Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1859-07-15
0Qortrster Daily Spp.
THE LEATHER BAG.
lConcluded.]

la5e gosSlpS, was standing at her door as he
approached 1t, and at once proceeded to inter-
rogate him as TO his Illness
Man, was sorry" said libby, aye werena
IN church yester-morn, more because O. no be-
ing able. Aweel, aud folks is aud folks, an
we haze a the same gate to gang-though a.
lolk dlnna hae to travel sac far's yoursel, An
drew Miller, to reach the end OFT. And what
was the matter wi you, noo?" she continued,
pressing home her inquiries without giving
time for answer. "Was it the rheumatis or
the headaches There was Johnnie Swan,
was bad, too, yester-morn, an had to hide at
home like yoursel, poor body; he had the me-
grums very sair."
Andrew gave no answer to her question as
to the nature of his malady, save by another
put in the tone of one passing
Il fancy almost everybody was in church
but me an Johnnie"
libby assured him the kirk was "crammed /"
that it was hotter work for the minister than
"mawin hay in July" and that he waited two
napkins wi the sweat O. his broo"
Andrew passed on, as if the conversation had
related to matters of perfect indifference Cas-
ual inquiries made elsewhere in the village in
the course of the forenoon satisfied him that
Johnnie Swan, the shoemaker, was the thief ::
at least, that he was the only man who hadn't
been to church, and was at all likely to have
done the dishonest thing. How, now, to get
round johnnie without exposing himself? An
drew brooded over this problem during three
pipes, latter which he went straight to the house
of the shoemaker.
johnnie Swan was sour, ill-favored, ayar-
lclous body OF shoemaker, the leader of the
pot-house politicians of the village and great
theorist and original speculator in morals and
philosophy. On the Sunday forenoon when
Andrew hid the bag, our philosopher, who was
lndisposed and unable to go to church, was be-
hlnd the wall III position to see-without
being seen-all Andrews extraordinary pro-
ceedlngs, from the first cautious peep of his
nose out Of the back door to his stealthy Slip
ping into the house again. What Andrew
was about he couldn't exactly see, nor did he
see the bag; but he thus argued with himself
as to the probable meaning of the phenomena
which he had witnessed
folks may dutfer, but in ma opinion, tisnt
1or naethlng the mice come DOT When a So
Der body like Andrew Miller plays the fule.
and syne talks to a hole in an aud dixie, like a
weasel, there's mair intirt than the air o. the
mornln'. Had zee cen i the back O. your
head, man, Andrew, ye'd haze missed me yon
time, WI your want O gumption; ae look
ahlnt the dixie wad ha' done MAR for your Sc
cret than wunty glowerings over it. AT weel,
there's something i'll the wind ye'd as weel haze
peep O.; sac grid your loins, ma man, an in
spect the blggin. If there's nae a nest WHARF
the pee-weets whurl, yell no be the waur o.
thrying to find ane.''
And with these sagacious observations,
Johnnie got over the wall, and commenced a
search, which in a short time resulted in the
discovery Of the bag. Without stopping to
inspect its contents, he buttoned his coat over
1t, and went quietly home, calming what tugs
OF conscience were in him by rejecting on
the exceptions which prove the rule that hon
esty is the best policy, and with the following,
among other sophisms =
Its kind o. treasure-trove, or what-dy e-
caltlt. find it, sac it's a my ain, an main O.
II yAmerkg Some os waha 6ae odfsah
it, and some folks are tues. Ma, ma, johnnie
Swan; grup it well, my man, and say nae
thing about It, Wise folks let the nor wind
come in by the chumley, but open their doors
to the SOU wind and it's no ilka day yen
haze sic a windtall as is moo under your OK
ters."
Swan having got home without meeting
any one, brief inspection of his booty salts
fed him he had stumbled on a fortune. He
had no misgivings as to the way in which he
had done so, and, from the circumstance that
no one was abroad, and that Andrew hadn't
caught him, no fear He was thwacking a
piece of sole-leather on the lapstone on Mon
day forenoon, when Miller cast his shadow
across the door.
"Hoo's a. wi you the day 2" said Andrew
cheerfully, but cycling his man so as to catch
every shade of feeling on his face.
Johnny was really much discomposed at the
unexpected appariton, yet he had nerve
enough to thwack on at his work us he looked
10, and nodding to Andrew to be seated, an
swered -
"Gayly and brawly, neighbor; hoos a WI
yoursef?"
Though Andrew was disconnected by this
GOODNESS, he proceeded, in friendly tone, to
make all the ordinary enquiries for the wife
who was out on an errand for Thomas who
was In a shop near Kilmarnock; and for the
girls, who were cut at service. After this in
terchange of commonplaces, Andrew at last
advanced to the object Of his visit
Johnnie" said he, eve have been neigh
bors mony years moo, an ave sorted extraor-
binary weel; an I've long kept you as pru-
dent, sinsible person, WI good head, forby
heart, an that's hoo I'm come to ask your ad.
vice the noo."
Johnny began to feel very uncomfortable,
and to look steadily at the rosn end which he
had begun to fasten, when conversation made
it very proper he should lay by the apstone.
aye ken Ive made a sort O. siller-atweel
it cost me muckle wark, an mony years hahn
in to dot; more's the grief moo that l Gamma
keep it safe but it will be disappearin' in
MAR ways than l can account for; an it's
hard for man not to feel safe o his siller in
the midst O his ain brains. But that's the
fact, Johnnie Swan, though I'm ashamed to
state it. So Pm thinkn' O. maxim OF an Pve
come to ask your advice what to do wit.
What I'D we say to layin' in land, Johnnie
1t siller's weel laid in land, there's aye guild
return, we ken, forby the teelin' O. bein' pro-
prietor; an was thinkin' that Thomas, that
q, lodi y MI ua1
good steward wi a. the schuleing he's got
ten
Johnnie was sorry to learn that Andrews
wife and daughters couldn't be trusted 1t
was clear he should invest his money, and
land did really appear to be the best thing he
could invest it i'll.
"But then" said Andrew, starting objec-
tions for himself, since his friend was not dis
posed to start any, "but then, managing farms
is a great fash an maybe crops IL be bad. The
last haerst was an uncommon bad one, an
bad crops, bad rents, Johnnie, ye KEN An
after a. l mind Lawyer Mecklecraft teln' me
I'd never get more than three per cent formy
sier from land Deed, / think | Wilma lay it
out on land"
CATER a., freen," said Johnnie, otis your
ain affair an name O. your neighbors."
He could hardly keep from laughing at this
stage to hear Andrew dsputing with himself
how he should dispose of money that was now
out of his power, and, in fact, in the drawer OF
the stool he was then sitting upon his sense
OF the ridiculous was all the livelier that he
saw that Andrew, so far from suspectng him,
was not even aware of his loss.
"What dye say, noo to layin some OF DOT
on ship e SAID Andrew, proceeding with the
investigation.
Johnnes tongue was loose now, and in five
L., A,,J,