The southern sentinel. (Winnfield, La.) 1883-1910, 1884-12-19
"Guess thu folks is an gone. al,

"Guess thu folks is an gone, 'a,ut
they?" he asked.
swell, yes they are" Tomm~
spoke very carelessly.
What pretty spoons we use, dom,
we?" continued the visitor land nv,
'aint our napkin rings gays wonder
if they're solid now.s'
..Oh yes," said Tommy, '.they're all
solid, all the ones we use and all ".
keep put away. all solid" and the chid
looked innocently in the rough face.
..Well now. my little man, this silver
needs cleaning. oh dreadfullyl Sun
pose we put it in our bundle and clean.
it for YOU. so when we bring it baek
You'll hardly know it," and into the
red handkerchief went all the spoon,
and Frank and Nelson's nice napkin
rings: but Tommy looked quietly on.
Now the nice little boy spoke a.
what was kept put away; but of course
little fellow Ike us, doesn't know
where we keep things. oh no, of course
not" and the fellow blinked wickedly
ut the innocent looking child.
Tommy thrust his hands into the
pockets of his ..brief pantaloon.n a
Frank tauntingly called them Then,
he looked amazingly knowing.
..Humphr' he said, II know where
there's things of ever so much more
value than those you got, 'aint plated
neither" a 4T
"Well. now, you show us right away
where they are, and see what reward
will be coming right along"
''Oh, but they re way up stairs, OBJ
jected Tommy.
Never mind, here we go way up
stairs" and the man was already push
inc Tommy towards the hall being
sharp enough to make him 90 first.
Over two flights of stairs to the ATTIC
led Tommy, to large store-room in
which were two or three large chests.
..Do YOU see that big chest?n asked
the child, pointing to one at the far end
of the loft.
..Oh yes, we see it plainly"
swell there's something in it, but the
keys under it. y
Quick as flash the man darted for.
ward and tried to lift the heavy chest
while quicker than a flash Tommy dart
ed out of the room, shutting the door
after him, which fastened with spring
Over the stairs he flew and out Of the
| front door, He ran and never stepped
nearly the half mile to the church, then
saw his father and brothers in the dis.
| lance, fastening to meet him.
..There! There mamma 5 little hero
scared to death. just as l said he'd be
some time" said Frank.
But a moment later the boys and
several of the neighbors were running
towards the house.
After the poor wretch, who meant to
be so sly and sure, had been. safely
quartered in the county Jail for tho
night, to be sent to the city under-guard
next day, Tommy, for about the tenth
time, told the whole story over to his
interested brothers. Then Nelson, re-
marked:
''Well, / guess you won't be so anx-
ious to stay alone another time, Will
you?'
well, I don't know" said Tommy
with queer side look. II thought I
perfected your old napkin ring pretty
well, and / didn't fib neither. / told
the old fellow knew where there was
something o more value than anythin'
he'd got, for though the chest was full
% old clothes, grandma Weston's old
Bible was at the bottom of it, so now!
Don't you 90 a-tellin' deceived the
man cause I don't think l did,-f
Grandma's old Bible is plated, never
heard of il"
Mrs. Weston says more significantly
than ever that she likes all her boys;
but as to Tommy-well, there's some
thing about Tommy that makes her
think in case of an emergency, shed
about as soon have him around as any
of the rest.-Harriet A. Cheerer. n
Golden Rute.