The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1880-05-29

"Eh? What?" said he. "How did
this happen?"
"Please, SIR" said Louis, HANGING
his head, 1.-THE bird got out, and was
trying to catch it again.
"Got out, did it?'' said Mr.. Pepper.
grass. sit must be very Ingenious
bird, to be able to open the desk from
the outside! You may go, boy. Tn
quite certain that you wont suit me.
don't approve of meddlers."
So saying, he opened a door which
led directly out into the back street
and dismissed poor Louis Brown without
further ceremony.
Now, Pearlie," said he to the little
dove, who perched on his shoulder at
once, "you can 90 back to your nest
You have helped me out of the difficulty
this time"
So he let the little creature fly ont
into the yard, where it belonged.
Charlie Warner was the next ono
ushered into the stuffy, smelling room.
He, too, speedily finished his sums. and
began to look around him for something
to occupy his attention.
"Oh, my! What lot of boxes" said
he, "piled up one above another, like a
Tower of Babel! What can Mr.. Pepper
grass keep in all of them?''
Charlie listened. No advancing foot
steps were near He looked cautiously
about him, but he saw nothing. Then
he rose from his chair, and crept toward
the mysterious pile of boxes. They
were of all shapes, rather small, and
fitted with loose, wooden covers.
Charlie lifted the lid of one. 1t teas
full of English walnuts.
"Hellon' thought Charlie. "rm in
luck! Old Peppergrass will never miss
two or three of these" and he pocketed
handful.
The next box was full of beautiful
Malaga raisins. Charlie nipped two or
three bloomy, wrinkled fellows off the
stem, and ate them. He was fond of
raisins.
"What next?' he said, Juggling at the
covers of the third box, which seemed
to fit little closer.
All of sudden, however, it flew off
with a jerk, filling the air with Cayenne
pepper, and setting poor Charlie to
sneezing as if he meant to sneeze his
head off.
Mr.. Peppergrass hustled in.
"Ah!' said he. Il see! But you
needn't have been in such a hurry to
examine my stock, young man. l
haven't engaged you yet, and l don't
intend to-"
And poor Charlie sneaked away
through the back door, which Mr.. Pep
pergrass held politely open for him,
feeling that his curiosity had ruined his
cause.
1t was some time before the Cayenne
pepper was sufficiently cleared from the
atmosphere for Johnny Jarvis to take
his turn at the sums in decimal frac-
tions, but he worked them patiently
out, and then sat looking around him,
as the others had done. But he was too
honorable to dream of meddling. He,
too, wondered what was in the boxes,
but he didn't DO anything more than
wonder. He heard a mysterious
rustling behind the faded-silk doors of
the old bookcase, where Mr.. Pepper
grass had shut up his pet kitten, but he
never thought of opening it to see what
it all meant.
He saw glass jar of mixed candies
on the mantel (sly Mr.. FeppererrsA
had counted every one, besides cover
ering it with dusty lid, so that the
least fnger-mark would have been
quite visible, but he sat there quite
still until Mr.. Peppergrass bounced into
the room.
The old grocer looked at the candy
jar, he glanced at the unmolested
boxes, and opening the desk, saw the
kitten fast asleep in the corner.
"Ahr' said Mr.. Peppergrass, with
long breath. eyes, exactly! You are
the boy | want. Come right back into
the store, and Pll set you to work
weighing out tea and coffee"
And that was the way Mr.. Pepper
grass suited himself with a boy.--Lacy
Randall Comfort, IN Golden Days.