Daily Republican., 1882-12-21
RnY Mnntcn.

by #DaId wOEdrr whether Mr, F5Ltra
had at last found o boy to suiy him, 5ut
sooner or la,sr, it was sure TO appear
a ain.
"Fhat sort OF boy does be waut,
any way ?" ono aud another would
ask, and then thoy you'd say to each
other that they supposed he was look
ing for q perfect BOY, and in their oplu-
ion, no would look good while hetors
he found one. Net that tlefo wera not
plenty OF boys--as many asa dozen
used sometimes to appear in the course
OF a morning, trying for the stuatl0n.
Mr.. Peters was said to he rich and
queer, and tor one or both OF these rea-
SOM, boys were anxious to try to suit
him. 'All ne wants i, a fellow to run
Of erranhs; II must be easy work aud
sure pay. This was the way they
talked 10 each other. But Mr. Peters
wanted more tlan boy TO run OF el-
rands. John Simmons found that out,
and this was the way hedid 1t. Ho
had been engaged that very morning,
aud had been kept busy all the fore.
noon, at pleasant enough work, and a.
though he was "A lazy follow, he rather
,uioyed the place.
1t was toward the middle OF the af-
ternooa that he was sent up to the a.
tic, dark, dingy place, inhabited by
mice aud CObwebs.
'You will find a long deep box there,
said Mr.. Peters, that | want to havs
put ic ordor. II stands right in the
middle Of the room, you cans miss
it.
john looked doloful, "A long deep
box, / should think it was !" he told
himself, az the attic door c.oGed after
him. 1T would waigh most a to-, |
guess, aud what is there in it. Nothing
ia the world but old nails and screws
and pieces OF iron, aud broken koys
and tuGgs, rubbish, the whole OF it !
Nothing worth touching and 1t is as
dark rs pocket up here, and cold be
sides. How the wind blows In through
these knOthOieS. There's a mouse it
there is anything that hate, its mice ?
I'll tell you what 1t is, if Old Peters
thilks I'm going 20 say ur here aud
tumble over his rusty uailg, he's much
mistaken. | wasn't hired for that kind
OF work.
Whereupon John bounced down the
attic stairs, three at a time, and was
found longing in the show windows,
half an hOur afterwards, when Mr. Pc.
ters appeared.
Have you put that box In order al
ready " was the Eentloman'B question.
4 didn't find anything to put in or
der; there was nothing in 1t but nails
and things
Exactly, it was the nails and things
that | wanted put in order; did you dc
it "
No, sir, it was dark and cold up
there, and didn't see anything worth
doing; besides, thought l was hired
to run OF errauds.'
'Oh, said Mr.. Peters, q thought you
were hired to do as you were told But
he smiled pleasantly enough, and at
once gave John an errand to do down
, town, and the boy went off ChuCkling,
declaring to himself that ne knew how
to manage the old fellow, all ii needed
was lItlle standing up for your rights,
Precisely at six O'clock John was
called and paid the sum promised him
for days work and then 10 his dis
may, hs was told that his services Weyt
10 longer needed. He Ssked no .ques-
lions; indeed he had time for none, as
Mr.. Peters Immediately closed the
door.
The next morning the old sign 'Boy
Wanted, appeared in its usual place,
Before noon it was taken down, and
Charlie Jones was the fortunate boy
Errands, plenty of them he was kept
busy until within All hour of closing.
Then, behold he WAS sent to the attic
| 10 put the long box in order. He was
not afraid of q mouse or OF the cold, but
he grumbl6d much over that box; moth
ing In it worth his attention. However
he tumhled over the things, growing
all the time, picked out few straight
nails, key or two, aud finally appear
ed down. stairs with this message:
Here's all there is worth keeping
in that box; the rest Of the nails are
rusty, and the hooks are bent or some
| thing"
Every WELL" said MIR. Peters, and
sent him to the pOst-otlice. What dc
you think ? by the close OF the mex
day, Charlie had been paid and dis
charged, and the old sign hung in the
| window.
"I've no kind of a notion why was
discharged" grumbled Charlie to his
mother; "he said be had Lo fault tC
find, only he SAW that / wouldn't suit.
It's my opinion he doesn't want n boy
at all, and takes that way to cheat
Nj Mean old fellow !"
1t was Crawford Mills who was hired
next. He knew neither of the other
boys, and so did his errands in bliss
full ignorance Of the long box unit
the second morning Of his stay, wheE
| in leisure hour LIE was sent to put i
in order.
The morning hour passed, dinner time
came, and still Crawford had not ap
peared from the attic. At last Mr.
| Peters called him, Got through ?'
NO, sir there is ever so much more
to do.
All right; It is dinner time now, ,yOr
may 20 back to it after dinner. Aitel
dinner back he went; all the Afternoon
he was not heard from, but ust as Mr.
Peters was deciding to cal! him again
| hV hppEoACH'
i've done MY best, SIR he said, ant
down at the very bottom of the box
found this This was Ave dollar golt
| piece. g.,
That's queer place for gold,' sait
Mr.. Peters. It's good you found II
well, sir, suppose yOn will be on nanG
to morrow morning. This was said al
he was putting the piece In his pocket
book, After Crawford had said good
night and gone, Mr.. Peters took the
lantern and went slowly up the attic
stairs. There was the long deep box
| in which the rubbish OF twenty. Ave
years had gathered. Crawford had
evidently been to the bottom of it; he
had fitted in pieces of shinRle to make
compartments, and in these different
rooms be had placed the articles, with
bits of skingle laid on top and labelled
thus: Good screws, Pretty good nails
Small keys, somewhat bent Picture
books Pieces of iron whose use dom,