Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1885-09-12

/ of the endless shifts and turns she was
| forced TO make In their daily life by the
/ emDfiness of their purse, and which
/ seemed this morning 50 utterly desplca-
/ Die to her.
Prndie was a rapid walker, and almost
! before she knew it she was beyond the
/ outskirts of the village and walking along
a country road bounded on either side
/ by q high Usage hedge. The brown leaves
/ Of the autumn gone by sWirled past he
/ as she walked, hardly noticing anyth' &
as she went by.
J At length, however, she turned nd
! reVsn TO efrace her steps. She walked
more slowly now, the wind blowing
/ strongly in her face. Far ahead Of her
/ the dead leaves were Whirling In little
! eddies and heaping themselves at the
side Of the road. She picked up a long
/ slender stick and began turning over the
/ leaves as she passed, finding a languid
sort of enjoyment in her occupation.
All at once she started. Surely that
was no monster leaf No, bat q we'll
/ filed, worn leather pOcket-bOOk, nalf
] covered with the huIrying leaves.
! Prudie stopped and picked 1t up. At
that moment her bad angel must have
been passing, for she glanced furIVely
around her, and seeing no one, thrust it
into the breast Of her jacket and walked
/
As she neared nom she met Mrs. Ia
/ lor, who exclaimed.
Claws, child, how white you be
Have you heard the news Old!
Bryant has lost his pOcketbOOk with
! over $4,000 in it, and can't find hide nor
hair on it. He's been postin' up a re-
ward for -$IO0-there's one Of 'em,
pointing to notice at the corner.
Prudie read it hastily, and excusing
b.. III y I'D
! leaving Mrs. Taylor to sOliloquize to her
self.
"She looked fit to drop. It's that Lee
Bryant's goings on with Eva Eaton I
dun know as 1 care, she's always been
that sit up above her betters because
the Bryant's noticed her"
Prudie, on entering the house, found
not a waiting father, but a note lying
upon the table. 1t was Just the hour Of
twilight, and she lighted the little read
ing lamp and read =
"PRUDIE: My brother is very sick ia
! Manchester, and am Obliged to leave
by the $50 train. Will be home to
morrow. FATHER"
Thus left to herself, she closed every
blind and drew every curtain In the little
cottage. Always before, when left alone,
| she had gone to some of the neigh bOrs
for company; but tonight she wished to
see no one. CHANGING stealthily around
into every corner Of the darkened apart
ment, she drew the heavy pocket book
from her breast and opened it. Yes, there
it was, rolls and rolls of money, more
than she had ever seen together before
in her life. Over $4,000 of that perilOus
stuff for which men barter their souls ev-
| cry day-fOr which women sell their love
and the happiness of their lives forever.
Need I say that she was tempted? The
! poverty of her every day life rose before
/ her-the bright love dream of her life,
which lay in ashes at her feet, passed
! before her mental vision. No one saw
her pick it up She could destroy every
article within it, and even her own father
would never know it. Mr.. Bryant was
| the owner of a half million; he would
never feel the loss, while she must toll,
unlOved, because she was Door.
Instinctively her hand took up the
! pocket book and the few papers it con-
/ tanned, and placed them in the open
| CRATE. Then she went for kindlings and
/ match. She struck the match Il
burned with a feeble ray, but that one
ray cast all its light upon one line of an
ancient Illuminated "ten command
ments" which hung upon the wall, and
that line shOne out like a text of fire.
"ThOu shalt not steal"
The match fell from the Outstretched
hand. The articles were snatched from
! the CRATE and she replaced every thing as
she tirst found them. Then the white
lips whispered, cam I a thief" Con
science answered, Almost, not quite,
thanks to God"
No, mol She might be rated among the
humblest of the earth-might be trifed
with in her tenderest feeling by the son
of the man whose money she held-but
Prudie Warner q thief? NeVerl
Morning came cold and gray, the
morning Of the last day Of the year, the
morning before Mrs. Bryant's party. Be-
fore nine o'clock Prudie Warner was
again dressed in her gray walking suit
and upon the street-this time bound tor
the great house upon the hill.
1t was timid little pull that Prudie
gave the bell, but Is was Immediately an
sWered by Mrs. Bryant herself, who kiss
ed Prudie aftectiOnately as she entered.
'Mv dear, why have you not called on
US before? 1 have been telling Eva all
about you, and have looked for you
every day. We have been very lonely
since Lee has been in New York, out he
returns to-day. Come in and see Eva"
and she hurried embarrassed Prudie
into the breakfast room. "My niece, Eva
Eaton, Miss Warner" she continued.
why, Prudie, how dazed you Iookr'
"Well, I may" said Prudie, recovering
herself. Il found Mr.. Bryant's pocket
book"
els that SOP" cried Mr.. Bryant, from
the other side Of the room. "Where on
earth was it?"
Prudie explained as well as she " as
able, while amidst all the EXPLANATIONS
and questions that followed, golden
haired Eva Eaton had slipped into the
seat by the side of Prudie, and had
managed to Whisper
Lee told me all about you dear"
"WeI, Pmdie," said Mr.. Bryant, "you
are a very honest little girl; just the one
I want for a daughter-in-laW."
Charles l' SAID Mrs. Bryant, reprOach-