Huntsville gazette., 1881-07-02

carried out the ashes.
"Hallo!" said he, glancing uneasily
around. ssThis is very strange. I'm
sure laid out a fve-dollar bill mere for
you, Mrs. Reilly-just here by the glass
paper-weight, but l don't see it nowl"
He lifted up papers, pen-rack, ink
stand-even shook the daily newspaper
which lay there, to see if, perchance,
the missing bill had hidden itself away
in its folds-but all to no avail. He
searched through his pockets-and all
the time, old Mrs. Reilly, who was very
deaf, stood smiling and courtesying in
front of the sliding window.
A sudden light flashed across his mind
he turned quickly and cast a search.
ing glance around the Office.
81 thought so," said he. ssThe girl
is gone. And so is the money. What a
fool l was to listen for moment to her
plausible story. Well, its rather an ex-
pensive little lesson, but it serves me
right" h-i la
He paid Mrs. Reilly out of his own
private money-drawer, shut up the Office
and went home, rather disenchanted
with his ideal view of respectable pow
erty. ~
s.There's :. no use in going to Holmes's
Lane" thought he. ''The girl don't
live there-and never did,"
But the next morning, as he sat over
his books, just as the clock was striking
nine, in its slow deliberate fashion, there
came knock at the panels of the door,
and Flora Rawson presented herself,
with her raven curls brushed tidily back
under net, her face shining with re-
cent soap and water, and some attempts
made at mending up the more hopeless
of the rents in her dress. M
Mr.. Penfeld's face grew hard as ada
mant, as he beheld her. '''
&C l am surprised at your audacity in
coming here, girlP" said he, sternly.
"Sir?n
Poor Flora looked at him in amaze
ment not unmingled with terror.
Leave this Office" said he. "And
never dare to show your face here
again"
She shrank away like a chidden dog,
while Mr.. Penfeld went grimly on with
his writing a
"I suppose I'm fool for not giving
her up to the police" thought he. 'But
she is very young, and somehow l
hadn't the heart to do it,
He went home that highland his
wife, CHEEKY, apple-cheeked little
woman, looked up with a sriliio as he
entered the sitting-room where she was
at work.
"Well, Bob, said she. "I've mended
that coat you left here this morning. L
sewed on new buttons, bound the sleeves
with fresh binding, and
"That's right, Kitty; that's right
said Mr. Penfield, drawing off his gloves.
6 But that isn't ALL" persisted Mrs.
Penield. 81 found a rip in the bottom
of the upper left-hand pocket; and
when 1 was sponging off the skirts |
came across something hard, SO | rip
ped it open and found-what do you
thinkp''
I'm sure l don't know" said Pen
field.
"Well, pocket-knife, business
card, three cough lozenges, and q five
dollar bill," said Mrs. Penfeld, laugh
ing.
"A-whati" almost shouted Penfeld.
ga five dollar BILL triumphantly re-
peated his wife, holding up. And he
instantly recognized it for the same bill,
slightly discolored with some sort of
acid, which he had laid aside yesterday
for the payment of old Mrs. Reilly!
81 must have put it in my pocket in a
fit of abstraction, said he to himself,
" and it slipped down through that un-
lucky hole, of which l never dreamed!
And that poor little girl with the big
eyes and the loose name of black hair
I've condemned her without Judge or
jury!"
Robert Penfeld, however, though an
impulsiye man, was not unjust. He put
On his hat, and went straight to the cot
tage in Holmes's Lane, where Flora
Rawson lived.
1t was a dreary place, uncarpeted,
without much fire, and the broken win
low panes stuffed with rags, where
Flora was tending flock of untidy
children, while the shrill tones of her
voice sounded from the
back yard, where she was hanging up
clothes to dry. She started and looked
frightened when she saw him standing
IN the doorway.
"My good GIRL" said he, 81 have mis-
Judged you. l am sorry | sent you
away so harshly this morning. Wen
try and make place for you if you'll
come again to-morrow!n
And then he explained to Flora and
her step-mother, who had by this time
hurried in, with a pocket-handkerchief
led around her head, and steaming,
,oapy arms, the peculiar combination of
by which Flora had been
adludged to be guilty of theft!
Mrs. Rawson tossed her head and bri-
1led as she listened.
"Our Flora has her faults" said she,
Z and plenty Of 'em-but, thank the
Lord, she amt thief no, nor never
wasi"
And Flora herself burst into tears.
"I am so thankful that you found the
said she. Because-because
you had spoken kindly to me, and
couldn't bear that you should thin p'e
such one as that -
So Flora Rawson got an excellenG
place in the gold-beating establishment,
and Mr. Penfield was always little
kinder to her than he would have been