The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1878-04-12
THE PRETTIEST BABY.

IL buc DuDJ buOW pO, luuctu
God bless me no indeed !"
Had the youngest sister of Mr.. John
Trueax very bright and pretty she was,
with short, curly, black
wing hair, and large, sparkling, dark. as
the-midnight-sky eyes, proposed that he
should enter cage of the widest kind
of wild animals-lions, tigers, leopards,
and panthers, for instance-he could not
have shown more CONSERVATION end hor-
TOR.
Mr.. Trueax, albeit he only numbered
some .six-and- thirty years, was misogy-
mist and a misogamist. He outbachel-
ored all the bachelors of his acquaint
anoe and they were not few, as he as
'sociated with none but single men, never
attended q wedding, shuddered when he
heard of birth, breaking off all com.
munication with friends who plunged
into matrimony, and carefully avoiding
all wsmen, rich and poor, proud and
lowly, with the single exception of Win
fired, his youngest sister, mentioned be-
fore, who had been left to his care when
she was II years of age-being now
20-by a dearly loved dying mother.
The reason? I'll tell you.
Once on a time John Trueax, then
called Jack Trueax, good-looking,
Jolly young fellow of fve-and-twenty,
was about to be married. The wedding
day had arrived. The groomsmen and
trademarks, the parents of Jack and the
parents of Gas he fondly thought his
Lily, and large number of invited
gnests we're present.
A bell formed of lovely flowers hung
30 ohaI ,@a
sweets upon the heads of the happy
lovers; the minister waited, book in
hand; hundred wax candles helped the
gas jets to lend brightness TO the scene;
the wedding supper was laid-when the
brides own maid, who had been sent to
tell her all was ready (she had requested
to be left alone few moments before
the ceremony, and, being an odd sort of
girl, nothing strange was thought of
this request), returned, pale and
trembling, to the rom where the bridal
party waited, with a note which she had
found, instead of her mistress, and
which read as follows:
DEAR FATHER AND DEAR MOTHER do not
love him. The feeling l mistook for love il
only that of friendship. Since we were en-
gagged have met one whom do love, and at
tthG last moment fly to meet him and become
his wife, convinced that, dishonorable az my
conduct may seem, il would be a thousand
times more dshonorable to stand before the
altar with lie upon my lips, q lie which would
condemn me to live lie forever after. Tell
Jack wish him all prosperity and happiness.
LILY.
The bell of flowers was taken down.
Nske wax candles were extinguished, the
minister departed, the guests were dis
missed, and John Trueax left the house
with curse upon his lips-for he knew,
in spite of her romantic note, that the
girl had been won by the wealth of his
rival-to become hater of women, q
foe to matrimony, Vice President of the
d" Stanch Old Bachelors Club" and a
perfect Herod in regard to children.
What wonder, then, that he shrunk
back in alarm when Winnie proposed
s(they were on their way to the Academy
of Music to hear some man make a
SPECIFY that they should stop few mo-
ments at the baby show, whose flaming
posters suddenly confronted them ms
they reached the corner of Fifth ave-
nue2
"Do come, brother" SAID Winnie.
coaxingly-and you never in all your
life saw any one who could be quite as
coaxing as Winnie.
"I WON'T" said brother, emphatic
ally.
"Just a wee, little WHILE"
ri will not, with increased emphasis.
"John, if you don't, I'll invite Cousin
Mary and her twins, and Sister Lucy
and her eldest boy, the one that is
named after you, TO the house to stay 9
week"
eff you do, I'll burn the house owe,
their heads, collect the insurance, and
fly TO Europe"
John, 1 love babies as much as you
,dislike them"
"It's no use."
"John, dear John, never wanted Il
go anywhere 30 much, never" two dia
Gmond tears in her black eyes.
"Five minutes, you said ?"
Ibid /? meant ten"
"Well, ten; not an instant longer, re
member" And, grumbling to himself
"What fool l am !" in they went.
A large oblong room, around which
ran raised platforms on which were h
be seen many mothers and more babes