The Iola register., 1880-05-21

and 2ftof no QaO WOuuOAoN. 'S
while, he got up aad went softly towaxw !,
the desk. 1.-THE key is In the lock:
said he; s.there can't be any harm ~
looking. Perhaps there are story-booO
-or maybe curious SHELLS and stones
Or"
As these thoughts crossed his mind
he open the silk-lined door. Buz-z-zz
: whew! out flew q beautiful pearl
colored dove.
Louis stood aghast. In vain were his
efforts to capture the little creature.
It fluttered from the top of the book
case to pile of boxes beyond. and
thence to the top molding of the win
dows, as if it enjoyed the chase; and IN
the midst of it all, in came Mr.. Pep
.EhP WhatP" said he. "How did
this happen?"
..please, SIR" said Louis. hanging
his head, 1.-The bird got out, and l was
trying to catch it again"
"Got out. did it?" said Mr.. Pepper
grass. ..It must be very ingenious
bird, to be able to open the desk from
the outside! You may 60, boy. Pm
quite certain that you wont suit me. /
don't approve of meddlers."
So saying, he opened 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 out
into the yard, where it belonged.
Charlie Warner was the next one
ushered into the. stuffy, sNelling 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 .
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. It was
full OF English walnuts.
"Hellor' thought Charlie. "rm In
luck! Old Peppergrass will never miss
two or three of these" and he pockcted
a handful.
The next box was full of beautiful
Malaga raisins. Charlie nipped two or
three bloomy, wrinkled fellows off tho
stem, and ate them. He was fond Of
raisins.
"What next?' he said, tugging at the
covers of the third box, which seemed
to fit little closer.
All of sudden, however, it flew of
with jerk, filing the air with Cayenne
pepper, and setting poor Charlie to
head of:
Mr.. Peppergrass bustled in.
"Ahr' said he. Il see! But you
needn't have been in such a hurry to
examine my stock, young man. I
haven't engaged you yet, and Idon't
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 a glass jar of mixed candies
on the mantel (sly Mr.. Peppergrass
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 I'll set you to work
weighing out tea and coffee.''
And that was the way Mr.. Pepper
grass suited himself with boy.-Lxcv
Randall Comfort, IN Golden Days.
. TIE Chinese are penerally verv ah