The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1878-11-29

bridge, they were forbidden the fore
castle to rise a ghostly presence beside
the officer in his solemn supervision OF
the compass. They would have been
dashed to the rigging on their way to the
maintop, but for the silent protest OF
his daughters presence on deck. Most
of his interrupting familiar conversation
was addressed to the interdicted "man
at the wheel"
Hitherto had conten.ed myself with
the fascination of his presence from
wisely, perhaps, deeming it dan
gerous to true picturesquep perspective
to alter my distance, and perhaps. like
the best of us, 1 fear, preferring to keep
nay own idea of him than to run the risk
of altering it by closer acquaintance.
One day when was lounging by the
stern-rail, idly watching the logged os-
tentation of the screw, that had been
steadily intimating, after the fashion OF
screws, that it was the only thing in the
ship with persistent purpose, the ON
inous shadow of the slouched hat and
the trailing buster fell upon me. There
was nothing to do but accept it meekly.
Indeed, my theory of the man made me
helpless.
CT didn't know until yesterday who
you be-" he began deliberately, cor 1
shouldn't hev' been so onsocial. But
I've alters told my darter that in permits
kiss trav'lin' man ought to be keerful
of who he meets. I've read some of
your writin's-read 'em in paper in In
jianny-but never reckoned I'd meet
we. Things is queer, and trav'lin'
brings all sorter people together. My
darter Looeze suspected We from the
first, and she worried over it, and kinder
put me up to this"
The most delicate hattery could not
have done more. To have been in the
thought of this reserved, gentle girl,
who scarcely seemed to notice even
those who had paid her attention was
"She put me up to it, he continued
calmly, though she, herself, hez kind
o pre-judise again you and writin's
-thinkin' them sort o. low down, and
the folks talked about not to her style
and we know that's woman's mater, and
she and Miss Montmorris agree on that
point But thar's few friends with me
round yer ez would like to see ye." He
stepped aside, and a dozen men APP
peared in Indian file from behind the
round-house, and, with a solemnity
known only to the Anglo-Sa nature,
shook my hand deliberately, and then
dispersed themselves in various atti-
tudes against the ratings. They were
honest, well-meaning countrymen of
mine, but L could not recall single
face.
There was dead silence; the screw,
however, ostentatiously went on. "You
see what told YOU" it said. "This is
all vapidity and trifing. I'm the only
fellow here with purpose. Whiz,
whiz chug, chug, chug!"
L was about to make some remark of
general nature, when 1 was greatly re-
ieved to observe my companions
friends detach themselves from the rail-
ings, and, with slight bow and another
shake of the hand, severally retire, APP
parently as much relieved as myself.
Ny companion, who had in the mean
time acted as if he had discharged him.
self of duty, said, Thar oilers must
be some one to tend to this kind o
thing, or thar's no sociableness. 1 took
a deportation into the Cap'n's room yes
terday to make some propositions, and
thars minister of the gospel aboard
ez orter be spoke to afore next Sunday,
and reckon it's my duty, onless," he
added, with deliberate and formal po-
likeness, you'd prefer to do it-bein',
so to speak, public man."
But the public man hastily deprecated
any interference with the speakers func-
tons, and, to change the conversation,
remarked that he had heard that there
were party of Cooks tourists on board,
and-were not the preceding gentlemen
of the number? But the question caused
the speaker to lay aside his hat, take a
comfortable position on the deck against
the rail, and, drawing his knees up I'M
der his chin, begin as follows:
Speaking O Cook and Cooks tour
lists, I'm my own Cook! / reckon /
calkilate and know every cent that I'll
spend 'twixt Evansville, Injianny, and
Rome and Naples, and everything I'll
see." He paused moment, and, laying
his hand Familiarity on my knee, said,
did / ever tell we how 1 KEN to go
abroad?"
AS we had never spoken together be-
fore, it was safe to reply that he had not
He rubbed his head softly with his
hand, knitted his iron-gray brows, and
then said, meditatively, "No it must
hev been that head-waiter. He sorter
favors You in the musstache and gen'ral
get-up. l guess it war him spoke to-"
L thought it must have been.
"Well then, this is the way it KEN
about. 1 was sittin' one night, about
three months ago, with my darter Loo
eze-my wife bein' dead some four year
and / was reading to her out of the
paper about the Exposition. She seq
to me, quiet-like-she's quiet sort o.
gal, if you ever notissed her should
like to go thar / looks at her-it was
the first time sense her mother died that
that gal had ever asked for anything, or
had, so to speak, wish. 1t wasn't her
way. She took everything ez it KEN.
and dern my skin eff 1 ever could tell
whether she ever wanted it to KEN in