The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1883-04-05

think what he should do with this small
fortune. But perhaps there was some
thing else in the other pocket-yes,
here was a letter directed, sealed, and
stamped, all ready to mail and in q
small inner breast pocket he found
three horse-car tickets. cigarette, and
a three-cent piece In the other breast
pocket were a gray lid glove, and
card with the name, .'James Agard,
Jr." He looked at the letter again; on
one corner was printed: Return to
James Agard & Co., Deerford, Conn,
if not delivered in ten days Jack
was not dull boy, and it flashed across
him at once that this coat had been put
IN 0 the box by mistake; it must have
belonged to James Agard, Jr. He
looked again at the handkerchief, and
found that name on the corner.
What should he do? The coat had
been given to him-why not keep it?
He sat down on his bed to think. His
short end of tallow candle had gone out
but the late-risen moon poured flood
of mellow light through his window and
seemed to look him in the face. While
he thinks the thing out at the West, let
US take up the Eastern end of the story.
just three days after the great fires,
certain prompt young people in a New
England church congregation came to-
gether in the parlors Of that church to
receive and pack clothing for the burnt
out sufferers; and for a week contribu-
tiOns poured in upon them, and gave
them work for both head and hands.
Into this busy crowd one day hurried
slight, active young man, dressed in a
gray business suit.
''Hallol" he called out, cheerily.
''Ive come to help the old-clo' boxes
along Give me work at once, Mrs.
Brooks anything but sewing
Mrs. Brooks laughed.
''Can you pack a barrel, Mr.. Agard?"
''Yes, indeed; iustpile on the things,
and he went to work with an alacrity
that showed he knew how to do his
work. This energetic little man pack
ed more than one barrel before night,
and, in order to work better, threw his
When evening came, he drew himself
up with a laugh, eXclaiming:
There. | can go West, young
man. and earn my living as pork
packer, if you'll only recommend me,
Mrs. Brooks"
That | will,' said she, land others,
too. We have sent off ten barrels since
you came in, Mr.. Agard; we had to
hurry, for the freight train left at four
o'clock
Just then he turned to look for his
coat. 1t was not where he left it. He
searched the room in vain, and at last
called out:
HAS anybody seen my coat?''
''Where did you leave it?' asked
George Bruce, a young man who had
also been packing very busily.
ION the back of that chair
''Was it a gray mixed sack?"
Yes
'.Well, sir. it's gone off to the suffer-
ers. then. | saw ii on the chair, thought
it was contribution, packed it, head
ed up the barrel, and sent it to the
train
'.W-hat! You're nice fellow. Bruce
sent my coat off! How am to get
homeP'
lit is too bad" said Mrs. Brooks.
'sI'll take YOU home in the carriage, Mr..
Agard." "
Thank you kindly; but thatisn't ALL
I had forty dollars in one pocket, and a
letter to be mailed with thousand-dol-
lar check in it. ] must hurry home and
have that check stopped; the bills will
go for an involuntary contribution, |
suppose. Bruce, | feel like choking
your
And Tn willing to let you, Jim, if
it'll relieve your mind 1t was outrage
ouslv careless OF me. l don't suppose
there's the slightest chance of tracing
it,
mo more than dropped penny in
Broadway Miss Van Ness won't have
her Jacqueminot roses for the german,
though. and I'll tell her it was your
fault can't throw away any more
dollars on nonsense. But I'm not sure
the money is lost as.much as it might
have been, old fellow. Mrs. Brooks,
I'm ready"
And so James Agard went home.
stopped payment of the check by a tel
egram, and sent an excuse to Miss Van
Ness for not attending her german.
The roses were to have been q surprise
TO her. so she did not miss them.
We left Jack sitting in the moonlight,
doubling and distressed. But he did
not sit there long. for suddenly there
came to him recollection OF what his
father had said concerning his educa-
ton to Grandpa Dibble; his mother had
repeated it to him so often that it was
fixed in his memory. He hid his face
in his hands, for it grew hot with shame
to think he had not seen it at once that
he must send the coat back to its owner
Jack did not heSitate-the right thing
must be done quickly. He folded the
coat as well as he knew how, replacing
everything in the pockets, except the
three-cent piece, for which he had a
use. Then quite sure that Mr.. Smith,
who had hired him, was not the man to
understand or approve bis action, he
made up his mind not to wait till the
morning, out to go directly back to
DAYTON, where he had received his
clothes, and where the nearest express
office was stationed He could not re-
turn the coat to the agent, for he had
distributed all the clothes destined fol
that point, Jack being one of the last
applicants. and had gone on farther
with the rest; so he rolled it in a news
paper and slipped down stairs with his
shoes in his hand, putting on over his
vest the old red sack he had worn be-
fore, and set out for Dayton.
He haA to heT his breakfast when he
he reached the town; then ne bought a
sheet of brown paper, a string, and a
postal card with the three-cent piece,
and. sitting down on the sunny side of
a lumber pile made the coat into q neat
bundle, firmly tied.
He asked the use of pen and ink at
the express Office. directed his package
and wrote his postal as follows, for he
could write well. though little uncer-
tain as to his spelling:
DAYTON, -
DEAR SIR: l send you by express TO Day
2 coat which j got in the close sent TO burned
ont foxes here. doanJ believe it ought to hay
come. 50 / send il TO the name onto the Letter.
all things Within except sents used for paper,
string, and kard
JACK PARRY"
Jack felt n great weight off his mind