The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1878-02-15
A WRESTLING GIRL.

"A whistling woman and a growing
hen never come to any good end," said
Ben, prophetically. "That's the fourth
tune you've whistled in the last half
hour, Lutte"
"Lute first finished the concluding
bars of Kathleen Mavourneen," and
then retorted, calmly;
Thanks, for keeping count. | will
begin the fifth as soon as I've regained
my breath"
"You can whistle better than any boy
in this town." pursued Ben in a grudg-
i ng way. I'd be ashamed to whistle
better'n boy, if / Was you"
"Tm not as easily shamed as you, Mr..
Benjamin. Whatever l do, / like to do
we'll. If 1 played marbles, I'd try and
do it better than anybody else"
"Well, replied Ben, with the beauti
full candor of boyhood, call l can say is,
| hope you won't come to bad end. /
shouldn't be surprised any day to see you
in the penitentiary, or married to some
rusty old preacher" .f-U
ooh, Benz" said his sister reproach-
fully but laughingly, "aren't you
ashamed to put preachers and peniten-
tiaries on par?" .l
"No, 1 aren't" quoth Ben, unabashed.
81 think preachers are the last of pea
time. Of the two, I'd rather see you in
the penitentiary than married to one of
them. Grandpa, don't you think its
awful for girls to whistler"
That depends on the way they
whistle" said grandpa, smiling, in his
slow, gentle way. If they whistle as
well as Lutte, why, let them whistle. I'd
as soon hear her as a flute"
Lutte rhymes to flute, you know" OBJ
served Ben, as though that accounted for
the fact.
"I'll tell you Ihow learned to whis-
tle," said Lutte, softened by these COM
pliments. You know when had that
dreadful cold, winter before last?"
"You are always having dreadful
colds. First thing you know, old lady,
you'll go up the spout. You'll rise early
some morning and find yourself a dead
corpse, like those fellows in the Bible"
This cheerful remark proceeded from
Ben.
"You ought to be more careful, child"
said grandpa, looking at her anxiously.
You've got bad cold now-enough to
put anybody else to bed. And sitting on
the steps bare-headed this late in the
evening! Come in, child, come in"
"Oh, there amt much the matter with
me now," said Lutte, carelessly, coming
up on the porch and seating herself by
grandpa. az only feel little hoarse
mornings and evenings. forgot what l
was talking about. Oh, 1 remember
about my dreadful cold. Well, could
hardly speak above whisper for a
month, and singing was out of the ques-
ton. You know how love to sing,
grandpa. It seemed to me | never
thought of as many beautiful strains Of
music before in my life as / did then.
They used to buzz in my head till /
thought / should go crazy. / believe
they would have tormented me to death
if / hadn't learned to whistle. / used to
90 into the attic every day and practice
till had mastered the art, You don't
know what a relief it was to me, and is
to me yet. feel quite independent of
colds" and Miss Lutte stretched out
her feet, and leaning her head against
the wall, pursed her red lips in prepar-
atory way.
eff you knew what somebody thinks
about your whistling, you wouldn't be
so stuck up about it," observed Ben,
with a turned-up nose expression. 1t
CALLED the spirit of Master Benjamin
nightly to have mere woman excel
him in that manly art. az bet you'd
stop it in a jity."
q who is that dreadful somebody
"Guess."
CT won't guess. / don't care to
know"
"You do care. It's Cousin Reuben"
-triumphantly.