The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1878-08-07
SAT eight o'clock two wagons went up
"the. gulf-road," and boy stole down
over the hill to the school house, 5l
"Better luck next time" said Thotf.

ms was q week later, and a lad stood
reading an advertisement which was
pasted up in the entrance of the bridge.
The above reward was offered for the
finding and return to its owner q pock-
ct book, lost on Spruce Hill the 30th Of
April, by Luke Granger. Thoff stood
for some time staring at the large CAPT
tails; then he turned away, remarking to
himself: .@Is...s S.
$50 they haint found the money, it
seems. Well, so haint IL
Three days AFTERWARDS, when the search
had been given UP by everybody
else, Thott startd out again. Arbutus
was IN bloom now, and wake robin, and
wood violets, and the BOY trampled down
great levels Of them in his search. t.T
His palm leaf hat, with strip Of blue
cambria tied around it for band, be-
came familiar sight to every squirrel
On the hill that day, for they stayed till
sunset. Then as it drew toward dusk,
and the valley below lay in shadow, and
only the allltops saw the sun, he started
for home. ......., ..!.....s..s -
1t was quite dark IN the thick woods
at tie base of the mountain, and there,
running along a narrow path, his foot
hit something which bounded off which
was not a stone. He stopped, fumbled
with cropping fingers in the ground pine
and last years leaves, at leng found
the pocket book. .-.H. NJ
Ten minutes more. and ThoG Shelton
might have been seen, had there been
more light and anyone to see him, crouch
ing in the darkness of his den, hugging
the wallet to his breast and, 10 his own
amazement and modification, actually
crying as he clutched his treasure.
Five hundred dollarsw he said. soft
ly, to himself. 1t was all there He had
counted the bills by the one bar of lamp
light which struggled up from below
" Now then for life, liberty and the pur-
suit of happiness as the reading book
says" .--, ...... .
Then he proceeded to arrange with
himself bow the pursuit of happiness"
should begin. t, .. .
3''l'll start off on the six o'clock train
tomorrow morning. I'll go to Boston,
n I'll have stunnin' dinner, m I'll
buy me some clothes. HOLD on a min
ute, though" Caution put in word
here. "How about buying ticket and
changing ten dollar bill and so on?''
Thoff thought some time about this,
and at last decided it wouldn't do for
him to be seen with money in Diarmid.
He might walk to Spring field and take
the cars, but Sprin gfeld 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? swat little" said eau
ton; "vou've got your money. What's
your hurry? Wait till people forget
about it
All right; I'll wait then," said Thotf:.
The night was getting on. The clock
struck twelve. Up to this time he had
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 Thoff, you know. Presently he felt
himself grow quiet. Then something
walked up inside, and said 49,. -
"Better take the pocket-book back to
the squire, and claim the hundred-dol-
lar reward" 49, -: ..a.... 49,.
Hush up' answered the bo7. 81
shd be jolly fool to take one hundred
dollars when I've got five III .aa- -u
Il know you've got it," the something
we viii cali it Conscience-mora
awake; but is it your money? Isn't it the
squire's money" replied Thoff, stoutlv.
HE lost 1t, and then 'twasn' this'n I've
found it, n nos it's mine 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 Tboff and his conscience
mad to be fought over again for every cent
OF 'at five hundred dollars. The bow
considered that he beat conscience in evrey
engagement, but somehow she wouldn't
stay beaten. She came I'D fresh and
CHEEKY every time, till fnally-but there
are two CT three things to be told first.
lhott great trouble was where to put
the wallet. He dared not to carry it
about with him. If be hid it I'D over the
bridge some one might find it, for the
schoolboys all knew the secret of his re-
treat. Finally he decided on wrappino
It IN piece of brown paper, and sliding
1t under stone at the base of one Of the
piers Of the bridge. ,s@'
i This he did, and then went off to school
and spent the tins in an agony Of fear
lest something should happen to his
wealth. What if squirrel should han
pen to carry it off, Or a musk-rat out Of
the river? What if the great dam at Mill
lngton should break, and the flood come
down and ia Ike. away bridge, and bier.
| and hidden treasure? - . =. 80
Thotf thought of it until he was sure he
heard the roar Of the water sweepinp
down. What he really heard was the
teachers stern. ''Skelton, take your place
IN the spelling class y 1.
All through the spelling voice inside
was saying, over and over: you're q
theft" "Y GU hush up I amt a thief, tell
you." he said, in answer. E&. tS...
You see a boy may have money and
be miserable boy. Thoff found this
out that day, and he found out another
thing. t,f "Aa :.
rs He. had lost his hat band. E s.s 4. Y
Now the loss of an old strip of b,ue
cambria is no great affair, especially to a
young lnan of means, but this set Thof
to thinking. He wondered if he had lost
it on Spruce hill. r, -
7 "Look here, you--Tom--Ted-w,, ghu hat, :
your name--Skelton2n t# A3l
| The SQUIRE had 1r;ran ~ u 5+55& .