The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1880-06-11

Deen Ill tne ulnlng-rOOm au inc rectOry,
but then there was great lubberly cub
of footman to lug them about. The
Fireplace was particularly neat. 1t had
an old brass fender, polished up to
the semblance of gold, delineating
in its pattern divers birds and
beasts, the like of which never entered
Noah's ark, but they had right to go
in by sevens, for they were as clean as
a penny. The poker looked like
toothpick, the shovel like an Old-fash-
Toned salt spoon, and the tongs like a
pair of tweezers. The little black
stove shone with an icy GOODNESS, as if
the maid had been scrubbing it all the
morning to keep herself warm; and the
cut paper was arranged over the vacant
bars with cruel exactitude that gave
no hopes of fire. The ladies themselves
looked as old as the fireplace; and L
could hardly help thinking that stove
without fire, Mt the coldend of August,
looked something like an old maid.
The ladies, however, were very chatty;
they all spoke together-or nearly so
for when one began the others went on,
one after another, in the way and after
the manner of catch, or, more accu-
rately speaking, perhaps somewhat in
the similitude of fugue. They talked
very loud and sat very upright, which
last circumstance L should have thought
very conducive to health, but they were
not healthy; the fact is, they lived too
sparingly, for their father had left much
less than had been expected, and they
were obliged to keep up appearances, rs
they still visited the first families in the
neighborhood. BY living together they
had very much assimilated in manners !;
they all had the same sharp, shrill
voice, and the same short, snappy, not
snappish, manner of speaking.
When 1 called on them L had not
dined, but supposed they had, for they
asked me to stay and drink tea with
them though l should have preferred
dinner to tea, yet for the sake of such
old acquaintance L was content to let
that pass. They pressed me very much
to take glass of wine, and L yielded
but afterward repented it. Single ell
derby ladies are very much imposed on in
the article of wine ill-luck to those who
cheat them Then we had tea / knew
the old cups and saucers again, and the
little silver cream jug, and the sugar
tongs, made like a pair of scissors L was
glad to see the tea-urn, for it helped to
warm the room. The tea made us
quite communicative not that it was
strong enough to intoxicate quite the
contrary, it was rather weak. 1
should also have been glad of some
more bread and butter, but they handed
me the last piece, and could not think
of taking it, so it went into the kitchen
for the maid, and / did not grudge it
her, for she seemed, by the way, to be
not much better fed than her mistresses.
She was n neat, respectable young
woman.
After tea we talked again about old
times, and | gave several broad hints
and limitations that L should like to
hear their respective histories in other
words, l wished to know how it WAS
that they had all remained single for
the history of an old maid Is the nara
tive OF her escapes from matrimony.
Ny intimation was well received, and
my implied request was complied with.
Mary, as the eldest, commenced:
:" believe you remember my friend,
Mr.. M"
81 do so, and is he living?"
He is, and still single"
smiled and said, "Indeed !" The
lady smiled not.
EYES," continued the narrator, "he
is still living and still single. L have
occasionally seen him, but very seldom
of late years. You remember, L dare
say, what cheerful companion he was,
and how very polite. He was quite of
the old school, but that was only as re-
garded his external manners. In his
opinion he partook too much of the new
school. He was one of the Liberal
party at Cambridge: and, though he
was generally very serious and good
man, he perplexed his head with some
strange notions, and, when the time
came that he should take orders, he de-
clined doing SO, on account of some OBJ
jections he had to some of the Thirty
nine Articles. Some people have gone
SO far as to say that he was no better
than a Socinian, though L do not be-
lieve he was ever so bad as that. Still,
however, it would never do for the
daughter of Clergyman to marry man
who had any doubt concerning any of
the Thirty-nine Articles. We did all in
our power W COIlNlllCci ulll tlidt lie WIS
wrong, and he did all in his power to
convince us that he was right but it
was all to no purpose. Indeed, he
seemed to consider himself kind of
martyr, only because we talked to him.
He argued most ingeniously that exact
conformity of opinion was not essential
to happiness. But could not think it
correct to marry man who had any
doubts concerning the articles for, as
my father very justly observed, when a
man once begins to doubt it is impossi-
bic to say where it will end. And so
the matter went on from year to year,
and SO it remains still, and so it is likely
to the end of the chapter will never
give up the Thirty-nine Articles"
All the sisters said that she was per-
fectly right and then Martha told her
story, saying: cit was just about the
time that you were visiting Littleton
that Mr.. B, who had long paid me
very particular attention, made me an
offer. Mr.. B was not man of
frst-rate talents, though he did not
want for understanding he was also