Dodge City times. [volume] (Dodge City, Kan.) 1876-1892, 1883-07-12
the bow. ..for it is the worst old cotton

the boy, ..for it is the worst old cotton
umbrella ever saw
IF can only find the owner and
give it back to him. continued the
ghost. II can get little rest; but I've
been looking for him ninety years, and
can't find him."
"Serves you right" said the boy,
s.for not sending for messenger.
You're in luck to meet me. Gimme
the umbrella, and I'll give it back to
| the owner"
s.Bless you," said the ghost, handing
the umbrella to the boy; ''you have
saved me. Now l will go away and
rest" and he turned to go out of the
door, when the boy said:
'.See here; it's fifty cents for taking
an umbrella home, and I've got to be
paid in advance"
"But haven't got any money" said
the ghost.
Cant help that said the boy.
''You give me fifty cents; or else take
your umbrella back again. We don't
do any work in our Office for nothing"
Well, the end of it all was that the
ghost left the umbrella with the boy,
and the next night he came back with
| the money, though where he got it no.
body will ever know. The boy kept the
money, and threw the umbrella away,
for he was real bad boy, and made
believe that he was going to find the
owner; and the ghost was never seen
again.
But 1 haven't told about the trouble
| with Aunt Eliza yet. The day she
| came to our house mother bought a
| lot of live crabs from man, and put
them in a pail in the kitchen. Tom
McGinnis was spending the day with
me, and l said to him what fun it would
be to have crab races, such as we used
to have down at the sea shore last sum-
mer. He said wouldn't it, though; so
each of us took three crabs, and went
upstairs into the spare bedroom, where
we could be sure of not being disturbed.
We had a splendid time with the crabs,
and won more than half the races.
All of sudden heard mother calling
me, and Tom and l just dropped the
crabs into an empty work-basket, and
pushed it under the sofa out of sight,
and then went downstairs
l meant to get the crabs and take
them back to the kitchen again, but l
forgot all about it, for Aunt Eliza came
just after mother had called me, and
everybody was busy talking to her. OF
course she was put into the spare room,
and as she was very tired, she said she d
lie down on the sofa until dinner-time
and take her hair down.
About an hour afterward we heard
the most dreadful cries from Aunt
Eliza room, and everybody rushed up
stairs, because they thought she must
certainly be dead. Mother opened the
door, and we all went in. Aunt Eliza
was standing in the middle of the floor,
and jumping up and down, and crying
and shrieking at the top of her voice.
One crab was hanging on to one of her
fingers, and he pinched just as hard IS
he could pinch, and there were two
more hanging on to the ends of her
hair. You see, the crabs had got out of
the work basket, and some of them had
climbed up the sofa while Aunt Eliza
was asleep.
OF course they said it was all my fault,
and perhaps it was. But I'd like to
know if it's a fair thing to leave crabs
where they can tempt fellow, and
then to be severe with him when he
forgets to put them back. However, l
forgive everybody, especially Aunt
Eliza, who really doesn't mean any
harm. Jimmy Brown," in Harper's
IOu7a1 PeOple.