The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1881-11-11
PETTIBsNE'S COURTSHIP.

concert. She was tidy, black-eyed
young woman i'll pink ribbons.
thought / had never beheld such Wis
ion of purely mundane loneliness. Per-
haps / never had--I was young then.
Attending her was tall, lank youth
with a freckled skin and red hair,
against whom / conceived at once an
invincible prejudice. L did not know
the Young man. Worse still, L did not
know Jane, and worst of all, he did. l
naturally hated him profoundly for this
advantage.
violent means l took to scrape an &C
quaintance, how 1 surreptitiously fol-
lowed the pink ribbons home and
stealthily read the name " Porter on
the door-plate how 1 haunted the
street in my Sunday-clothes till made
myself an object of suspicion to the
police how l discovered that her father
was dentist, and that she had form
liable step-mother how 1 found out
the church she attended, and hired
seat behind her; how L sent her valen-
tines, left anonymous bouquets on the
doorstep, and all, alas to 40 purpose.
1t is needless to describe my bitter but
futile chagrin all this time at seeing the
red-headed youth frequent the house on
the most familiar terms nothing, GER
tainly, but nay native frmness of prin-
ciple saSed him from assassination.
Driven at length to desperate straits,
I resorted to desperate expedient. l
went to consult her father professional
ly. 1 entered his Office with guilty mis-
givings. 1 trembled lest he should
divine my real purpose. He was thin
little man with weak voice and hack
ing cough. None the less L regarded
him with profound reverence. Nay, /
invested him with an air of distinction !;
was not he the father of Jane? Indeed,
/ esteemed it an undeserved honor to be
allowed to remain in his presence, so
long had yearned to know somebody
who belonged to her, my hearts idol. l
may say, briefly, in passing, that pres
emily recovered from that yearning.
But to return to the point, let me pre-
mise that 1 had fine teeth. had never
felt twinge of toothache in my life,
but nevertheless, that cold, hard, re-
morseless little-but no; / will not stig-
Matte him now. Poor wretch, his path
was not of roses, and he has long since
gone the way of all the living. Suffice
1t to say he examined my teeth !; he
punched and prodded with various
tools he filed to find nerve; he failed
to make me vince. think he was very
much disappointed; nevertheless he pre-
served an ominous silence. L consulted
his face he wore an inscrutable but de-
termined expression. i asked him
feebly if he found anything requiring
attention. He uttered vague and in.
articulate exclamation and n Jceeded to
set forth tray of diabolica looking in
struments; wrenches, gouges, vises,
hooks, files, pinchers and scrapers, to-
gether with much aotton wool and cold
water, as though he expected a hemor-
rhage. My heart began to beat like a
trip-hammer and my stomach felt as
though it were sinking intoa bottomless
pit. 1 affected to laugh, while clammy
perspiration bedt Eed my forehead.
"Ha ha !" L cried hoarsely. "Why,
doctor, you look as though you-you
were preparing for a campaign"
The doctor with q grim taciturnity
went on with his preparations, during
which every shred of courage oozed
from my craven heart.
"Do-do You find that there is much
to be done? ?" / asked at length, huslIily.
1--WE shall see better, presently" he
returned coldly, as he examined the
point of fiendish-lookipg instrument
and waited for me to resume recum-
bent position. L lay back submissively,
and he began to file away on a magnifi-
cent molar.
maintained my self-control by con-
stantly repeating: cit is James father,
and, after all, what signifies one tooth p
During pause in his proceedings,
while he stopped to rest his arms, L took
advantage of the opportunity to make
a slight advance.
DIR. Porter" I began, "you are
ahem-haven't seen you at the Rev.
DIR. Longtext's church ?"
Quite likely"
Very fine preacher, Mr.. Long
text?"
81 don't agree with YOU"
"Ah, indeed, that isl meant to say
it is pleasant to go there on account of
the music.
"The choir Is abOminable.
This was not encouraging. L SUISSE
quently learned that, having for many
years been dragged to this church by
his strong-minded wife, DIR. Porter held
everything connected with it in detesta
ton.
After this rebuff 1 lay back again in
the operating-chair, seeing no other al
Tentative. This time he began on the
upper jaw.
"What, another? Excuse me" / cried
struggling into a sitting posture. pray
excuse me, but-er-do you thinks
there anything-what can be the mattel
with that tooth ?"
The implacable little doctor looked
coldly out of the window and made nc
reply.
% 1 think" continued, weakly, &C.
think that perhaps / won't have any
thing more done at this time"