The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1880-09-17


Yes. Jonas, same as before, thankee.
Well. Sam an the old lady got a.
talkin one day an fixed things up be-
tween 'em.
"Jennie don't know her own mind"
said her aunty, "an' it's my opinion
that whichever gifts away with her first
will git the prize, an, Sam, you'd better
do it. She's giddy young thing, an
II stick by the one as goes for her the
heaviest. She's morantic, an won't
marry in church noway; them kind
never does till arter they gets married
in wagon by moonlight"
You see, gentlemen, she didn't size
Jennie up jest right.
Things begun to thicken up pretty
good, an one day Sam Parker, the law
yers son, thought it was about time to
put up his little job on Charley and Jed
arter his own style, as agreed on with
the aunt. The strickly honorable didn't
run much in Sans family anyhow.
Sans plot was like this A.: He got
Charley aside one mornin' an told him
everythin' was fixed, an he was goin' to
marry the gal that night.
"Now L know what you love her for,
said Sam, in his cool style "but know
that for old friendships sake you'll give
in to me, so the gal can be happy with
the man she loves"
"How do you know she loves you?"
asks Charley, as gloomy as dyin' mud
turtle.
"This day." says Honest Sandwich
they used to call him so because he was
so tricky" this day she Civ me her
PROMISE" an he periuced a lock of hair
an ring with her name on. "Now,
Charley" he continued, 81 tell you
this, first, on account OF our old, sweet
friendship, an, second, because / want
you to help me by takin' care o Jed
Billings while L git away with the gal.
He watches us like weasel. an might
kick up fuss. If he tries to foller all
you've got to do is to pick muss with
him SOS to give us chance.
81 don't see how that's a-goin' to pay
me, said Charley.
eff marry her tonight" said Sam,
solemnly, 81 shall take her to Boston to
live, an you'll step inter my practice
here"
So Charley said agreed, and so forth,
askin' himself why should Sam be afraid
of Jed if he was really engaged to Jen-
ME, as, he said an why should he run
away, anyhow. So he KEEP on puz-
zlin', but couldn't git it out.
Jesta leetle, Jonas, this time, thankee
make it hot
Well, as soon as it got dark, Sam
hitched up an took Charley down near
Jeds farm to keep watch on him, an
then turned round an took the back
road up to Jennie's.
The girl was considerably surprised
for Sam to ask her out ridin' on dark
night, an no party or dancin' to go to !;
but she warn't afraid o nothin, an was
allus full o lively curiosity about fun.
So she made up her mind to see it out,
most pertickly as her cunnin' old aunt
made believe she didn't want her to go.
Then the way Sam Parker put that
old plug o his through to Eatonville
was a caution. What was said
on the way amt known, but
it's tolrable certain that marryin'
warn't spoken of till the two got to work
eatin supper. Then Sam said how he
loved her, an how this was an elope-
ment, an the parson was ready an all
that. Then he goes down ON his knees
an pulls out the ring. But, in pullin'
out the ring, out come a long lock of
hair, the same that Sam had been playin'
off on Charley for hern.
ooh, you dreadful, dreadful firt -
hollers Jennie. maxim b'leeve mad, and
then she busts out into just the tallest
latin that's been heard in the Adams
House for forty years.
Then Sam pitches in an gifts wild as
to what he'll do to her or say about her
if she don't marry him, an then the
door opens sudden, an who should
bounce in but Charley
You see, Charley had got tired a.
watchin' Jed SO he concluded to hire q
boss and jest foller Sam an Jennie up,
to see for himself how things was. He'd
been listenin' at the door till Sam got
ugly on Jennie, and then he see his chance
an bounced in.
"My preserver! my preserver !"
screached out Jennie, an she goes over
to Charley an he gifts out with the gal
before Sam-who is kind of sneak,
anyway-recovered from his surprise.
Well, they took the road to Starboro'
a flynn; but it wasn't ten minutes before
they hears wheels behind 'em, an Char
ley cries "That's that rascal, Sam
Parker ~ So he puts on the CAD an
goes tearin' over the road wuss than
ever till he brings up at the minister's
house in Starboro', with his horse all a
foamin' an nigh dead.
Then they both got out of the wagon,
an Jennie all of sudden begins to cry.
You see, she had enjoyed the fun all
along like everything but at last it be-
gan TO look serious even to gal with
her nerve. 1t was mighty late at night,
an there she was a standin' afore the
minister's house in Starboro', fifteen
miles from home, an with no more idea
of marryin' Charley Clifford than you or
hev this mint of marryin' Queen Vic
tory.
But Charley put on steam an talked
away to her at tremendous rate on ac-
count of Sans bein' behind 'em. Then
the gal. got all broken up again in the
narves, an while she was a-cryin' and
wringin' her hands, the other wagon