The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1875-10-07
$500 REWARD.

500 REWARD.
Everybody's mouth was agapei For
the bride, in her shining white dress,
and her trailing lace veil, with the
sweet-smelling orange blossoms in her
beautiful brown hair, was walking into
church.
Little Rose Floy- happened along, on
her way home from school. So there
she stood, never minding how her long,
light curls were being blown about in
the wind, nor that her bonnet had fallen
back upon her shoulders, nor that she
was being elbowed by greasy Tom
Boggs, who drew his fishy basket Che
was a butchers boy across her delicate
pink dress. Never Winding anything,
but, with her mouth agape, like the rest,
following, with her eyes, the shining
white lady that swept up the high steps
into the church.
Through the open doors hoated the
sound of the organ, and presently,
though never able to tell just how, Rose
had a chance to slip behind the long,
flowing curtains of a window near by,
before anybody saw her. Here, from
her snug little lookout, Rose peeked and
admired.
Around the bride stood a great many
ladies and gentlemen, and the ladies'
dresses were most splendid to behold.
Some were soft blue, some were rose
pink, others were delicate pearlcolor
and gold.
By-and-by, when they all knelt down,
and the beautiful pinks, and blues, and
pearls and COLDS pulled up from the
floor, all in waves, Rose thought it was a
fairy ring, such as she read about in her
story books.
The great pyramids of flowers, that
stood by the altar, drenched Rose with
such floods of perfume, that she began
to feel drowsy. The organ sounded
fainter and fainter and further away, and
the fairy ring, with the bride, all in
white, kneeling in the middle, faded out
of Roses eyes.
Mrs. Floy was in the greatest distress.
"Where can Rose be?'' she said; and
she had certainly asked the question a
hundred times before.
$50 Over to school, Bridget" she
said, "and find out what has become of
her."
So Bridget went, and poor, pale, sick
Mrs. Floy, who vas a widow, and had
only little Rose left to her III all the
world to love, sank back on her sofa,
and counted the long minutes till Bridget
came back.
Poor womani she could hardly bear
Rose out of her sight, and would nevey.
have sent her to school, had it not been
for a grouty old uncle, who would say,
stamping furiously with his cane on the
floor:
"Zounds, ma'aml do you mean to
keep Rose tied to your apron-strings all
her life? Are you going to make a milk
sop out of a Floy, and an ignoramus,
ma'am?"
Roses mother was very nervous, and
so, at last, worn out by this dreadful,
racketting old man, with his everlasting
"ma'ams," and his humping cane, she
sent Rose to school.
Bridget did not come back, and she
could lie still no longer. So she tied on
her bonnet, and pinned her shawl with
her weak, trembling fingers, and crept
feebly down stairs. She was a long
time undoing the street door, and then
she would have fallen, had it not been
for Bridget, who was coming UP the
steps. They had to put her to bed, and
bring her to with vinegar and salts.
But her eyes did not open till there
came a ring at the door.
"There she Isl" cried she, starting
up, and she listened, breathless, for
Roses dear voice, and the sound of her
pattering footsteps.
Stump, stump, stumpl came a heavy
tread up the stairs, and into her room.
1t was the horrible uncle, and he began
in this horrible way:
"Zounds, ma'am! What's all this
about? Rose lost? What does that
mean"
sit means" said Roses mother, furi-
ously, "that you have robbed me of my
only treasure. If it had not been for
you it would never have happened"
"Hoity-toity! said Roses uncle, and
he sat a moment thinking. Bridget ~
said he, "clap on your street gear again
and be of to the City Crier's. Five
hundred dollars reward to whoever
brings the child back alive and well.
Do you hear?' For Bridget stood star
ing and saying:
"Five hundred dollars reward-fve
hundred Yes, your honor" she an
swered to his last question to her.
"And shall 1 tell him that, them"
"Of course" growled the grouty
uncle; "and don't let the grass grow
under your feet"
So off darted Bridget, saying over
again:
give hundred dollars, five hundred
dollars !" in a tone of wonder.
And the groEty uncle thumped his
cane, and ragged like a lion In a cage, for,
underneath the crusty part of him was q
big, soft heart, that loved his little niece
Rose more than anybody knew.
The crier whipped up his round, lazy
horse, and started off in his one-seated
gig. At every corner he rang his brazen-
faced bell like wild fire, and shouted, in
his round, rolling voice:
Five hundred dollars reward! Lost
lost! lost! A little girl, with long light
curls, and a bonnet with blue strings;
with one thumb done up in q cot, and a
mole one inch back of her left ear. Five
hundred dollars reward to anybody that
brings her back safe and sound-fve
hundred dollars reward"
Tony Ketchum, with his pile of papers
under his arm, Just damp from the press,