The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1883-04-13
Brave Lying.

"That thunder-shower was one of the
worst things of its kind ever took a
hand in"
would you replenish your glass and
tell us the details?" asked the heavy
man, politely.
1T was in the winter of 40" said the
stranger, stirring his glass refectively.
I'D heerd there was good deal o.
walnut timber in them sections, and 1
was keen to get it. So me and my son
took steamer and went up on the
Northern coast, where no white man
had ever been before. AS soon as we
landed we knowed we had struck it
rich. Gentlemen, there was millions
of acres, all cut and ready for the mar
ket."
might inquire who cut ?" inter-
rogated the heavy man, solemniy.
"You say no white man had ever been
there"
1.-THE polar bears had gnawed it off
searching for honey" replied the stran-
ger, calmly.
$50 on with your thunder-shower.
"Well, as l was telling you, we start
ed right in. and in three weeks we were
richer than any eight men in the States.
There was no end to the luck. Every
thing went our way from the start. We
had all the logs down on the dock and
were only waiting for the boat to come
and take us off, when L seen clouds
making to north'ard and / knowed it
was going to settle in for thick weather.
l told my son to look out, and in less
| than half an hour there broke the dog
gondest storm L ever seed. Rain! Why,
gentlemen, it rained so hard into the
muzzle of my gun that it busted the
derned thing at the breech! Yes, sir
And the water began to rise on us, too
Talk about your floods down South
| Why, gentlemen, the water rose so rap
| idly in our house that it flowed up the
chimney and streamed 800 feet up in
the air! We got it both ways that trip,
up and down."
"Do we understand that you are re-
lating facts within the scope of your
experience?" demanded the heavy man,
with his mouth wide open.
Partially mine and partially my
sons" answered the unabashed strang-
er. "He watched it go up, and 1
watched it come down! But you can
get some idea of how it rained when
tell you that we put ont a barrel with
out any heads in it, and it rained into
the bunghole of that barrel faster than
it could run out at both endsp
(which of you saw that?" inquired q
listener.
ave each watched an end, my son and
me-" returned the stranger. I'm tell
ing you about storm now, gentlemen.
But the worst of all was the lightning.
1t wasn't in streaks; it just stood still
in one flash, and when it got through
YOU should have taken a look at that
timberl That timber was chopped into
the finest sawdust you ever got your eye
ont Fine as snuff! Wasn't stick left
half an inch long! You never saw any
thing like it! There was over $12, 900,
600, 900 gone! We thought we might
save the sawdust to mix paints with,
and save couple of million out of the
wreck, but while we was thinking that
over the wind sprang up, and then there
was music! I've seen some wind In my
time, but no such wind as that ever
blowed before or anywhere elsel Well,
you can get an imperfect notion of how
that wind blew when 1 tell you that it
blowed that sawdust right back into its
former shape, and when that storm
passed off there stood them trees just
where they stood before the bees got
| after them!"