Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1883-06-01

wIna-mill swung it, great sails about
Iaziiy. Robins and sparrows ehirped
anu twittered -busily.1 The oId-fash-
lohsd garden, with its troop of herbs
anu MOVERS, its shrubs and bushes, half
clipped, half Struggling. sent mp y
subtle fragrance, and eyer and anon
inc little brook could be hrard ripplinp
oyer the stones by the bridge. where
she had so many times waded and
had tun with her little friends.
but feggy did not notice anything
oil THIS She was thinking: II donf
icel Ike singing; but I can't, I iron't.
gave up my splendid ring. IL I tell Of
H. Grandma NIL tell all the neighbors.
anu The OWNER will be found and claim
"; TITS not tlIe owners any more.
lheJ should not have lost il. / found
~ andn0w-ft Is mine. | don't care if
can L sing. L eau look ut my ring
4 whenever Iplepse- y Upon this She be-
! gan 70 cry. ass hodgh her heart would
break Just . prove how happy She
was IN doing wrong. But in n few
minutes she brushed away her tears.
Tor she e was q resolre little girl, and
why, Peggy, you must be sick,
dear ION have been crying, am
sure, y said her loving grandmother.
immediately. "Or. are YOU unhappy?
Tome TO me, child, and tell me all about
u. Do!T know can help my little
| girl 4
'Grandma'' saif Peggy, pettishly.
81 have only al headache | have
nothing TO tell" C'That was not
true, v She added to'hsrsclf. with the
| Justice and severity Of iudgcO Peg
/ ~ wfs no ignorant -wrvng- doer.--ssire.
knew as--well-- aS--yQIL -.tnd I-do, dear
reader thai Sac Ma Ngding away from
all the. pure hRd.good things Nhich she
bad ever been taught. just then a
ncighbOr came in. Her name was Mrs.
Smart. She always knew all the news
OF the ncighborhoOd Just as soon as il
happened sometimes beforcl
They've had great time up TO the
| bOardin' house, said she.
Now. grandma did not like to listen
To the stories which Mrs. Smart was So
! apt To tell. She knew that very often
| they turned out To- be false. and in any
ease they were gossip. Every school
girl and schoOl-bOy knows what gossip
j.. Whom you grow up hope YOU will
not got tO be like Mrs. Smart II vuu
do. YOU wUl lpry anil peck
and ask questions, and hint around
until You finde some =, little thing
that you can lNist INTO n story
against somebody E(pcyer for ANYBODY,
be sure Of that! land then YOU will 90
/ from house 10 house 10 tell the evil
thing YOU have ifnagincd, thus doing in
/ jury to innocent people. And mcddling
with matters which do not concern
yes" said Mrs. Smart, ..thcy'vc
bad great time up there. Que of the
| tne ladies has lost her diamond ring
IL was stolen from her by a chamber
maid. Poor gylirl! I do pity her. If
she is thief! There she sits a-cryin'l
| The lady knows il was that gv1Irl, for
she was the last person in the room.
and the lady is sure that she left her
ring ON tho bureau, AMI when she came
up to- breakfast il was gone, and the
gyurl herself said nobody else had been
in the rooml They've searched her
trunks and can't find nothin', but they
made such fuss that Mr. Laird has
discharged the poor thing, and She's
agoin'."
what lady was ftp" questioned
| Grandma, for she was quite Interested.
/
down here a-tTyin' to buy, your chimney
tother day. She fcelSrery badly, too.
| Twas her mothers ring. and folks say
twas worth Tour hundred dollars"
Peggy trembled with excitement. but
her voice was pretty calm y rs she said
(Which way did she 60 home from
here, tirandmap Wassit while was at
school?" ...
Yes; il was day before yesterday.
in the afternoon. She went mp To the
clearinghouse through the orchard,
because it was cooler, she said"
"Well," said Mrs. Smart, al must
go, for want to- see that guilty gyurl
of. She was a-sittin' in the kitchen
cryin' as 4 her heart would break, and
a-tellin' how she never done no such
thing; but You never can tolll Those
gyrrrls are SO decenin'. i presume she :
got the ring somewhere about her
clothes now. AT any rate, she won {
get another place very soon. kinder
pity. her, aud yetit serves her right
Is she going away?" asked Grand
- Yes; in Che stage-why, hear it
now-good-bye. I'm agoin' to see how
she takes it when she goesr'
Peggy sprang upstairs like a deer.
She went straight to- her chest.
Through the window came the rumble
of the stage, nearer and nearer. In a
minute or two it would reach the board
ing-house. and 90 ON. Peggy looked
for the key. II was not under the mat.
a. usual Who're cOuldit be? Peggy
tried to think, but her head seemed in
a whirin What could have done with
tho key?' she sobbcd. Putting her
hand up To her neck, she happened TO
feel n little ribbon "Oh, YES" she
sighed in relief. She had tied the KEY TO
n ribbon, and placed it about her neck;
for now that she had diamond ring
in her chest she would have TO be
morn eausful, she had said To herself.
But the ribbon was tied In hard knot,
and was too strong TO break. The
ominOus rumble hail stopped; the stage
had reached the bOarding-h lusc. "What
SHALL dO?' groanctl Pcggv, her hcart
beating with fright and anxiety! ,'Ohl
| must get into my chest" Then she
saw penknife on the table. In an in
slant she hal cut the ribbon and UNI
locked the chest, caught lup the ring.
and run DOWNSTAIRS. Her grandma
called: "Where are you goingP'' but
she dashed like whirlwintfhrourhth the
kitchen. cleared the two steps at a
bound. md went UP the rad like q
flash. How she ran! Her heart beat
like n trip-hammcr. hut her ears were
wide open to catch the sound of the
stage. Round the corner, by the end of
the, orchard. she still kept ON hut Just
as she came in front Of tho trim croauet-
ground. sheisauS the serge 81 Art or from
the door.
| After ID she sped with all-her might.
The summer boarders were all collected
in front of the house Mrs Smart was
by the road watching the hsti tears 81
the unfortunate maid; some fashionable
city children. whom Pcggyha ALWAYS
feared, and almost disliked, because