The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1881-10-14

1 thought over Master Jlun's love AFFAIR
as lay in bed that night, and came to
the conclusion that she case was q diff
cult one. You can not always mould
human minds to your own bent and pur-
pose by simply speaking. Hence I came
to the conclusion that Miss Spalding's
love for my old friend ought to be tested
and tried in some way. As my expe.
rience Of human nature goes. there
seems nothing like putting love, of all
human emotions, to some rigid test.
But how the test could be applied to the
case in which I had thus been led to feel
a special interest / knew not.
confessed "a l rolled over to sleep
that did not see my way clear to help
item. Little did think that the NOR
row was to bring the means and the
man. The man was Josiah Blagden,
quire, iron founder, of the firm OF
Blagden & CO., of Birmingham and
elsewhere the means was-my humble
self.
The day after my arrival Mt Rock.
hampton Jim proposed that L should
DIVE with him on his morning round,
aud added he: " Wen call at Mount
Grove on our way home" Mount Grove
was the residence of Mr.. Spalding and
two o'clock found us Mt the gate of a
very nice villa residence. overlooking the
river. and standing within It's own nicely
kept grounds.
We were ushered into the drawing
room, where we found assembled certain
persons whom Jim had not expected tc
see. Mr.. Spalding received me courte.
ously, as also did Mrs. Spalding. Miss
Nelly greeted me most cordially, adding
that she was much pleased to make the
acquaintance of DIR. Brooke's old friend
of whom he so often spoke. In addition
to the family circle OF three, it was clear
there were strangers present. These
latter were Mr.. Josiah Blagden and his
sister. Mr.. Blagden did not impress me
favorably He was a stout, fiorid-com.
plexioned man, remarkable for the ex-
treme breadth of his white waistcoat and
for the profusion of jewelry displayed
thereon.
"a safe man, my dear sir a very safe
man, said Mr. Spalding to me at lunch.
"Why, 1 suppose his turnover is about
half million year-the iron trade,
you know" added the old gentleman by
way of explaining that Mr.. Blagden was
one of the metal-kings of England.
"Self- made man too, said Mr.. Spald-
ing "began life as foundry-boy."
From what L saw of Mr.. Blagden
within the next few weeks, his origin
couldhave been pretty accurately guessed
from the manner in which he impaired
the "foundry-boy's" manners into tie
sphere in which his industry and success
had led him. He was essentially a
vulgar man, who bullied his sister, a
meek, silent little woman, with good
heart and a kindly nature, as [ discovered
later on.
As we drove home from lunch that
day Jim was strangely depressed. /
guessed his thoughts pretty accurately,
for he burst out into TRADE against
Mrs. Spalding on our arrival at home.
:" shouldn't wonder, Regy," said he,
:" if that fellow Bagden has been invited
down here as a sllitor for Nelly. He's a
friend OF Mrs. Spalding's, know. be-
cause she herself comes from the Black
Conntry.'"
Jim's state of mind, from the monQent
he preached this theory, may he better
imagined than described. For the next
three weeks L am bound to say that his
temper was well nigh uncomfortable One
evening at dinner at Mount Grove, felt
half afraid he was going to inhict per-
sonal chastisement upon Mr.. b agden /:
feat | should have much rejOced to
have seen skillfully performed, after the
iron masters coarse invectives against
the medical profession, which had been
called forth during some argument con-
corning doctors fees. Nelly's attitude
toward jim appeared TO have undergone
no perceptible change. She was loving
and gentle as before /; but fancied that
Mrs. Spalding contrived dexterously to
keep Miss klagden and Nelly as fire.
quently together as possible; and thus
Jim's tete-G-tetes were reduced to n mis-
cradle minimum. Worst OF all, as Jim
remarked to me one day, Nelly had con.
fessed that her step mother had on more
than one occasion hinted that Mr.. Blag-
den's visits and stay were not solely
prompted by friendship to her parents.
Mrs. Spalding was, In other words, a
clever woman, playing nice little game
of diplomacy, and while keeping on the
most friendly terms with Jim, was to
my mind furthering her own aims and
lutdS vi IL uluIIlulOulhl illldnCc lOI N6uy
with the elderly iron-founder L know
that most of my readers will say that
Miss Spalding should have settled the
matter for herself, and have given Mr..
Blagden to understand that his atten-
tons were unwelcome and hopeless But
as remarked before, we are not all cast
in one mold and the most loving ma.
lures may sometimes be coerced by
what seems to be their duty, into self.
sacrifice of the most unreasonable kind,
and which can only entail misery i'll the
end.
So things went on at Northampton,
with diplomacy at Mount Grove, and
despair at No. IA High street, where DIR.
James Brooke announced his Willingness
TO relieve the afflicted daily from ten to
eleven q. m, and from six to eight p. m.
I had been sitting cogitating over mat.
tiers one evening at the Red Lion-Jim
having been called TO a distant part OF
his parish-when an idea, founded.
believe, on quotation from an old
French author, occurred to me. The
quotation was to the effect that, "when
moral suasion fails from any cause to
change An opinion. il is lawful to appeal