St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1868-02-28
From the Atlantic Monthly.
COUPON BONDS.
(CONCLUDED.)

than frultless, Journey. No entreatics
could prevail upon them to prolong their
visit. It.wa with difficulty even that
they had been prevented from setting off
Immediately on the discovery of their loss
and travelling all night, in their impa-
tlence to get upon the track of the miss
ing bonds.
'There'll be not the least use in going
Tonight Josiah had said. If they were
stolen at the bank, you can't do anything
about it till tomorrow. And even if
they were taken Fl ON your own house, l
don't see what's TO be gained now by
hurrying back. 1t is MT probable you'll
ever see EN- again, and you may just as
we'll take it easy,-go to bed and sleep
on it, and get a fresh start in the morn
ing"
so, much against their inclination, the
unfortunate owners of the abstracted
bonds retired to the luxurious chamber
Laura gave them, and lay awake all
night, groaning all night, sroaning and
sighing, wondering and surmising, and Il
regret TO add blaming each other. Sc
true it is, that modern convenience hot
and cold water all over the house, pier
glass, and the most magniiicently canopi-
ed couch, avail nothing to give tran
guilty to the harrassed mind. Hitherto
the Ducklows had felt great satisfaction
in the style their daughter, by her mar
riage, was enabled TO support. To brag
of her nice house and furniture and two
servants was almost as good as possessing
them. Remembering her rich dining
room and silver service and porcelain
they were proud. Such things were
CROUCH for the honor of the family; ant
asking nothing for themselves, they slcp,
we'll in their humblest OF bed chambers
and sippcd their tea contentcdly out o
clumsy earthern. But that night tn,
boasted style in which their 'darter' livet
was less appreciated than formerly
fashion and splendor were no longer /;
consolation.
Ii we had only given the three thou
san dollars to Reuben = said Ducklow
driving homewards with countenanc
Us long as his whip-lash. ''Twoul,
have Just set him up, and been some com
pensation for his sutfcrin' and losses goin
TO the war
Wal, | had no ohlections,' replie,
Mrs. Ducklow. i always thought h
ought to have the money eventooally
And, as Miss Beswick said, no doubt /
would a been ten times the comfort t.
him now it would be IL number o year
from now But you didn't seem will
ing.
4 don't know t was you that wa
MT willin'.
And they eXpatiatcd on Reubcn's mer
It's, and their benevolent intentions to
wards him, and, in imagination; endowe'
him with the price Of the Londs over am
over again: SO easy it is TO be generou
with lost money.
But its no use taikin'..' said Duck
low, I've not the least idee we shall eve
see the color o them bonds again.
they was stole to the bank, | can't prov
anything
1t does seem strange to me- Mrs
e Ducklow replied, that you should hav
had no more eumption than to trust til
bonds with strangers, when they toldyo
3. in so many words they would mt be rc
sponsibie.'
If you have flung that in my teet
. once, you have fifty times And Duck
low lashed the old mare, as if she, an
not Mrs Ducklow, had exasperated hn
wal, said the lady, Il don't see no,
we're going to work to find 'em, nov
they re lost, without making inquiries
and we can't make inquiries without lc
ting ii be known we had bought
= i been thinkin' about that said he
= husband. oh, dear = with groan;
wish the pesky cowpon bonds had nevc
been invented y
They drove first to the bank, whel
they were Of course told that the enve
ope had not been united there. Beside
it was sealed, was MT il p said the casl
=. ier. Indeed y He expressed great SUI
prise, when informed that it was no
1t should have been: supposed an
child would know enough TO look out ft
S that -
And this was all the consolation Duel
y low could obtain.
J. just as l expected said Mrs. Duel
u low, as they resumed their journey.
just as much believe that man stole yol
u bonds as that you trusted 'em in h
hands in an unsealed wrapper Bea
all, how you could be so careless. y
Wal, wal, | s'pose | never shall he:
the last ont =
And again the poor old mare had
suffer Mrs. Ducklow's offences.
n They had but one hope now,-th;
+ perhaps Taddy had tampered with II
ID envelope, and that the bonds might
= found somewhere about the house. Br
this hope was quickly extinguished {
their arrival. Taddy, being accused, pr
tested his innocence with vehemen'
which convinced even Mr.. Ducklow tn;
'he cashier was probably the guilty pa
~.
I Mess, SAID he: branishing the ra
). tan, somebody got into the house tn;
morning when the little scamp run off
ide with the minister ,
: 'Oh, don't lick me Tor that I've be,
- licked for that once; ha'nt l. Ma Due
low p shrieked Taddy.
- The house was searched in vain. \
clew to the purloined security could
i obtained, - the copies of the 'Sund;
Visitor, which had been substituted f
them, atfording not the least for til
valuable little paper was found in almo
every household, except Ducklow's.
., 4 don't see any way left but to a
vertise, as Josiah said,' remarked Il
farmer with deep sigh of despondenc
And thatll bring it all out = exclair