The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1883-08-10

y
ish, TO say the least. That being the case,
he was warmly invited to repeat his
visit.
This he did several times but, just as
no was established on q footing of toll
cradle intimacy, Miss Warner left
her aunt and went to Covel
ON a visit to some other friends. While
there she joined some sort of class
that was organized for the purpose of
studying certain branches of learning,
and soon three of her cousins joined the
same class and stopped at the same
house she did. They dressed consid-
erably alike, and appeared to be about
of the same age; and, as they attended
the meetings of their class in the fore
noon and afternoon, they nearly always
passed our Office window four times. q
day; for our Office was on the direct
route between the residence of Mrs.
Winans, the stopping place of the girls,
apd the school-house. There were
others passing, but you may imagine
that group of four lively young girls,
all of them tolerably good-looking,
was not long in attracting the attention
of the bachelor portion of our estab-
lishment, nor were we long in finding
out that this was the "Winans crowd"
as they were called oil summer. Then
tho question of forming their acquaint-
ance came up, and here / had the
heels of the other boys, metaphoric-
ally speaking. l knew what L would
do. L would call up the members of
the orchestra, and we would go and
serenade them. Just what useful pur-
pose this was to serve, could not
exactly tell; but we went all the same.
sang song or two that L had learned
of John, accompanying myself on the
guitar. Then we played several instru-
mental pieces and We're preparing to
go, when q blind of an upper window
was thrown open, and white hand and
arm were thrust out waving some small
object, which suddenly came fluttering
to the ground like q white dove. Invent
back and got it. AS soon as possible L
gratiiied my own curiosity and that of
the other boys by striking match and
looking at the white object, which
proved to be a hauilerchief, with the
name MAY Warner neatly stenciled in
one corner.
(Which one is that?" asked the boys
of one another.
1T is the little one with the black
hair and eyes," said one
NO that is Nellie something or
other said Alfonso, with such Pc
culiar information that we concluded he
must have been making private inquir-
les, and that he knew quite as well what
the something or other" was as he did
the identity of Mollie.
1T must be, old fellow, that you are
slightly interested in that quarter. Eth ?
Come now, my dear Alfonso"
This he disclaimed, but with such
guilty blush that instantly we told
him he had "given himself away
Let me explain that by this time
we had lit the lamps, to say nothing of
our cigars, which were always left in
the office for our convenience. Some
one suggested that it must be the
slender blonde; this time no one had
the hardihood to deny it, and jim was
constituted committee of one TO find
out just "who was who" and report to
us the next meeting. In the meantime
that handkerchief reposed in my breast
| pocket. 1t gave me an odd, pleasant
feeling that can't explain, to have that
feminine article in my undisputed pos
session. She must have seen me, /
thought, and liked my looks; so she
took that way to let me know it. The
next evening Jim was ready with his
report. We found out afterward that
| the shy rascal knew all about it from
H. I'll L,
of one of the girls. But he pretended
that he had obtained his information at
infinite pains, and had been obliged to
go through unheard of difficulties to
| find out that which was embodied in his
report. Very deliberately he proceeded
to read from a manuscript:
Friends and fellow-citiZens: You
will readily conceive that upon this mo.
mentous and never-to-be-"
"Stop!" we shouted as one man.
"Plain facts and no foolishness, or il
will be the worse for you, my man."
He knew we'll that we would give
him worse trick than that, so he
came down" at once.
"Well, then, the little brunette is
Mollie Bell. The blonde is Gussie
Ray. The one with the gray eyes and
chestnut curls is SADIE, otherwise, Sallit
or Sarah Thompson. and the remaining
one Is as you must know by this time,
Miss May Warner. They are all cousins,
and related, in some mysterious way, to
Mrs. Winans. Further than this an
unable to say"
"WeN done, my dear SIR" 1 re-
sponded, for L had sneaking notion
all along as to (which was switch, Of
the school-boy says, and it had turned
out as had hoped.
Then commenced the merciless rail
lery of the boys. A thousand questions
AZ to the reason of my taking the sere
naders there; WHY the handkerchie
was thrown down; and all the time
they were exchanging winks and laugh
ing in the most provoking manner,
To hear them make remarks to on,
another, for me to hear, became utterly
insupportable; and 1 was just gettine
desperate, when 1 learned of part,
that WAS soon to be at the house of Mrs
Winans. Here was another chance fo
scramble. This time was determined
it should be of some avail, for would
go soon enough to be invited in, ON,