The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1878-07-24

and at last decided 1t wouldn't do for
him to be seen with money in Diarmid
He might walk to Springfield and take
the cars, but Springfield was only ten
miles away. The lost wallet had been
talked about there, and he might get
himself into trouble. Well, then, what
should he do? "Wait little" said
Caution; "you've got your money
What's your hurryP Wait till people
forget about it,"
"All right; I'll wait then," said
Thoff.
The night was getting on. The clock
struck twelve. Up to this time he had
been wildly happy. No more cold, nor
hunger, nor hard knocks. Plenty of
clothes, and food, and kittens, and COM
fort. This was what the money meant to
Thof, you know. Presently. he felt him
self grow quiet. Then something walked
up inside, and said, -
Better take the pocket book back to
the squire, and claim the hundred-dollar
reward"
"Hush up |" answered the boy. "I
sh'd be Jolly fool to take one hundred
dollars when I've got fve."
al know you've got it," the Dome-
thing-we will call it Conscience -
more awake; but is it your money!
Isn't it the squire's money ?"
"No, faint the squire's money!" re-
piled Thof, stoutly. "He lost it, and
then 'twasn't his'n. I've found it, n
now it's mine, n I'm going to keep it.
So that's the end of it."
1t wasn't; it was the beginning of it.
The war had just broken out. The same
battle between Thoff and his conscience
had to be fought over again for every
cent of that five hundred dollars. The
boy considered that he beat conscience
in every engagement, but somehow she
wouldn't stay beaten. She came up
fresh and CHEEKY every time, till finally
but there are two or three things to
be told first.
Thoff's great trouble was where to
put the wallet. He dared not to carry it
about with him. If he hid it up over
the bridge some one might find it, for
the school-boys all knew the secret of
his retreat. Finally he decided on
wrapping it in piece of brown paper,
and sliding it under stone at the base
OF one of the piers of the bridge.
This he did, and then went off to
school and spent the time i'm an agony
of fear lest something should happen to
rob him of his wealth. What if s1uir.
rel should happen TO carry it off, or
a musk-rat ont of the river? What if
the great dam at Millington should
break, and the flood come down and take
away bridge, and piers, and hidden
treasure?
Thoff thought of it until he was sure
he heard the roar of the water sweeping
down. What he really heard was the
teachers stern "Skelton, take your
place in the spelling-class !''
All through the spelling voice in
side was saying, over and over: "You're
thief | you're thief !" "You hush up |
amt thief, I tell you, he said, in
answer.
You see boy may have money and
yet be a miserable boy. Thoff found
this out that day, and he found out
another thing.
He had lost his hat-band.
Now the loss of an old strip of blue
cambria is no great affair, especially to
a young man of means, but this set
Thoff to thinking. He wondered if he
had lost it on Spruce Hill.
"Look here, you Tom-Ted-what's
your name-Skelton?
The squire had driven up and topped
his horse near Thoff on the bridge one
morning. The boy CLAN ced up al d met
pair of keen gray eyes fixed on him,
| glanced down and longed for a hole in
the bridge floor, that he might drop into
| it. Hole there was none. The eyes
we're still on him, and he stammered:
'My name is sThe-Theophilus.
"Well, Theophilus, then, want you
to come along with me, up on Spruce
Hill" Day grew black for an instant to
Thoff. Then he heard: 'I want boy
to help me get up some sheep. Got to
have 'em down here for the noon freight
train. Pay you twenty-five cents. Up
with you I" And the boy took his seat
beside the man, though he would have
preferred TO sit anywhere else.
"Cold p growled the squire; for Thoff
was shaking all over.
" Yes, sir,-that is-not much" He
wasn't a coward naturally, but he was
more afraid of the squire that day than
! he would have been of band of Sioux
with all their war-paint on.
The squire was a silent man, some
people said surly man, so there was no
talking for a while. Up the hill they
drove, and out on high level where
| the wind was blowing.
"There goes my hat - cried Thoff.
He was out over the wheel and back into
the wagon again in twinkling.
"Say fort you're not bad jumper, 4"
the squire said. Better have band
to that hat, hadn't you ?"
81 did have one, sir, but I"-he
stopped, remembering.
"Lost it, most likely. Stop, believe
I've got hat-band some'ers."
The squire put his hand in his pocket,
and produced from it strip of folded
blue cambric.
"There, 1 found that up on Spruce
Hill" The gray eyes seemed to ThOff
to go through him and come out on the