, frank,
bright, and full of girlish freaks, and
boyish mischief, AMI yet well educated,
with really wonderful musical gifts. and
full of noble thoughts. She WAS per-
feet idol i'm the village, her friends and
neighbOrs thinking no party complete
without her, while the poor fairly wor-
shipped her.
John allowed her an almost unlimited
of al oh xya
lavish in all charity, from blankets for
old women, tobacco for old men, to can-
dies for the children, and rides on her
horse for the urchins. And she had
way of conferring iavOrs that never
wounded the pride of the most sensitive.
We rode together every morning, we
walked in the cool evening hours, We
spent much time at the piano. and dis
GUESSED our favorite authors, and one
dav, when asked Mamie to be my
wife, she said coohy:
"Why. OF course thought that was
all understood. long agO!"
I was rather amazed at such matter-Of-
fact wooing, but delighted at the result.
How could expect any soft, blushing
speeches. | suppose ranked just where
John and Nannie's grandmother did in
her affections.
But one morning when Mrs. Stillman
was shipping her geraniums in the sit
room, alld John was reading the morn
ing's newspapers, Mamie burst IN, her
beautiful face all aglow, her eyes bright
with delight, crying:
''Oh, grandma! Walt has come home
l saw him from my window riding up
the road"
She was going just as john exclaimed:
sConfOund Waltr'