St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1880-08-27

notice. and bolted the store door.
"Now, will proceed to business,
said Mr.. PeppeTgrass, rumpling up his
hair, and adjusting his spectacles so as
to make his keen gray eyes sharper
than ever. A few penetrating glances,
half dozen questions, and the number
of bows was speedily reduced to our
three little friends-Johnny jarvis,
Charlie Warner and Louis Brown. They
we're all three willing and anxious to
work all three brought good recon-
mendations, had honest faces, wanted
to enter on the situation at once, and
wrote neat, round hands.
"Humph! humph !" said Mr.. Pepper
grass, with his hands locked under his
coat tails behind. There's three OF you,
and can't find work for three boys"
The little lads said never word, but
looked eagerly at the grocer, each one
hoping that he might be the boy select
ed "to run errands and make himself
generally useful Mr.. Peppergrass
Stared hard at the spice-boxes and pre-
serve-bottles in the window, frowned at
the cracker-boxes, and finally made up
his mind.
''Brown ~ said he.
"Sir =" said Louis Brown.
"PIl try you on few sums. l want
nv boy to understand the first prlncl-
plies of arithmetic"
81 am good at figures, sir ~ cried
Louis.
care YOU ?" said Mr.. Peppergrass.
every we'll I'll give you trial"
He wrote down Il labyrinth of figures
on a slate. and then opened the door of
n little room which communicated with
the store.
"Sit down here, Brown, and work out
these sums,n said he. "Fll come to you
in a few minutes" Johnny Jarvis and
Charles Warner looked blankly at each
other, then at the grocer.
"Please, sir, what ale we to do 7" said
they.
sfYou are to watt" said Mr.. Pepper
grass, shortly. "YOur turns will come
in due time"
The sums were not especially hard,
and Louis Brown was quick at figures.
He soon dispatched his task, and began
to look around. 1t was a stuffy, close
smelling little room, with one window
close up to the ceiling, and curious,
fashioned, book case or desk, with
glass doors, lined with faded red-silk,
in the corner.
81 do wonder what Mr.. Peppergrass
keeps there ?" said Louis, to himself /;
and after he had wondered a little
while, he got up and went softly toward
the desk. '"phe key is in the lock, ="
said he ; 'there can't be any harm in
looking. Perhaps there are story books
or may be curious shells and stones
OPP
As these thoughts crossed his mind,
he opened the silk-lined door. Buzz
zz-whew out flew beautiful pearl
colored dove. Louis stood aghast. In
vain were his efforts to capture the lit
tie creature. 1t fhlttered from the top
of the bookcase to pile of boxes be-
yOnd. and thence to the top mOlding of
the window, as if it enjoyed the chase !;
and in the midst of it all in came Mr..
Peppergrass. 49,
this happen :"
'sPlease, SIR" said Louis, hanging his
head, "the bird got out, and | was try
ing to catch it again"
!.Got out, did it 2" said Mr.. Pepper
grass. sit must be very ingenious
bird to be able to open the desk from
the outside You may go, boy. I'm
quite certain you won't suit me. l
don't approve of meddlers."
So saying, he opened door which
led directly into the back street, and
dismissed poor Louis Brown without
further ceremony.
"Now, Pearlie,r said he to the little
dove who perched on his shoulder at
once, Hyou can go back to your nest.
You have helped me out of the difficulty
this time So he let the little creature
fly out into the yard, where it belonged.
Charley Warner was the next one
ushered into the stuff,y, smelling room.
He, too, speedily finished his sums, and
began to look around him for something
to occupy his attention.
"Oh, my ! What a lot of boxes, u
said he, 'piled up one above another,
like Tower of Babel! What can Mr..
Peppergrass keep in all of them 7"
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. Char
lie lifted the lid of one. 1t was full OF
English walnuts.
"Hello I" thought Charlie. 'Fm in
luck Old Peppergrass will never miss
two or three of these" and he pocket
ed 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 cover of the third box, which
seemed to fit little closer. All of a
sudden, however, it flew off with 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, 81 see! But you needn't have been
in such hurry to examine my stock,
young man. L haven't engaged you
yet, and 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