Sharp County record., 1881-06-02

Mrs. Ketchum was getting her hus-
bands supper; humble meal of baked
potatoes, broiled fish and brown bread.
The kitchen where she worked was
humble one, too-the ceiling smoke
stained, the woodwork dark with age,
and what little furniture it contained
was poor and commonplace to the last
degree.
There is no picturesqueness about
this kind of poverty and no word-paint-
inc of mine can supply any. There
was no picturesqueness about Mrs.
Ketchum, either. Her age you could
not so much as guess at. Her hair,
which was faded and rusty rather than
gray, was strained back into a pug
about the size of an English walnut,
and her skin, in color, was not unlike the
shell of that same walnut. As she
moved with a short, brisk step from
cupboard to stove, she now and then
stopped for a moment and looked out
the window and said, either to herself
or to the fine gray cat on the window
sill:
81 wonder what keeps Calvin so
long"
'sAh, there he is, she said at length
and enter Calvin-a man rather below
medium height, with the pallor and the
stoop peculiar to students, shoemakers
and other men ofsedentary habits. That
he was not a student, glance would
have shown you, and second glance
would have convinced you that he was
a shoemaker. even if you had not seen
the little red shop in the yard, with the
sign-Calvin Ketchum-over it, the
name preceded by a boot, andfollowed
by a shoe.
.'Good luck at last, Nancy" was his
saiutation.
9 Have you got a job?" said she.
Better than that" said Calvin.
"What can be better?" asked she.
"rve found something"
"'Taint my scissors?" cried she.
"Wel, | never did expect to see them
again"
" Sho, scissors" contemptuously.
" Come, now, what is it? amt good
at guessing" said Nancy.
"What do you think of that?" said
Calvin, taking out large leather pock-
et-book, and holding it before her.
Sakes aliver' said she.
"And what do you think of hat?"
opening it and showing theinSde stuffed
with bills.
80 my, Inever see such sight in
my life! l shall faint, | know | shall.
And Calvin" hesitatingly, you're sure
you did find it? You're sure you come
by it honest?" ...
Come by it honest? Do you take
me for thief? Me, Calvin Ketchum,
as does custom work, warranted-rips
mended gratisP Me, as am ready to
give 'em as many of my shoes as they'll
find paper in the sole of? Waal, |
must say do feel sot upon"
Il didn't mean to call you thief"
said Nancy. I" The fact is, I'm so tius-
tered | don't know what l be saying;
where was you found it?'
"Up here by Spinners brook"
And you haint no notion who
dropped itP" j..
i" How should | have, when there's
been sech a crowd goin' to and from
the Fair? Is'pose there's forty men
watered their horses at that brook to-
day, and how can | tell which on 'em
dropped this ere wallet?,
There pears to be something writ
on it, said Nancy, examining it close
ly. but l can't for the life of me
make out what It's"
q don't believe that's writing at
ALL" said Calvin" it's jest a scrawl;
looks like hin's tracks"
"That looks something like a great
A." persisted Nancy, pointing with her
foretinger. ...
About as much as it does like a
harrer," said Calvin.
"But they don't put harrers on
pocket books" said Nancy, whereas
A might be the beginning of the own
er's name. I'll tell you what, Calvin,
if You was to show it to lawyer Sharp,
he d make it out in twlnkling."
"Yes, and to his own advantage"
quoth Calvin. "Sharp by name, and
Sharp by natur', that what he is. And
anyhow you might as well trust wolf
with a lamb as a lawyer with money.
Even the Bible says, Woe unto you,
lawyers. ...
"Waal, there's Parson Goldhead,
show it to him; there aint nothing about
woe on ministers, and he knows a
sight, they say"
''What should | show it to anybody
forP 'Taint my business to 90 round
huntin' up an owner for it. lin ding : s
having all the world over; and must
say it's real aggravatin' of you, when |
have a little bit of good luck, to try and
spoil it all. l thought you'd be tickled
to death with the money"
"And so / be-" said Nancy, "only
can help thinking about the man that
lost it.
Let him come and claim it, and he
shall have it; if that amt fair, | should
like to know what is.
Of Advertising this simple-minded
pair knew nothing. And in propos