The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1881-11-04

You could see your way clear 20 marry
inc Seth Hallet. He wants you the
worst kind, and he'll be such good pro-
WIDER"
"But don't like him we'll enough,
Prudy; and 1 want something beside
meat and drink and two calico dresses
Mrs. Prudence Hall had sprained her
ankle. and was forced, sorely against
her will, to sit day after day in an upper
chamber, with terrible consciousness
that everything about the farm was re-
lapsing into chaos and old night for
want of her oversight. Her pretty Sis
ter Dora had come to stay with her; but
she was "onlv child, you know"
"There are two kinds of love in this
world" said Mrs. Hall, after pause, in
which she had been taking counsel with
herself whether Dora was old enough to,
be talked to on such matters at all, and
it flashed upon her that " the child was
nearly 20 years old. " Perhaps you like
Seth well enough to marry him, only
you don't know it."
"Tell me about the two kinds of
love, said Dora, innocently. 1 thought
love was love the world over"
ct have never known but one kind,
think, Dora. When L married David
Hall he was the most well-to-do young
man in these parts, and we never had
quarrel while he lived. He was a good
practical sort of man, and never asked
me to do anything unreasonable"
"What if he had ?" asked Dora.
II el
him out of it. But there is a kind OF
love that will draw women through fire
and water. 1t makes them throw them
selves away on poor, shiftless men that
will never provide for them nor their
children, and they know it as we'll as
any one else does. 1t is the greatest
wonder to me why such senseless feel
ing should ever have been created"
Dora had bent low over her work to
hide her roguish smiles at her sisters
DISCOURSE; but at this point she fixed
her deep gray eyes on Prudence, not
smiling, but simply earnest. "Such
love brings happiness sometimes, sup
pose" said Dora.
"Next to never" said Prudence, with
great decision. 1--WE amt made to be
happy, and anything that's too good al
ways leaves bad taste in the mouth.
Comfort is bird in the hand, and you
don't gain anything by letting it fly on
the chance of happiness.
odd you ever know any one about
here, Prudence, that threw herself away
for love? 1t seems to me they won't
look at man unless he has house and
farm all ready for them"
.,<xIk
Prudence. "You are rather given to
high flying notions, and it's time you
found out that bread don't grow ready
buttered. Yes, did know one girl,
who was pretty and smart and had no
end of chances to get married q think
my David courted her a spell, but he
never would own it), and she would have
that shiftless critter Joe Raymond, who
never could make one hand wash the
other. Even when she was a-dying she
pretended that she had been happy and
wouldn't have done no other way if she
had it to do over again"
"Was she our Joe's mother?" asked
Dora quickly.
Z" Yes, to be sure and when she died
we took him to bring up and work on
the farm. He's more than paid his
way but he's a rolling stone like his
father, and won't never come to any
thing. l forgot to tell you-he's going
tomorrow"
Going tomorrow e" cried Dora, with
a great start CT thought his time
wasn't out for another MONTH"
"Well, it amt out rightly till he's 81;
but he was in such hurry to be off that
/ gave him the last MONTH"
Then silence fell upon them.
These two women had the same father
and mother, though q score of years lay
between them. Prudence had been born
in the early married life of her parents,
when they were struggling with a stony
New England farm and there was work
for even baby hands. The lines of duty
and patience were deep-graved in her
rugged face, which yet beamed with
kindly common sense. But Dora had
come to her mother late in life, as an old
tree sometimes blossoms into loneliness
after every one has forgotten it. Her
little feet had walked in easy paths and
Prudence yearned over her like a mother.
She sat now by the open fire, bending
her graceful head over some delicate
work that Prudence would never have
found time for; her red dress and the
Pickering freight made her picture
too lovely for that dull room. "Pru-
dence," she said suddenly, Gas this is
Joe's last night, I think I'll go down and
say good-by to him."
"You might call him up here"
q" No; think viii go myself"
81 believe 1 haven't ever told you,
Dora, how much you pleased me by Civ.
ing up that childish way of going on
with him that you used to have. 1t did
very well for you to be fond of each
other when you we're little, but of course
it is out of the question now.
It might have been the red dress and
the fire light that brought such vivid
flush to Dora's cheek as she listened and
turned away. She ran lightly down.
stairs and opened the door OF the great
farm-kltchen. -.--.----.-.-.s-.--.----..-.s
A young man sat by the dull fire, look
ing into II as one looks into the eyes of
an enemy before the fight-an overgrown
farmer-boy, In homemade clothes, with
nothing about him to fall in love with,