The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1903-07-31


Wagner went downstairs and en-
tered Mrs. Barker's little sitting
room just as the clock was striking D.
Electra. with her hat already on, stood
by the table, writing something upon
the margin of the Weekly Chronicle.
Her forehead wore n puzzled frown,
and she hesitated now and then. NOV
ing her lips in apparent perpleXity and
gazing abstractedly at her pencil. But
she welcomed Miss Wagner with
beaming smile and as soon as she had
written the last word folded the strip
of paper into squares and tucked it in
differently into her pocket.
In her longest and most stiflly starch
ed calico tier Electra had an air Of be
ing in full dress. 1t was pink-the
pale, delicate pink that ranked next to
cross barred muslin itself among her
tiers-and she knew how to make it
rustic with indescribable elegance as
she walked. In almost anybody else
the rustling and the elegance might
have betokened self consciousness.
With Electra they were but a part of
the natural development Of things no
more to be considered i'm the general
scheme of well being than dimples or
laughter.
A sudden anxiety overspread her face
as they went down the steps, and. with
q murmured exclamation, which her
companion failed to understand, she
flashed swiftly across the yard and out
of sight around the corner of the house.
The sun seemed to shine a little less
brightly in her absence. Miss Wagner
even fanced that she felt a slight chill
illness I'm the air, Whercupon she step
ped inside the door again, throwing her
thin cape over her shoulders and fas-
tening it at the throat with an impulse
of habtual caution.
"Cold, Miss Wagner" Mrs. Barker
stopped on her way from the dining
room to the cellar. her eyes resting kind
ly upon the listlesS figure slhouetted
against the lavish splendor of the sum-
mer morning. It's this entry does it,
she went ON. Most anybody II shiver
in it, no matter what time of day It's,
i could use it for an ice chist an done
with it, tell 'em, if 'twasn't quite 50
public"
Years of experience had familariZed
Mrs. Barker with nearly every phase
Of the genus summer boarder. but this
languid young woman was new type,
not easily classified. The average Oc-
cupant Of her best chamber, for exam
pie, would have thought il only courte-
GUS to reply TO her remarks Miss Wag-
ner either did not listen 10 them at all
or quite forgot To answer.
Its lucky for her she seems 10 take
TO Electry So" Mrs. Barker SoliloquiZed
as she descended the cellar stairs.
"Shed be mortal lonesome if she didn't.
AS a gen'ral thing. she amt no better
IN mute at a funeral when | try to
talk with her, an here they two IL
travel off together, day in an day out,
like pair O lambs.
moment later Electra came back,
her steps unhurried now. her whole
small person radiating serenity. An
ancient looking bag of Java canvas
hung upon heT arm, the faded splendor
of its embroidery brought into bold re
lief by significantly bulging outlines. 1t
sent forth tempting orchard fragrance
Ut tlOSt IdllEts anu btlOlt lilt ll'lt Sdl1
had fairly clicked behind them Electra
drew from it Il mellow, richly tinted APP
pie, streaked here and there with vivid
crimson by the August sun.
''Mother says vittles cheaper n doc
tors any day." she announced, with Sc
rious wisdom, as she tasted it, the reg
ularity with which one rapid mouthful
followed another demonstrating her
hearty concurrence in her mothers
opinion. For perhaps five minutes after
this she trudged along the narrow coun-
try road at Miss Wagner's side i'm con
tented silence, her feet raising clouds
of yellow dust that ObScured at inter
walls her sturdy little shoes and home
knit openwork stockings At the end
Of that time she launched briskly into
conversation
"See that brown house over acrost
the field, Miss Dorothy? Mis- McDan-
Tel lives over there. Father called her
n blamed fool once. | guess you'd like
TO hear about that" her gray eyes fol-
lowing the closely bitten fragment Of
apple core that was just describing a
prolonged curve over the fence.
"She come over TO stay with me one
time so mother could go down TO the
Center with father. He'd got TO have
wisdom tooth hauled. Well, they
hadn't been gone no time before her
daughter Lizbcth's husban' come after
her. He said they'd got company to
home, an she must go right back with
him at any rate. So she got ready in
an or1e hurry an took me along with
her But she looked out TO put away
mothers silver spoons. all six of EN-,
in the parlor stove before we started.
An she just wrote out in great big let
ters," balancing herself on her toes
here and speaking with dramatic fer
vor, an. B.-I've put the silver in the
stove an she pinned it right up out
side the winder. She did that, she
said, SO mother shouldn't worry one
mite about the spoons. an when father
saw 1t he called her blamed fool"