The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1882-02-03
BOUGHT OFF.
by q. MANvLLE FEM.

I'm afraid | was very foolish, but ii q
woman is not trusting toward the NAL
she loves, where is her love? IN those
cary days, before time aud trouble have
made me the faded old young woman
that you see, people said | was pretty,
and / was very, very glad. Not from
any weak, coquettish reasons, or from
fondness of admiration, but simply on
account of Harry, who liked me the bet
ter, / know, because | had handsome
face
People tell me I was foolish to care for
him, and that / had better look else
where: but my choice was made, and,
though my own father and mother shook
their heads at me and said it was n mis-
take, L pleaded so hard ON his behalf
that they ceased to find fault, and so
matters went on.
l was in service III those days i'll n
place that my mistress made quite a
home for me, and l should have been
very happy indeed but for my love-affair
with Harry. His troubles were, OF
course, my troubles, and when he used
to run across from the town twice week
to see me, and tell me about how harsh
and bitter his father was TO him, used
TO have many good cry on his ac-
count.
I'm about the unluckiest fellow I'M
der the sun, Kitty" he used to say.
Father says I'm NO good, and the
sooner | go across the seas the better. "
But, Harry" / said, "why not be
patient? Your father is old, and has had
endless troubles; 1T makes him peevish
and fretful. You should bear with him.
Do. pray, for my sake try"
" Tryl I've tried till L am sick of it.
Everything l make in the workshop is
wrong, no ma ter how it's done, and the
more pains / take. the more he grum-
bles."
whispered such comfort as / could,
and, full of pity for the man [ loved,
eYmpathized with him most thoroughly,
thinking that he was hardly dealt with,
but still urging patience aud forbear-
ance with those who, perhaps, were
uuduly tried.
One summer evening | had permits
SION to go out, for Harry was to fetch
me, and take me to his home to tea ard
TO spend the evening. | was very much
flushed and excited, for / dreaded meet
ing the old people, his father in partic.
7ilar. who was always so stern md harsh
with Harry.
II was delicious evening, aad all
seemed so bright and beautiful as /
walked across the fields with Harry that
mine seemed to he quite anew existence,
and laughed merrily when he turned
to me and began 70 say that my cheeks
Hnc nd thot 1n
very glad, because he wanted me to look
my best and make pleasant impression
upon the old folks
Harry's father was n carpenter and
builder in small way of business, and
tradcsman seemed so high above me
as servant that, rs / reached the house,
the color faded from my cheeks, and /
grew quite pale rs / felt sure that
Harry's people would think | was not
good enough for their son.
And so it seemed, when / entered the
snug parlor where tea was set out, and
the evening sunshine was making the
china and silver spoons glisten on the
jetty-black tray. Everything, from the
flowers to the furniture, looked so
bright that for the moment | could do
nothing but admire the place. There |
was, gazing in Understanding fashion
at the stern-looking gray old man with
such keen blue eyes, and at the gentle
sweet-faced old lady who came TO meet
me Mt the door.
They were both very kind and polite
60 me, but it seemed as if they hardly
liked my coming, and were distant and
cold. OF course this made me nervous,
and sat there trembling in spite OF the
rather boisterous way in which Harry
kept on talking and bantering me for
being so quiet and dull
Why, mother" he said, she's
generally as merry N cricket. aud
goes about the house singing like a
lark
.Let the young woman bide, Harry"
said his father quietly. "Sbe's eating
her meal, and behaving nicely enough.
What more do Won want
CT don't want her TO be GUM, M girl
with the toothache," said Harry, and
/ want you TO see her as she really is.
We eau see plainly enough, Harry"
said his mother, in rather cold way;
and. of course, all this made me more
uncomfortable than was before, 81 That
when, twice over, Harry began joking
and making fun of me again, / looked at
him so appcalingly, silently asking him
to leave off. that old Mr.. Smith noticed
Il and frowned while an hour later,
when I was quietly talking to- Harry's
mother as / sat by her side doing some