The sun. [volume] (Morris, Stevens County, Minn.) 1882-1895, 1885-08-13
FIFTY POUNDS REWARD.

| 1T l. IOONDS III w AM.
When young married clerk sud
denly loses his situation in prOvin-
cial bank where employers are reduc-
ing their hands, it does rot follow that
work can be had for the asking in
London; and so Mr.. Tom Craven
found himself still seeking employ
ment many months after his savings
had dwlndled down to few pounds
The last resources of the young couple
was the sale of every available article
of furniture they possessed, and when
my story opens young Mrs. Craven
was on the point of starting to sell the
last remaining article of value, name
ly, her husbands boots.
1.-The children must live," said the
young man, looking at two tiny fig
ures in the bed, land all my other
clothes are done for, so the boots are
of no use to me. The only trouble is
that you should have to take them,
Clara.
But, Tom, you can't go without
boots!"
'I've got slippers" replied Tom.
make haste, dear-no one Will see
you in the dark"
Resolved to keep up, Clara stopped
for the boots. Something must turn
up soon--perhaps you'll hear from
Brown e. Co. to- morrow" she said.
Every likely" responded Tom in a
Responding tone. Brown & Co. were
his late employers, and he had writ
ten to them asking if they could posi-
| bly, take him back--with faint hopes
of success.
Quickly the boots were put into an
old leather bag, and Mrs. Craven
dressed herself in a shabby waterproof
and bonnet, and covered her face with
thick veil. Then she crept down
the creaking old stairs and out into
the narrow street, with heavy heart
and eyes into which tears would come.
Gusts of wind made the steet lamps
flicker and cast strange shadows as
Clara Craven sped on toward the shop
where ''left-otf'' clothing was pur-
chased. She paused few doors off
to let some persons go on their way,
for she was sorely ashamed of her err
rand; and as she stood thus her eyes
fell on placard that was fixed uuder
the light of lamp on the wall of a
| police station.
Fifty pounds sterling reward"
"Fifty pounds! How nice to get
it!'' thought Mrs. Craven; and then
she took another look to see if the
coast was clear for the business she
had in hand. Two more peo-
pie were coming. Back went her
eyes to the placard, and she read that
this reward was offered to any person
who would give such information as
would lead to the conviction of dar-
ing jewelry robbery.
"Wish could catch the thief" said
Clara to herself. half laughing, half
sadly, and when she looked again to-
ward the wardrobe shop she saw she
might venture in. After hearing her
husbands boots deprecated in every
possible manner, she timidIy accepted
the pitiful price offered, and then stole
back into the street, where she Dur-
chased a few absolute necessaries of
life, and ordered some coal which a
green-grocer's boy wheeled IN a bar
rel behind her until they reached the
door of the clearinghouse.
'Would you mind carrying them up
to my room in two basketsful if / give
you two-pencep" asked Clara, gently.
The boy nodded by way of answer,
and the young wife opened the door
with her latch-Aey, and ran up for an
old basket. While she was getting
this out of her room man had swift
ly entered the house and passed up
the stairs. The coal boy never no.
ticed him, for he was eagerly watch
ing the signs of an approaching fight
between two tom-cats on an opposite
stairway.
The staircase was very dark, so
when Clara came down the man had
squeezed himself into a corner unob-
served; and when she went on her
way the stranger passed on to the top
of the house, and entered the room
behind that occupied by the Cravens.
An hour later a snug glow of hre
warmed the young couple and their
children, and the latter, having been
satisfied with a meal, went sound
asleep. Tom watched his wife's busy
fingers mending shabby clothes for
while, and then he, too, went to bed,
sharing her fervent hope that ''some-
thing would turn up tomorrow"
And SO it came about that when all
were asleep Clara sat on by the fire
that still burned cI,eerily, and after
eleven strokes had fallen slowly from
the big clock, and the restless roar of
traffic was somewhat less in the ever
busy street, her hands lay idle in her
lap, and she blew out the candle to
save its light for another time, and
turned such sad young face, such
troubled blue eyes, on the Pickering
fire that it seemed hard, hard that so
young life should be so old in sor-
row.
A sound of voices in the next room
reused her. There was door COM
municating with the next room, which.
of course, was locked, but which made
sounds easily heard. Clara knew that
her companion was an elderly lady
she had met her On the stairs somo-
times-aDd she wondered who her
visitor could be at such an hour. Then
the sound of frightened sobbing and
expostulation made her listen atten-
lively, for she feared her neighbor was
in trouble, and she determined to rouse
her husband If necessary.
mot yet, Joe! Oh, don't say you
must 60 YETI
Mother, I've stayed too long al-
ready. They'll DO after me sharp,
now the rewards out. Think of fifty
pounds sterling, mother! The men who
tempted me, and got the Jewels,
would turn on me now and get the
reward"
This was IL, then! But one slight
wooden door stood between Clara and
the thief she wished she could find.
Only to step round the corner. There
she knew was the police station, and