The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1886-01-07
The Red HAIRED ENGINEER.
By the Author of so Blue; The Story Of
a Girton Girl" Etc., Etc.
CHAPTER !.

l.
"Estelle, are you ready?"
A little shrek of horror is the answer
and in another moment Estelle Verries
comes flying down stairs, boots unbuttoned
neckerchief unfastened, hat and gloves in
hand.
my angelic Mary, if you scold me
shall die! Blame the chair you have put
into my room. 1t is positively too seductive
i could not keep awake in it, Suddenly
hear n great strike of the clock; | Jump
up and find / have only little tiny five
minutes to dress in! Ali dear. patient
Mary, forgive the foreigner and her abom-
Unable ways"
"Never mind about apologizing, child,
but button your boots and put your hat
on"
my boots!" Estelle looks down at them
in despair, and then dropping on her knees
in the hall, tries TO do them up with her
weak little fingers.
Mary Cotterell pulls her up, orders her
peremptorily into hall chair, and drawing
button hook from her own pocket pro-
ceeds TO do up the high foreign boots.
There! Now turn slowly round, and
let me see that you are all right"
Estelle obeys submissively. II hadn't
time to do my hair again" she explains.
so / see; but as it is always rough. that
makes very little difference. / suppose
you must do now. Put on your gloves;
and where's your parasol?"
up stairs. / don't want it,"
"Yes, you do. I'll get it for you"
Estelle doesn't object mt all; but when
Mary comes down again she filings both
arms around her, and Calls her her best
beloved cabbage.
"Tell me, Mary" she asked, as they
walked down the garden on their way to
Mrs. Charlesworth's tennis party, will that
dreadful red-haired engineer be there
you know; the man who is so stupid and
gduehe?"
"Sure to be-" said Mary dryly. Hes de-
voted TO Eva Charlesworth."
"Poor girl l pity her." observed Mdlle
Verries, emphatically.
"Oh, you needn't do that; she doesn't
care fig for him. And, besides, the
dreadful red haired engineer, as you po-
Gtely call Arthur Rivers, is very good
fellow"
IL call him beastl" said Estelle, with
exceeding frankness.
"Now, Estelle," said Mary sharply, II
won't have you pick up bad words from my
young brothers, and / won't have YOU
speak rudely of my friends"
"Do you like him?" inquired her COM
panion, stepping forward so as to get a
good look at her face.
Certainly" replied Mary, not the least
disconnected by the mischievous scrutiny of
the dark eyes.
Estelle let go of her arm, and held up
both hands in amaZement.
"You are funny, you English! You
positively like people because they are
good"
Certainly" replied Mary again.
but men never are good" answered Es-
telle, changing foreground.
''Oh, indeed"
'My mother says SO, and the knows
Your poor mother was unfortunate in
her experience of them; but surely, because
one Englishman was wicked husband to
her, she would not condemn all the rest?"
''Oh, that is only part of what she knows"
said Estelle, confidently. ''She has seen a
great deal of life, and she has always taught
me necer to trust any man at all, however
good he may SEEM"
Mary was silent, not liking to say what
she thought of such training.
Estelle's French mother had been forced;
when hardly more than child, into mar
riage with n wealthy Englishman, who had
treated her with neglect and brutality, and
finally deserted her. Released from CALLING
bonds by the Intervention of the law, she had
Immediately quilted his hated country, and
retired with little Estelle to quiet suburb
of Paris, where the child was brought up
to call herself French, and to hate every
thing that was English. Yet, when an in
vitation came from Mrs. Cotterell for Es-
telle to spend whole summer with her at
Coppenham, the girls reluctance to 90 was
overriden by her mother, who never forgot
that the Cotterells, husband and wife, had
been the only people in England whose
sympathy she had been able to accept or re-
ly on. So Estelle nerved herself for a visit
TO Ter native country, and, once at Coppen-
ham, found to her surprise that she was
going to enjoy herself. She found English
country life charmingly novel; she particu-
iarly liked the admiration accorded to her
beauty and vivacity; and she took at once
TO Mary Cotterell, who had much of her
mothers intelligent tact and thoughtful
ness.
The two girls had walked on another
hundred yards or SO without speaking, when
Mary was reused from her reflections by
feeling her arm suddenly pinched. Look
ing up, she discovered rapidly approaching
them the young man whose goodness" had
been so summarily disposed of by Estelle a
few minutes previously.
He certainly was not beauty.
Slightly above the average height, and
disproportionately large, he not only had
no good looks to boast of, but carried him.
self particularly badly, with kind of un-