The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1884-06-19

Vi
it always struck him as being decidedly
immense. Besides, though Mr.. Wop-
ping had been in the Secret service
some time, he had never before been
appealed to for help by such fascinat-
ing, darling little daisy of q girl as this
one was.
do not alarm yourself unnecessary
~" said he, gallantly. off the most
faithful care on my part can pre-
vent it, your room shall remain undis-
turbed.'
"And the hotel people will be sure to
have more guards stationed about the
house in future, won't they?" asked she,
anxiously.
ut is against my orders to answer
that question"
Then you may expect another vista
ton at any moment" said she, dis
pairingly.
Lightning doesn't usually strike
twice in the same place." returned the
grandiloquent Wopping; "still / can
assure you that for the next month, at
least, the house will be well watched. Z"
"And-Mr. Wopping began the
beauty, hesitatingly.
you may command me" said the
detective, with most expressive look.
"If-if you'd only sit next me at
meals, I'd feel safer" This with q
charming little smile that would have
melted heart of iron. "And if you'll
forgive me for speaking to you-of
course l am a stranger-but pa will
make it right with you for all your care
and trouble, and I'll be so much
obliged"
Believe me, am only too glad to
be of service to yeu," cried he, ecstat-
ically.
"And here is my card. Papa is a
superannuated Presbyterian minister
from the West. You have heard of
him, perhaps-Mr. Rev. Richardson, of
c." mentioning well-known West
ern city.
Yes, Mr.. Wopping had heard of the
Rev. Mr.. Richardson, and, in fact,
knew him very we'll by hearsay. And
he put her card carefully away in his
breast pocket with great impressment.
Gear nothing, Miss Richardson. l
will guard you with my life"
THANK you. You are so kind, and I
am so much obliged to you, dear Mr..
Wopping."
And, with radiant smile, the owner
of the little red heels. and the floating
draperies, and the glancing curls, dis
appeared from his enraptured vision.
Mr.. Wopping was fresh from the
city. On account of recent great rob-
berry that had taken place beneath its
roof, the proprietors of the Ocean Grove
House, q cheap summer resort on the
seashore, had seen fit to employ de-
tective to ferret out the perpetrators
and bring them to justice, and Mr..
Wopping, in that capacity, had just been
making tour of the house, taking the
lay of the land" as it were, at the time
Miss Richardson had accosted him.
"Poor little DEAR" calculated he, as
he thought of her unprotected condition
$50 young, so beautiful, and so lonely
For the first time in my life 1 have met
the realization of my ideal"
Mr.. Woppiug soon saw that the
pretty Miss Richardson did not seem to
languish for the want of company.
Society opened its arms to her with
general accord, and he could not help
but see that the dear little Richardson"
was the belle of the house.
To be sure, however, he felt that
he had secured the inside track" as
it were; for, in obedience to her request,
he sat next to her at meals, and in a
thousand and one little ways she made
him feel that he was the man-par ex-
cellence.
Mr.. Wopping had been at the Ocean
House two weeks now, and he was no
nearer a solution of the robbery than
he had been on the first day. In truth,
he was not so near. Time glided along
on golden wings. He measured It's
flight only by remembering the hours
spent with the radiant little Richardson.
He was deeply, very deeply in love.
The rat-a-tat-tat OF her red-heeled shoes
set him in culver of delight. The
chance contact of her floating golden hair
filled him with burning passion. To lie
at her feet on the sands and quote Ten
nyson by the hour was heavenly de-
light. He forgot his duties, and his
professional zeal seemed to have for
saken him. But if Mr.. Wopping found
himself dead in love with the pretty
Richardson, he knew that twenty other
men were in exactly the same fix. Not
that Miss Richardson firted, for she
did not. She was discretion itself
But there was a seductive grace about
her-a bewildering witchery in motion
and smile, in look and tone, that did
the business for them beyond all power
of resistance.
And right here, when nobody was ex-
pecting such thing, particularly with
detective in the house, one of the
boarders was robbed of 5000 and dia-
mond pin. This made two robberies
now committed inside of six weeks.
The guests were indignant, the land
lord Mortified. Mr.. Wopping alone
was paralyzed.
"Oh, Mr.. Wopping," cried Miss
Richardson, with tears in her pretty
eyes, as they took their usual morning
stroll to the arbor. you told me
yourself that lightning never strikes
twice in the same place. What do you
think of this? ?"
Il don't think" said he, in disgust.
Il shall certainly go home to papa
after this" cried she. "Another day in
this awful house, where the rooms are
burglarized, as these seem to be, will
be the death of me. My things are al
packed, and shall go on the afternoon