The Portland daily press., 1880-12-25

house, where she had made happy home
for the family ever since, and before, Tom
my could remember So Tommy had run
down stairs with his bare pink feet patter-
ing, and Trip running after. Mrs. Wilson
took'her little boy by the hand, and led him
upstairs again. Trip trotted meekly behind;
and Tommy was soon covered up warm for
his nights sleep, and Trip, curled up like a
round ball of gray fur, purred himself off in
to sound cat-nap. @eBE M
Tommy woke bright and early the next
morning-whicb was the day before Christ
mas-and so did Trip. Tommy washed his
face, and Trip washed hers. Then when
Tommy was dressed-and Trip helped or
hindered him to tie his shoes-the two
friends went down stairs to breakfast.
Tommy's milk was in pretty china mug,
with For Good Boy painted in bright gold
letters on it. Trip had a tin cup for her
milk. Tommy hoped that Trip considered
her cup sort of silver mug, and often told
his puss that it was quite as good for little
kitty, but that when she was older and the
express business had sufficiently prospered,
he meant to buy Trip ga truly china sau-
GER"
1t was snowy morning. and as there
we're no commissions for Wilson'S Express
the express company, that is to say Tom
my and Trip, concluded to play in the gar
ret. 1t was very good garnet to play in.
1t was not one of those wonderful garrets
| that we sometimes read of in stories, and
which are never to be found except in
grandmother houses, where all sorts of
curious and wonderful things have been
gathering for great many years. The gar
ret OF Mrs. Wilson's house was good-sized
room, clean and sunny. Uncle Jerry had
driven up rows of nails, and all the piece
bags hung on them. Tommy liked to look
over the piece-bags at house-cleaning time
and hear all his mothers stories about the
purple-spotted calico that she wore to school,
and the pepper-and-salt cloth that was bit
Of Uncle Jerry's first coat, after he had out
grown the dark green jacket of which there
was left roll of pieces. And Tommy liked
to see his mother cut nice round holder
out of the red-dOtted flannel he used to wear
in the far back times 'sbefore l was 'spress
man." The cradle Tommy used TO sleep
in when he was still younger, Uncle Jerry's
old school-desk. a chest of drawers, and
hair trunk where, as has been said, Tom
lny's father kept his business papers, and
two or three old chairs were the furniture
of the garrett.
In one corner was great basket of shay
bark nuts which Uncle Jerry had knocked
off the trees, and Tommy had helped pick
up, and had carried home in the express
cart. Tommy was allowed to have twelve
nuts every day. Nobody had told the mice
that they could have any nuts, but Tommy
sometimes saw bright eyes and the whisk Of
a tail over the side of the basket. Then
there would be a light scurry of little paws
between the partition. walls. Trip liked to
sit at the edge of the floor and look after
the mice, but she was such little kitten
that she could not possibly have caught
anything bigger than blue-bottle fly.
The two friends, Tommy and his kitten,
had played for quite a long time, rolling
mus ONCl VIC AOOA dAu AuuAlLS IdCCb dltCI
them. Then Tommy heard Uncle Jerry 60
out of the house and shut the door after
him; and presently Mrs. Wilson herself
came up into the garrett. She went to the
old hair trunk, and took out all the papers
and looked them over carefully, one by one.
Then she put them back again, locked the
trunk and put the key in her pocket. Then
she went to the chest of drawers and took
out all the things that were in the drawers.
Next, she folded them and put them away
again, and Tommy heard his mother give
quite deep sigh.
"What are you looking for, mammal"
asked he.
ga paper about some land, Tommy DEAR
said his mother.
'Can't you find it anywhere?'
'sNo, dear; Uncle Jerry and l have looked
all over the house for it. thought all the
business papers were in grandpa's hair
trunk-they were always kept there. If we
can find it, Mr.. Cummings will give us ever
SO much money, so we can stay in the
house grandpa left us in his will.'' a8.
''Was grandpa's will all smashed up,
mamma?' ~ss..76 q
''No, Tommy, it was piece of paper like
a letter.''g ..F-es ,e..-
"But don't you member Miss Abby Hor-
ner said you ought to break my will, or I
should grow up a naughty boy. Grandpa
was good, so guess somebody broke his"
"That wasn't just what Miss Abby meant,
Tommy. Grandpa's will was a piece of pa
per that said your papa was to have this
house for his own: but if the paper am
looking for is lost, nobody can prove that
the land out West is your papa's and Mr..
Barnes will take this house. When you are
a man you will understand all about bust
ness.'
Tommy started for the door. "Pm just
going" said he, ''to tell that old Sam Barnes
my grandpa said this was my papa's house,
and he will be acting wrong story if he
doesn't let papa have it,"
80 no, Tommy, that wouldn't do at ALL"
"Then Trip and me will haul away all the
nuts in our cart, and you and papa and
Uncle Jerry shall have them all-Sam can't
have one." 15s25 S3&B
81 think would leave some for Mrs.
Mousey and her babies. Tommy 7sesr
"Yes, so we will. o look, mamma, there
goes Mrs. Mousey down the crack. Trip!
no, no-you mustn't run after Mrs. Nous
eyp ii.i gE go ega
But Tommy spoke too late. Mrs. Mousey
indeed was safe in her home inside the
walls-but where was little Trip? A fright
ened NEW, useless scratching of tender lit
tie claws against the hard plaster of the
wall, the noise Of little body falling Poor
little Trip had fallen down between the
walls. This garnet floor was made as
garnet floors often are. The boards
only went as far as the inside
wall, which is made of laths and plaster,
and between that and the outside wooden
wall of the house, there was space of four
or five inches. This was the way to the
mouse's house, and she could run up and
y r