The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1889-01-16

house is not rugged up enough yet to
have so many visitors at once, for l
wouldn't know which one to put in the
Best bed.
Well, he was to have arrived last
Saturday afternoon, but when Sophia
Jane and George went to the depot he
was not there, but had sent a telegram.
The agent gave it to them sealed up in
letter; they thought it was full of
electricity, and so brought it home un-
opened, for fear it would spill out on
the way. 1 ordered them to keep it
out of the house, so George laid it on n
block, took the TX and chopped the
end off the envelope, and, don't you
think, there was nothing but common
writing in it, and poor penmanship at
that. 1t said that, owing to the trains
being late and failing to make connec-
tons, he would arrive on the morning
train.
/ was Just mad, because we had
killed our hog the day before and l
had hurried up and rendered out the
fat so l could make O batch of dough-
nuts and have them warm for supper,
and now he wasn't coming until morn
ing, but l finally settled down and eat
a hearty meal and went to bed.
] got up early, for the train came in
before sunrise, and went TO the depot
myself the next morning, so as TO be
the first one to meet him. / got there
Just as the train stopped, and, seeing
man get OFF, 1 run up and Rugged and
kissed him right before the eyes of the
people in the car windows, and I'll be
Mound if the man didn't look like a
sheep and began to laugh like fool
i didn't know what to make of it until
three other men got off, and one of
them came up 10 me and asked
where Tryphena Higgins lived, and
then l asked him his name, and
10 and behold it was Solomon. Then
I cast one eye kind of behind me, and,
as L hope to die, had kissed Niger!
If l hadn't had my veil on when l
kissed him l believe l should have
sunk through the floor when / found
out my mistake.
Well, L didn't kiss Solomon after
that, for | was so mortified that my
lips wouldn't have smacked if a king
had come along. L escorted him home,
and when we got there [ took him to
the front door and told him to wait UNI
til / went round the back way and UNI
fasten I'll the lock, for | had an idea
that like as not Phyletus. Sophia Jane
and George would all be sitting around
the fire half dressed, and L wanted to
get them off to fix up before he saw
them, but when / got in I'll be bound
If Solomon was not there shaking
hands and kissing Sophia Jane, and,
~ 4 bo1 oh wac wit h
out her frizZes or false teeth and looked
like n SLOUGH. l knew all the time
that the front door wasn't locked, but
I never dreamed of his trying it and
then walking in to surprise the rest of
the family.
was fiustered to think my little
scheme had failed, but / went TO work
frying sausage and getting breakfast
and after while we sat down to eat
/ kept watch of Solomon all through
the meal, and he never once put his
knife into his mouth, but he put his
fork in till L sat and shook for fear be
would stick prong into his tongue.
Why, Fidola, don't YOU think, he
actually eat pie with his fork Did YOU
ever?
I can't tell you all OF the many
interesting things he did and said, but
you know l have always calculated that
Sophia Jane was perfect reader, and
so / hld her show off before him quite
good many times; and so, one even
ing, after she got through with piece,
he said he would read us selection.
So l listened, and thought to myself
that if he beat Sophia Jane he would
20 aor.lx- la
morning. He said he would read
1.-The Bells" by T.. Poe. You have
often seen the piece, and Sophia Jane
always said it was the silliest piece
she ever saw, and 1 myself thought it
wasn't worth the paper it was written
on, and even our schoolma'am had the
scholars skip that piece last winter,
because she said it had no sense in it,
But you ought TO have heard
him read it. While he was
reading the first verse, it made
me think of the time Phyletus and /
took the sleigh ride out to Aunt Nan
.cy's, the second verse made me think
of wedding, the third of the Chicago
fire, and the last made me think of the
time / was in those turbulent waters /
told you about.
When he got through we all felt as
If there had been funeral in our own
house. Seeing we felt blue, he read a
funny piece about a mouse getting into
a mans pantaloons, and we all cheered
up and laughed. After that we had
him read every evening, and sometimes
we cried, and then again we laughed.
Since he LETT / can hardly get So
phia Jane to read and we all Join in
saying that he is an ingenious" /
think Phyletus and / will 90 to see
him next spring, and 1 suppose he will
come again next winter, for the girls
here are well-nigh crazy over him, and
if he had stayed another week be-
lieve we could have gotten into the
upper-ten society.
Miss Hessbold came here to board
before Solomon had been here three
days, and do believe she fell in love
with him, for while he was here she
neglected poor George shamefully. so
for Georges good / was glad when
Solomon left. Sho eats enough to kill