The Arkansaw traveler., 1884-04-26


 A pair of stockings which urgently de- handed the attention of the needle lay upon the bed, but the hands were too cold for sewing. She was lonely and miserable: II occurred 10 her that she might go out for half an hour before bed time, but, as lonely and miserable people will. she shrank from the change which might have proved relief Besides, II was not her habit 10 run about the streets al night ; her sister had taught her dis taste for that and another objection was that she would have 10 pass the pork l butchers just by the entrance to the court whence at this hour steamed forth odors of hot pease-pudding, "faggois," save i Joys, and other dainties the trial would have been too bitter. She looked round at the bare room, and, inevitably, she 1 thought of Mir. Quy. Poor old Mir. Guy many a hungry hour, thinking of the i pork-butcher' round the corner; bu, ! then he had the resource of writing his name or the wall. Alter all, though, she was better of than Mir. Day: was there not friend in Chirrup, who seemed to wish 10 comfort her, aud remind her tha, ] she was no: quite alcne! She turned and put her little fingers through the bars of the cage to be pecked at And. i by-;he-bye. Chrrup's cage evidently wanted cleaning cut Phabe's troubles had mace her rern'ss in that duty for two 1 or three days. That would be something to occupy her for little. So she opened the door. and Chrrup. after pausing for ] few moments with inquisltive eye on the threshold of his dwelling. fiuuered out ID the wonted manner, and perched on the brass knob at the foot of the bed stead. Scared thence by the girls move ments, he flew boldly on to the top of the cupboard. and there remained.
 1 The little house being swept and garn- ishcd. Phoebe summoned back its occu- pant. But Chirrup was not disposed to come. Foolish bird, had he positively gone to sleep up there. To fetch him. down. Phube made little spring at the top of the cupboard. which was much taller than herself. Alas. instead of fly ing down, Chnup with unprecedented perversity, actually scuftled back into a recess, and was lost to sight. Striking against the wood was of no avail calling proved equally useless; there was no,h- ing for it but to climb on chair and ex- plore for the first time the fiat top of the cupboard. PhUbe took up her lamp in one hand, and speedily discovered the fugitive, in the remotest corner. amusing himself apparently with game of hide ana-seek.
 Dir;y, dirty Chirrup. Why. you Il be all over black dust, Come here. naughty bifd Why. whs.eveI-''
 Fhusbe's voice failed her What were those things that slistened so in the lamplight, in spite of the layer of dus. upon them.
 Money.
 Yes, money; not doubt of t, and lad here in most extraordinary way. Hali-cTawns, shil.!nss, sixpences -noia- lnS jess than sixpence arranged in conf cal heaps. and Tn such order ss to spell out ! word. and that word no other than "QtN" What. Poor old Mir. Guy after all miser, hoarding up silver coins like this. here on the top of the cupboard :. And 10 think that they had lain here ever since his death, and that no one had ever had occasion to look before this on the top of the cupboard How good of Mrs. Dabbs to have such an objection 10 house cleaning.
 { ph ebe came down from the chair, and Stood, the lamp still in her hand. looking straight before her, seeing nothing How long she might have stood thus i, would be hard to say, had no, Master Chincp all at once grown tired of his game which really was too one-sided-and came flying down 10 the mantel-piece, whence he hopped to his cage, and went ii once to crack seed CT two out of the fresh supply. In an ins;an, Phoebe was up on the chair again, and this time she did mere than gaze. Partly It was awe a. the sum of money. but quite as much very natural feeling ,ha, she was some how interfering with the repose Of the dead, which prevented her al hrst from rudely disturbing the inscription, and would only allow her to remove six pence from the top of enc of the little heaps. She looked at II she bi. ,: she then descended and rang i; on the man. tel-pIece. A real sixpencc. indubitably Her first thought had been to run down at once 10 Mrs. Dabbs and app1ise her of the discovery: the ring of the sxpence dispersed this idea. and awcke in her breast the keen sense oi possession. Why tell Mrs. Dabbs? Mrs. Dabbs was in no way related 10 the dead old man: ncr was any one else so far as was known. In quality oi landlady Mrs nabbs could certainly supper, no claim to the treasure-trove a, least 90 !, ap- peared 10 Phmbe. In fact, W as it no; clearly case for the application oi the motto, 'Findin's Is keepin's''- poor Phobe would have delivered it
 Nay, no longer poor Phcbe. A third mounting of the chair. and. behold. the initial letter of Mir. Guys name had half disappeared in a very few moments not a trace of the embossed incription remained, but there on ,he table lay crowd of coins, impossible 10 guess at the sum they represented. s,fter gazing at them for an instant. pAo5e, seized with I sudden fright. ran to the door. opened i. and listened. Not sound in the house. Then she made herself secure wi:h sharp turn of the key and returned 70 gaze.