The true northerner., 1882-12-15

Caroline's nose, which made Flushing
ton feel vaguely that he ought ut least
to offer 10 return it.
Presently one of the girls whispered
to her mother, who laughed indulgent-
ly. "What do you think this silly child
wants me ask you now, Fred?" she
said. "She says she would 10 like TO
see what you look like with your college
cap and gown on! Will you put them
OH, just to please hcr?"
SO Flushington had to put them on,
and wa k slowly up and down the room
in them, feeling all the time what dis
mai spectacle Le was making of him.
self, WI the girls were plainlx di.ap-
pointed, and remarked that somehow
they had thought the academical cost
ume more becoming.
Then began hotiy-maintained cate
chism upon his studies, his amusements,
his friends, and his mode of life gener-
ally; which he met with uneasy shift
ings and short, timid answers that they
did not appear to think altogether sat
isfactory.
Indeed, the aunt, who had by this
time felt the potted ham beginning to
disagree with her. asked him, with
something of severity in her tone,
whether he went to church regularly {:
and he said that he didn't go to church,
but was always regular at chapel.
On this she observed coldly that she
was sorry to hear her nephew was a
Dissenter; and Flushington was much
too shy to attempt to explain the mis-
understanding: he sat quiet and felt
miserable, while there was another un-
comfortable pause.
The cousins were whispering together
and laughing over little private jokes,
and he after the manner of sensitive
men, OF course, imagined they were
laughing mt him-and perhaps he was
not far wrong on this occasion. SO he
was growing hotter and hotter every
second, inwarlly cursing his whole race,
and wishing that his father had been
foundling-when there came another
tap at the door.
why, that must be poor old Sopby!"
said his aunt. Fred, You remember
old Sophy-no, you can't, you were
only baby when she came to live with
us, but she'll remember you. She
begged 80 hard to be taken, and 80 We
told her she might come on here slowly
after us.
And then an old person in black
bonnet came feebly in and was consid-
erably affected when she saw Flushing
ton. "To think" she quavered, ito
think as my dim old eyes should see the
child as I've enursed on my lap grown out
into college gentlemanl" And shr
hugged Flushington and wept on his
shoulder, till he was almost cataleptic
with confusion.
But as she grew calmer she became
more critical; she confessed to certain
feeling of disappointment with Flush
ington he had not filled out, she said,
so fine as he'd promised to fill out"
And when she asked if he recollected
how he wouldn't be washed unless they
put his little wooden horse on the wash
stand, and what business it was to
make him swallow his castor-oil, it
made Flushington feel like fool.
This was quite bad enough; but ut
last the girls began TO go round his
rooms, eXclaiming at everything, adj
miring his pipe and umbrella racks, his
buffalo horns, and his quaint wooden
kettle-holder, until they happened to
come across his French novel; and,
being unsophisticated colonial girls,
with q healthy ignorance of such litera-
ture, they wanted Flushington 10 toll
them what it was all about.
His presence of mind had gone long
before, and this demand threw him into
a violent perspiration. He could not
invent, and he was painfully racking
his brain to find some portion of the
tale which would bear repetition, when
there was another knock at the door.
At this Flushington was perfectly
dumb with horror he prepared himself
blankly for another aunt with fresh
relay OF female cousins, or more old
family servants who had washed him in
his infancy, and he sat there covering.
But, when the door opened, D tall,
fair-haired, good-looking young fellow,
who, from his costume, had evidently
just come up from the tennis-court,
came bursting in impulsively
"Oh, ] say!" he began, have you
heard-have y u seen? Oh, beg par
don, didn't see, you know!" he added,
as he noticed the extraordinary fact
that Flushington had people mp.
"Oh, let me introduce you," said
Flushington, with n vague idea that
this was the proper thing to DO. MIR.
Lushington, Mrs.-no, don't know her
name-my aunt-my cousins
The young man, who had just been
about TO retire, bowed and stared with
a sudden surprise. "Do you know"
he said slowly to the other, Il rather
think that's my aunt!"
lin afraid not" whispered Flush
ington; she seems quite sure she's
mine"
We'll, I've got an aunt and cousins
I've never seen before coming mp to-
day, said the newcomer, land yours is
uncommonly like the portrait of mine. "
IF they belong to you. do take them
away!7 said Flushington feebly. II
don't think l can keep up much longer.
what are you whispering about,
Fred" cried the aunt; lis it something
we are not to know?"
"He says he thinks there's been a
mistake and vou're not nv amt" ex-