The anti-monopolist. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1874-1878, 1878-08-15

over Tie u1ll 10 the school mouse.
"Better luck next time" said Thotf.
"One Hundred Dollars Reward"
This was week later, and lad stooG
reading an advertisement which wa
pasted up in the entrance of the bridge
The above reward was offered for tn,
finding AMI return to its owner a pock
ct book, lost on Spruce Hill the 3Olh o
April, by Luke Granger. Thof stooe
for some time staring at the large cant
tails; then he turned away, remarking tt
himself:
80 they haint found the money, i,
seems. We'll, so haint L."
Three days AFTERWARDS, when the search
mad been given up by everybody
else, Thoff startd out again. AIbutus
was IN bloom now, aud wake robin, and
wood violets, and the ooy tralnpled down
great levels of them in his search.
His palm leaf hat, with strip Of blue
cambria tied around it for a 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 lilltOps saw the sun, he started
for home
1t was quite dark in the thick woods
at the base of the mountain, and there,
running al)ng narrow path, his foot
hit something which bounded off WIFI
was not stone. He stopped, tumbed
with cropping fingers in the ground pine
and last years leaves, at length found
the pocket book.
Yen minutes more and Thoff 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 clutchei his treasure.
Five huncred dollars!' 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 how the pursuit of happiness"
should begin.
iii start off on the six O'Clock tram
tomorrow morning. I'll go to Boston,
n I'll have stlnnin dinner, n III
buy me some clothes. Hcl.. on 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 wondp't do tor
him to be seen with money in Diarmid
He might walk to Springfield and take
the cars, but Springfield was only tn
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 eau.
ton; you've got your money. What's
your hurrya Wait till people forget
about it"
''All righ'; I'll wait them" said Thoff
The night was getting on. The clock
struck twelve. Up to tnis 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 mean
to Thoff. you know. Presently he fell,
'A"A1SAs SiV" HuNt. IttCA hiHH
walked up inside, and said
"Bett take the pocket-book back 10
the squire, and claim the hundred dol
lar reward"
Hush upw answered the boy. II
sh'd be a jolly fool to take one hundrt d
dollars when I've got five
Il know you We got it." the somethin.
we will call it Conscience -uort
awake; but is it your monevl Isn't it III.
>quire's money" replied Theft sioutlv
''de lost IT, and then 'twasn' this'n. ",
found 1t, n now i,'s mine I'm going Il
keep 1t. So that's the end OF it,"
1t wasn't; ii was the begining Of it
The war bad just broken out The sam,
battle between Thoff and bis conscience
had to be fought over again for every cen
of at five hundred dollars The bo,
considered that he beat conscience in eyre,
engagement, but somehow she wouldn's
stay beatsn. She came no fresh and
CHEEKY every time, till finally but Their
are two or three things tn be told first
Thoffs great trouble was where to pu
the wallet. He dared not to carry il
about with him. 1t he hid it up over tn,
bridge some one might find it. for tn.
schoolboys all knew the secret of his re-
treat Finally he decided on wrappin2
it In piece of brown paper. and siding
1t under stone at the base OF one of tht
piers of the bridge.
This he did, and then went off tn school
and spent the tim in an ag ny of fear
lest something should happen to hi
wealth. What if a squire, should tap
pen to carry it of or a musk-rat ont o.
the riverf What il the great dam at Mill
ingtou should break. and the fioni com.
down and take away bridge. and pier
and hidden treasured
Thof thought Of it until he vas sure b.
heard the roar Of the water swrepinx
down. What he really heard Vas the