The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1878-04-05

| them up high upon your mead III lovely
coil, and then you'll look young and
pretty; and you shall catch Lawyer Ches-
ter yourself, so you shall, without trying
one bit"
"You make me ashamed, though /
know you are only teasing. If thought
You were in earnest should be angry
with you," replied Aunt Cally.
But the girls had their way with her
hair, though they nearly had their labor
for their pains for when she escaped
from them at last, and took look at
frightened exclamation of, 80, my pa
thence |" and unconsciously put up her
hands to destroy the wonderful structure
they had built of it. They both few to
the rescue, laughing, and SEEING her
hands.
Don't, don't, aunty |" they both en-
treated; and Edna added: "You look
splendid; and you'll get used to it in a
little while; so, now, please put on your
most becoming dress, and then, if com:
pany calls, you must not run off and
hide yourself as soon as the bell rings.
You look ever 80 much like mamma
now, only younger. and she's not
thought to be bad-looking woman ]
assure you.
Two hours later, Aunt Calista came
stealthily down stairs with volume OF
Bryant's poems in her hand, and her
black straw fat upon her face" She
said There was no other way to
wear it," She was going for a walk.
mainly to escape the company which she
was certain was expected during the af-
ternoon.
"Wait a moment, aunty," called out
Alice, who provokingly came through
the hall, just as she thought she had
escaped the observation of any of the
family: "Wait a moment, and let me
bunch up your overskirt little more.
You are determined to ruin all
your prospects in life and disap-
point the cherished hopes of your dear
est friends"
Aunt Cally laughing eluded her, and,
darting through the door, disappeared
around the house, and look her way
across the garden and through the
meadow to the brook, which skirted
its farther edge. She strolled along its
bank until it entered wood, and then
for some distance farther, enjoying
the GOODNESS, the silence and the restful
quiet.
Oh, this is lovelyp she said to her.
self. "And there is Just the place /
have been looking for That spreading
beech upon that bank. L wish that
clump of alders was not there, though;
they hide the brook from me /; but
never mind, can hear it ripple, and
gurgle, and babble;' L believe the poets
call it, and that will do quite as we'll as
seeing it."
So she climbed the steep bank, and
seated herself with her back against the
smooth stem of the beech, and, removing
her hat, looked about her for a few min
utes, and then with sigh of satisfaction
opened her book and read:
Here seen
No traces of mans pomp or pride: no silks
Rustic, no jewels shine no envious eyes
Encounter no fantastic carvings show
The boast of our vain race, to change the form
OF thy fair works. But thou art here; thou fllst
The solitude.
Hank Was not that footsteps? 1t
certainly was; and they were coming
down to the brook. Now she was glad
quite still, and the person, whoever it
might be, would pass on unconscious of
her presence.
There he came; she could peep through
the bushes and see that it was q man;
yes, man with fishing-rod-a short,
middle-aged man" And, of ell things
if he isn't going to stop right here
Well, this is a situation / can't go
away. He'd be sue to see me. shall
have to sit still and hold my breath.
What if he stays here all the afternoon
1 hope to goodness he won't catch sin
gle fish, the brute ! l won't look at him !"
for she had been peeping down through
the branches of the alders, while the
gentleman was rapidly preparing for his
cruel sport.
1t was rather an embarrassing situation
for timid spinster, to be sure. The gen.
tleman was so close to her that, but for
the screen of alders, she could almost
have touched his hat with her hand.
The alder-bushes were barely high
enough to hide her from view, as she sat.
The moment she arose she might be dis
covered. Besides the unpleasantness of
the situation, she had a profound horror
OF fishing.
CT went look lOont look I" she
said to herself, over and over, and reso-
lutely bent her eyes upon her book.
But, try as she might, she could not take
the sense of what she read, and
could not keep her eyes from stealing
glances now and then through the
leaves, down at the unconscious figure,
sitting 80 motionless almost at her feet.
How absorbed he was She could not
see his face, of course, for his back was
toward her; but she fancied that his eyes
were bent immovably upon his line,
watching for the least intimation of a
bite or nibble.
Before she was aware she, too, began
to be interested. Luckily, or unluckily,
she could see bitof the line, just where
it entered the water. There did it not
tremble little2 No, it was only rip
pie in the water that moved it. There,
again That certainly was something.
Oh, dear it was too dreadful What
if some poor little hungry, unsuspecting
fish we're to come along, and be caught
on that cruel hook, deceived by the
tempting bait, and she shoEld be
obliged to witness the barbarous trans
action She pould not look another
second. But, somehow, she couldn't