Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1883-08-24

put IN for stealing. Auntie was very
much surprised, for she used to talk to
Liar, and liked him. She asked what
he had been stealing, and the man said
1t was a gold watch and chain.
Perhaps il isn't true, though" said
auntie. But l remembered about his
touching things and laughing to him
self when / was asleep, and / began to
think all in a minute that he took those
rings.
SO didn't wait for the fireman to GO
away. i jumped right up and told
auntie just what / thought l said !
was so sorry now that I'd s'pected
Lena, for kIe,C Lena was a good girl,
and twas Liar that stole.
20, won't you please write note to
the President" said /, ''and ask him to
make Liar give back those beautiful
rings?''
But she never stirred. She said:
Little Mary. you don't know any more
about Liar than you knew yesterday
about Lena" said she; you're hasty
again.
Il don't think I'm hasty at ALL" said
L. 'Lijar is hOrrid, dreadful man. or
what did they put him in the lookup
for? II he'd steal big watch he'd steal
little rings! II he ID steal one thing
he'd steal everthingl" said /.
But auntie didn pay the least atten-
ton, only laughed. It's so nice for
ladies to be- grown up, so they know
how to keep still and think. They never
do queer things such as little girls do.
was glad afterwards that auntie
didn't write to the President, for the
President was sick that day and couldn't
have gons to the lookup. Besides, if
he had gone -well. just you be patient,
grandma Auntie curIed my hair and
sent me down to breakfast with Cora
and her mamma. You needn't say
anything yet to- Cora" said she. for
I'm going to persevere little longer"
80 L didn't say word to Cora, and
auntic hunted. / thought she was 4
very queer woman to keep persevering
when she kncU il was no use. | came
back after breakfast feeling very bad.
for il seemed as if Cora's mother had
been looking ut my hands the whole
time | was eating. | opened the door
OF our room, and what do YOU think?
There stood auntie, and she had both
those rings on n knitting needle, hold
ing them up for me to see.
Look ut your runaway rings" said
she. Why, i never tCdS so happy. |
thought of course Liar had brought
them or else Lena. But no, auntie had
found them in that room, and you can t
guess where.
She had hunted in that bureau five
hrrnHru1 siuaaa a,,I L,I,.ft
good. But this time she took out one
OF the drawers and sat down on the
floor To look il over Ii was next to
the upper drawer that she took out. and
she happened to look up at the empty
place in the bureau where il belonged,
and there she saw something shining
through a crack. IL was both those
rings. They had got pushed into the
crack and stuck there. Stuck on a
splinter.
Auntie said of course had put them
in the upper drawer instead OF the box,
and i suppose had. 1t was because |
was so sleepy. / don't see how she
ever found them, for they were sticking
to that splinter very tight, and might
have stuck there for years and years if
she hadn't happened to look up and see
them shining right in her eyes.
% grandma, / tell you there wasn't a
feeling in me that wasn't happy!
went right down to the second floor to
Cora's room and laughed right out.
| She didn't know what meant till rave
her those rings and told her how dread
fully they'd been lost. And / said L d
never borrow them any more. / didn't
/ To ha Il
papa such a poor doctor, and Mrs. Girls
void said: That is right"
There, that pretty near the end. On
~ met Lena in the hall as went back,
and she smiled the pleasantest
smile. and told me: 81 did been
TO your room, Miss Mary" Yes.
grandma, "she did been there" and
left me bunch of violets. You see she
never thought l could s'pect her of
stealing or she wouldn't have done it..
Why, it made me feel so unkind and
ashamed to smell those violets!
oh, yes, L thought there was more.
| forgot Liar. He hadn't stolen a
watch at all. He hadn't done a speck
of thing. 1t was another man that
was put in the lookup. Liar had
broken his leg, and that was all that
allied him.
Auntie went TO his house to see him,
and went with her. 1t was queer
old house full OF children, oh! ever so
many children. Liar was in awful
| pain, so auntic said, but he didn't proan
any and you know he could not look
pale. He thanked us for the oranges.
and his wife said he was always good
and kind, and she'd rather be hurt her.
self than to have Liar hurt. Then !
felt ashamed again, to think how I'd
called him horrid, when he wasn't
horrid at all and it was another man
/ that stole.
There. grandma, / wouldn't tell this
story To anybody but you, for fear
they'd think | was cruel and unkind.
But it's the very last time I'll talk SC
about people, unless know it is Ger.
tainly true. II auntie didn't say: 81
hope this will be lesson to you. little
Mary" it will be n lesson, Just about
know.-Sophie May, IN Vide 1UGke.