The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1881-08-19

Men Dngley, dnrfng the two months
she had been ut Ne Go. had completely
enthralled him; how she had at times
seemed to invite him on, until he all bat
avowed his love, and again had repe.ied
him with sudden reserve. He did not
fancy the mistress of the Spread Eagle
for a confidant; bat she was not to be
put off,
That's oil there is of it?" she echoed
mockingly. "Be you a man? Have ye
axed her to marry your
"No."
'"rhen go straight as the Lord an
crooked pathll let ye to the Kuunel's
house, all put it to hex far and sqnar
Ye won't? Then yer fool. Whars
the gal as wonld say No to Billy Wilk?
l seen her a-lookin at ye t'other day,
when 20 warnt awares, an she loves
we, Billy--jes' as sun as do, an mebbe
ies as much. OFF with ye. now-off
with ye"
There were faces at the window. The
miners had grown impatient. and were
Watching their ambassador in his con-
versation with Ag, though they could
not hear it. One Of them ventured to
open the door.
Come in, Bantam" said Billy, sand
bring the boys, Ag understands it now. :"
"Whoo-oop, hooray!" shouted Ban
tam.
The whole party crowded noisily into
the bar room.
"'Twas q misunderstanding. and /
apolygizes," said Ag heartily. What {.
more. sets 'em up. Ye can drink all We
want in the Spread Eagle twixt now and
midnight. bat We can't pay a cent"
A yell and a wild rush to the bar was
the unanimous response. In the midst
OF the hilarious uproar Billy Wilk slip
ped out, unobserved by any one except
Ag. who was performing wonderful feats
with glasses and bottles behind the bar.
He went directly to Nell Dingley.
The carousal at the Spread Eagle sur
passed all it's predecessors. Probably
the free bar was the cause of it. Not
that the assembled gentlemen OF No Go
selfshly drank faster because there was
nothing to pay; but the absence of fl
nance Confined the operations to liquor
and facilitated them. In a single half
hour the company was dead drunk, aud
the rest were nearly so, with two excep-
TONS Ag had drank an amount which
to her was in effect nothing at all. The
other sober person in the room was tall.
lean, long haired and sallow. He did
not show miners clothes or manners.
He might have been gambler, or
preacher, according to how the min
formed observer construed his closely
shaven face. self-assTed manner. and
smooth garb. Why he WAS there he
could not himself have explained. He
had not drunk with the registers. nor Ell
tered in the least iato the fellowship of
their spree. The lack of any other way
of spending the evening was probably
the only explanation OF his presence.
The others knew him as Arnold Watts.
an associate in some capacity of Col
Dingley in the mill enterprise, and their
opinions differed as TO the rumor that
gave him the distinction of killing two
men and wounding third at scrim-
mage down at Guillion's Bar. Those
who believed this story spoke of him with
becoming respect; those who did not
were occasionally insolentto his face. Ag
watched him furtively, while seeming to
be wholly engaged in emptying bottles
into tumblers He sat III tipped back
chair, with his half closed eyes idly fol-
lowing the antics of the men who were
yet on their feet, and n glass of whisky
untouched on the table beside him.
When Billy Wilk returned. Ag saw
that Nell Dingley had rejected him. She
did not need to ask him whether the girl
said ives" or mo" She paused in her
work involuntarily, because she was
dumbfounded. That any woman could
resist Billy's wooing was beyond her
comprehension. She covertly beckoned
him to the bar, and poured from the hid
den bottle, out of sight, Drummer from
the private stock. He caught up the
glass and drank the whisky III gulps.
Leaning across the bar. and closing her
hands over one of his fists, she said:
'She must be foolin' we Billy. Gals
will amoose themselves. Durn her white
hide"
''She didn't fool me, Ag." And Billy
was low, rapid and earnest in his speech.
"She owned she loved me. There
wasn't q shadow of coquetry in all she
did. I've had her in my arms, Ag--
right atop my heart, here"
"Thar-dont mind that. What made
her iilt ye? Skip the rest, an get to
that"
Because she must marry the mar
who sits at the table-Arnold Watts.
Don't glare at him-he mustn't know
what she's told me. He's the real owner
Of the mill, because he owns Colonel
DINGHY, and he demands the Colonies
daughter for wife. He carries in the
belt under his shirt note which the
Colonel was somehow driven TO forge.
So it's prison for the father, or the altar
with the girl It's heavens truth. Ag,
for she said so. Oh, / could kill the
scoundrel."
He turned from the bar toward Watts
so ferociously, and spoke so loud. that
even Bantam, who had been motionless
on his back for ten minutes. sat up and
stared. Ag was outside the bar in an
instant, grasping Billy in her brawny
arms, and forcing him TO the door lead
ing to the boarders' rooms.
1.-THE pizen's got to his top" she said,
forcing a laugh. "Thar's the trouble
with brainy chaps-they haint got no
capacity. He's only fit for bed. an
fl,ot'o x,,l,ar hnto