The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1877-07-27

IOu SIN III Will
he's toosgoo and innocent; he would
think yousin earnest"H sslisnl oroisd =
is's 'Sha' NIT lis in the imperative mood,
1 believesi Are you the guardian of his
young aifections' lr odv nOsIsg yrs
And then they descended to the tea
table, and Flora and Clarence Gascoigie
shook hands and chatted familiarly--no-
body could resist chatting Familiarity
with Flora after the first half minute :
about his cousins, the lGascoignes Of
Newport, and dozen people, of whom
Miss Raymond had never heard, and of
whom never to have heard seemed sud-
denly to prove her a person of the least
consequence. After ten the trio strolled
in the garden, Flora leading the CONVEX
sation, and waking the echoes with her
quick laughter; aand they sat while on
the rustic bench beside the syringa
bushes, and Flora. sang snatches from
the operas and spiritual hymns and Bell
marked that when she Vdropped out of
catch or chorus nobody seemed to miss
her, and presently she stole away to look
after her housekeeping, -oongratulating
herself that everything promised well
for her schome. Flora was perhaps q
trife giddy and girlish for Clergyman s
wife, but she would outlive all that;
and what an excellent thing it would be
for Mr.. Gascoigne, whose abilities would
never have fair play if he married any
poor girl about Haphazard, and lived
from hand to mouth, so to speak, with
none of the opportunities which money
could offer; and, as for Flora, she might
bless her stars if he preferred her, if he
had no inconvenient scruples about mar
rying rich woman. rr,.r,si,,,.. III
The summer weather was fine at Hap
hazard, and, if Mr.. Gascoigne begged
the ladies to visit some poor or invalid
parishioner in his company, it usually
ended by Flora going with him alone,
Bell having found some urgent duty to
detain her Mt home at the last minute
and Flora developed quite a talent for
cheering the sick-room and dispensing
Injuries to the needy; it was role
of which she relished the novelty amsz-
ingly.
"You were plainly intended for a
clergyman wife," blundered Mr.. Gas
coigne, in moment of grateful enthusi-
asm and then he colored, and added,
! Int nttlt Dllllt dIC
all singing your praises"
"What discord it must be !" re-
turned Flora. 81 think l should prefer
solo.
The claims of the parish, however,
were not so exacting but he could devote
some leisure to the poets, sitting in the
vine-covered arbor while Bell and Flora
worked and listened except when
Bell remembered she had omitted TO
leave orders for the grocer, or had neg
lected some important household affair,
and excused herself for a long half hour,
begging them to go on with the reading.
And, when she returned, she was always
pleased to find that the book had been
closed for the nonce. If he had not
been reading, then, of course, he had
been doing what he liked better. And
he would say, eve have been waiting
for you, Miss Bell he had fallen into
the habit of calling her "Miss Bell"
during these familiar seances.
81 sha'nt dare to run away, ii am GO
ing to spoil your pleasure so, she re-
piled.
You certainly 10 spoil it when you
leave u.s." he would CALAMITY retort.
If they went for an afternoons picnic
to the top of Chrome cliff, with their
supper packed III hamper, Bell fell to
sketching bend of the river, with the
willows dipping above il and swallows
skimming low, and Flora and Mr.. Gas
coigne were naturally left to their own
devices. If they went out for an even
ings entertainment-wh even Hap
hazard afforded Mt times when summer
guests were plenty-Bell remembered the
latch-key as soon as they were beyond
the gate, or she had left window open
where burglars and showers might en-
ter, or she never failed of some valid
excuse for falling behind, for refusing
Mr. Gascoignes arm-either both hands
were necessary to keep her skirts from
the mud, or the country sidewalk was
too narrow for three abreast. And yet
there was nothing Obvious or awkward
in Miss Raymond's scheming. 1t all
came about rs naturally as if fore-or-
dained; and, if Mr.. Gascoigne was some
times little veXed that he could not be
trusted to find the latch-key, close the
window, or fetch the umbrella, Flora
would say, Its Bells way; she was
luSb SO ~ Dull
iOould wait upon herself.
1t had never been Bells way, how
ever, to linger in the vestibule after
church; but now she found it convenient
TO ask old Mrs. Ross about her rheuma-
tsm, and Martha Meeks about her
grandson fishing at the Labrador. And
by that time the Reverend Clarence had
put off the gown and made his way to
the church door, where Flora welcomed
him; and Bell nodded and begged they
would walk on, and let her overtake
them; she must speak to the sexton
about his sick child, or see the treasurer
of the Mite Soeiety-only she never did
overtake them. The treasurer had
proved garlulous, and the sexton had
set his heart upon showing her the head
stone he had got up to his first wife. If
she found them sitting alone in the en-
hrasure of the open window, studying
NE consultations, she moved softly
away. Who could tell Pit might be
the decisive moment
1t so happened that Just at this time
Mrs. Raymond fell i'll. Flora proposed
I, l,,,t po1l ofnuf1x, vafoa1 the