St. Landry democrat., 1881-08-20

One day, when she saw nm corning
up the road, and knew that he was 90
ing to the library in the village beyond,
she ran swiftly out at the opposite side
of the house, through the orchard, and
down into the hollow, quarter of a
mile beyond. Here was a little ever
green thicket, with a brush fence on
the edge of the road. She placed the
bill in the hard, beaten track in full
view, scrambled back over the fence,
and awaited his coming with an anxious
heart What if somebody else should
cone along and discover the money be-
fore him?
When, at last, he came limping into
tie hollow On his crutch, her heart was
beating so hard that she felt as if it
could be heard.
He saw the money-few things es-
capped his sight-stopped and picked it
up, and stood looking at it for some
time, with his back to Cattle. Then
he put it in his pocket and started back
toward home. This was surprise to
her, and she knew that he would call
at the house to tell her what he had
found What could she do? She could
seen. The only way was to wait until
he had gone into the house, and then
run back the way he had come as fast
as she could.
She entered as demurely as was pos
sible under the circumstances.
Her hair was roushened her dress
torn, and her eyes were shining with
suppressed excitement, to be sure; but
she bore herself with remarkable calm
ness, as her mother afterward assured
her
Oscar came forward eagerly from
talking with her mother.
"See, Catbie,' he said, Il have
found ten doHars!''
oh am so glad"' she cried, clasp
ing her hands.
but must find the owner Cathie,"
he answered gravely, looking at her al
most reproachfully, she thought.
"Oh, you never will, | know, Oscar.
1t is yours yours to keep and-and
buy books with, or whatever you wish
! Mrs. Brown was trembling at
Cathie's eagerness, but she dared not
say an encouraging word to Oscar for
conscience sake. She saw more clear
ly than charity blind Cathie how Oscar
was looking at the matter.
The boy grew graver and graver as
he looked at his little friend. He could
not understand the change in her.
Il shall find the owner. Cathie.'
was all he said, as he went away.
"Oh, mother, he will keep it per-
haps until he dies, if he doesn't find the
owner. What shall we do?" cried
Cathie. And the mother could not
think of anything to do that seemed
/ likely to set matters straight.
A whole long month had passed away
it had seemed a year to Cathie and
! still Oscar was pushing his efforts to
! find the owner Of the lost money. He
had become convinced that no one in
the village, nor in the neighborhood
where he lived, had lost it.
| At last, he said one day to Cathie:
1t might have been that cattle
buyer. Cathie; who knows? He handles
pile of money in a year. | shall ask
him when he goes up again .,.-
Cathie's cheek blanched and she
caught her breath to keep from speak
ing wrong; for she saw by this time
how it would have seemed to her to
find ten dollars. and use it without
/ searching for the loser. The tears
came into her eyes, and her courage
sank.
''If he did not lose it, shall you keep
it until you die, and never use it?' she
asked, her voice trembling.
ooh, Cathie.' said Oscar, almost
breaking down. "Don't care so much
about it. You are so anxious for me to
have the books, you-you can't see it
quite right, Cathie.''
heart.
On his next trip, the drover was &C
costed by the boy:
"Did you lose any money, sir, the
last time you went DOWN.
mo, my boy" said the kindly, talk
alive drover, "none excepting what |
paid for damages | paid the little girl
up yonder ten dollars for spoilin' her
pretty flower garden. That was hard
one for the poor child. 1 wonder how
she feels about it:?'
"She has tried to mend it up some, y
said Oscar, in daze. eli found a
bill. | thought, perhaps, you dropped
it,
"No, I've lost none," said the man,
driving away.
Oscars mind was swift and keen.
The first thought that had flashed
through it was, :'How strange that
/ Cathie did not tell me about the mon
eyr' For he knew the sum would have
seemed a little fortune to her. THE
next instant, he saw it all. Her eager
ness to have him use this money, hel
flushed appearance the day he found it,
the look on her face when he mention
ed the drover as the one who might
have lost it, and her grief when he hac