The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1877-01-19

repeated, as though it would have been
considerable mitigation Of the injury
If the offending animal had been en-.
dowed with the gift of speech sand
by hook nor by crook can he be got 10
part with that COMPOUNDED extra three
ounces, which would make such differ
ence to me, and which he no more wants,
sir, than the sea wants rain. water.
And throwing down sixpence, ne
wrapped the by this time finished ami
NAL IN an old silk observation-disclosures
and, thrustipg it in at the bosom OF his
waistcoat, stalked, muttering, out OF the
hop.
By this time il was evident to me that
I had been too hasty. From some mys-
FERROUS cause or other, the man APP
peared to regard the valuable little dog
as an affection rather than as prize ;
which he certainly would not have done
had he stolen it. And, now that came
to observe the barber more atteptively,
he was not in the least like the cross
eyed, goblin-visaged person Sweeney
Todd was represented as being; on the
contrary, he was rather a pleasant-look-
ing little man.
"There goes a poor fellow to be
pitied, SIR" he remarked as the door
closed on Mr.. Wix's retreating form (;
"he's got large family, too. 1 hope he
won't be drove to drinking"
"What should drive him to drink
ing9" asked.
disappointment, sir. Buying a
goose warranted to lay golden eggs,
which turn out to be only Brummagen
gilt. That, in q manner of speaking, is
his case, sir.
"But what's the matter with him 2"
Nothing the matter with him it's
the dog that's the cause.-the innocent
cause, may say-of Mr.. Wix's trouble.
You see IL is this way, sir. Mr.. Wix-
which he's heasy-chair maker, and
we call toy fancier; fancier of toy
dogs that is. There's lots of EN- about
here, and their meeting house of reg lar
show nights, on Sunday evenings, is the
Three Pigeons, up the street. 1t is
reckoned kind of honor to be Chair
man of the room, because, You must
know, that man can only occupy that
post by virtue of his owning the small
est and most elegant animal present.
Now it has been the one object of Mr..
Wix's life to get into that chair. They
do say that he broke up good home to
raise enough to buy the andsome little
now, and he made sure of the seat this
time. But he's got rival. Mr.. Mossul,
the tripe-dresser, up the street, he's a
toy fancier, too, and he has held the
chair at the Pigeons for year and
more. He's n warm man, and not easy
to turn when once he sets his mind on
anything. Well, sir, Mt the last mo
ment, when Mr.. Wix thought that vic
tory was sure-when he had acksholly
made ready a bit of supper for the mem
bers in honor of the occasion, having
the tripe of Mossul himself and inviting
him to peck a bit-at the very last mo-
ment, when everybody was congratulate.
ing Wix on his pluck and spirit, why,
says Mossul, with that aggrawating grin
of his, if it was only a quarter of a
pound or 40 lighter, it would be about
the same weight as this new little thing
OF mine 1t was true, too. Nobody
knows what he gave for it-forty sover-
eigns L have heard-but he sent to
Brussels for it on purpose, and there it
was anu there Mossul was as firm fixed
to the chair as ever. 1t was severe
blow for Mr.. Wix; he hasn't been the
same man since"
Further conversation put the little
barber and myself on quite friendly
terms. He confided 10 me that he too
was bit of fancier. and owned toy
"Skye," for which he had refused its
weight in half-crowps. eff you take
an interest in such things, SIR" said he,
"why not look in at the Three Pigeons
some Sunday EVENING" Tomorrow
there will be good muster, and Mossul
is almost sure to be there. You'll find
us select, and in company with dogs
that no gentleman need be ashamed of
being seen with. We amt in general
free to strangers, but you may mention
my name and you will find it all right"
And SO it came about the following
Sunday evening, Just after the gas was
lit, / whispered the name of my friendly
sarber to the young lady who officiated
behind the bar of the Three Pigeons,
and she effably directed me to the parlor
ID low, long, ll-ventilated room, with
a stronger flavor of dogs in the air than
was quite agreeable to any one unad-
dicted to canine worship. There was
already fair sprinkling of company
present, mostly of the Mr.. Wix type,
shabby and threadbare, Sunday though
it was nevertheless serene content
beamed in every countenance. 1t was
announced in the independent cock of
every mans hat or cap, in the way in
which he smacked his lips after his beer,
and more especially in the manner of his
smoking his pipe. The man whose
mind is i'll at ease was never yet able to
get out of a pipe-bowl all the enjoyment
it is capable OF yielding Tobacco
should be coaxed and humored, not wor-
ried. The man OF care snatches at his
smoke in jerky puffs, and bites the seal
ing-wax whereas the individual whose
present happiness is complete sucks
TRANQUILITY at his pipe stem, and leisurely
emits the cloudy result IL one full vol
ume. The company in the Three
Pigeons parlor did this to d man. They
could afford to do it. What are broad
cloth and clean linen to a man who has
his fancy3" Each man had The latter
DOT ignobly chained to the leg of
chair, or made to crouch under the