The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1885-12-10

trunk already; another added would
command round halt dollar from tho
selectmen when he should bring them
40 legal evidence to him.
The woodchuck had taken q bee line
to the woods, and was under the rail
fence that divided them, hardly
quicker than Jim was over it. He
made in the direction of the river; if
his hole was in hollow stump or
felled log there was just chance of
poking him out. What q pity Lion
wasn't along! If In the ground, there
was less likelihood of capturing him,
seeing he had nothing at hand where
with to bail water to drown him out.
Unluckily the woodchuck had chosen
his building lot with an eye to this
emergency. Jim arrived on little
clearing just in time to see hin vanish
into the ground.
He threw stone or two down the
hole, rather than give it up at once,
not that he expected to accomplish
anything by that method, but merely
by way of invitation, then turned to
find stick. His shirts and Mrs.
Starrett's commands were way in
the background now. The blood of the
hunter was up.
He walked to the edge of the clear
space, and found, not what he was in
search of, but something else. Some
thing that made him forget all about
the stick. 1t was. lying right by the
big log. 1t was a very unusual some
thing to find there; quite as odd q
thing to discover growing in the woods
as the red herring of Mother Goose's
riddle:
1t was leather purse.
Jim had forgotten even the wood
chuck as he pounced upon it and
opened it. without even giving him.
self time to bother how, or when, or
where it could have got there. He
poured the contents into one hand.
No great sum; but a veritable treas
ure trove to a boy who counted his
wealth by pennies. A two dollar bill,
a twenty-five cent piece, thirty-one
cents in five cent pieces and pennies,
two dollars fifty-six cents in all-no,
two tifty-seven. There was one bright
penny rolled up in bit of paper-a
lucky penny, he guessed. There were
also two stamps. two horse-car tickets,
picture of girls head cut out from
the photograph card, square of paper
scrubbed with mystic writing that hi
did not know, for prescription for g
face lotion, another bit of paper, thu
margin of newspaper. He examined
each thing separately, to make quite
sure of his good luck, turned them up
CT n H.
read the scribble on the newspaper
piece:
Boots.
Loring's. Last Franklin Squares
See if Rhody BIS new book is ou
yet.
ID. of cream caramels.
Call at the dentists. N. B.--Cal
when know he won't be there.
Art Rooms, to match yellow Gravel.
Hogg. b. & T., for ribbons for pu!
strings.
Everywhere, to match the peacock
wrapper.
Most of this was Latin, too, to Jim
except that it-with the horse car tick
ets-conveyed vaguely to his intelli
gence that the owner of the shabby
little purse was girl, a city girl
''Merrill's folks ove.: on the upper roat
kept boarders; must ha' belonged t
somebody there
| He poured tho contents back an,
snapped it to; opened it again, and re
peated the operation; even once drop
ping it on the ground to repeat th
first delicious thrill of the discovery
The leather was shrunken and dark
1t had not rained since Tuesday after
noon, thereby certainly outlawing tn
owners claim. Jim felt this vaguely
and was glad, without knowing why
The woodchuck might have gone th
downward path to China, and he woul
not have cared. But if. with a start
he means to be in the church porch b,
II, he must hurry; and he did mean to
Jim stood rather in awe of Mr.. Starrett
His aunt had his shirts ready. Sh
had been looking for him all the morn
ing. His shirts were done? Oh! yes
He was in tearing hurry. Sh
s'posed he d BIZ, as usual. 1t took he
>ome minutes to find a newspaper. an
a few more to do up the bundle an
look up apin. There was plenty {
string in the drawer, but a pin SCENE
preferable. Then Jim rose. He ha
been hanging his heels on the kitche
chair, and answering. as briefly a
might be, his aunt's questions.
Cant stop and have dinner wit
us?''
He had already told her twice tina
Mr.. Starrett had taken him along wit
him on the Way to church and expecte
him at the door when meetin' wa
over.
Have a do,u,ghnut and piece q
Jim's aunt was one of the wOmc
possessed by the idea that boys ar
born to hunger as naturally as tn
sparks fly upward.
No; he guessed not.
Stop for piece O. green appl
pie?''
| No he'd promised Mr.. Starrett to b
in the church porch by twelve, Jill
made answer. He had been twistin
the knob of the door. and as he spok
the last words was outside of it.
Don't seem to be in such dreadf,
hurry, after ALL thought his aunt, 8
she watched him from the side window
for Jim was walking slowly, and hi
newspaper bundle, with the pin sticl
ing into him, under one arm, wa
rubbing his chin in some curious fasl
ion with the other shoulder. "Bea
all, what curious WAYS some boys i
have" soliloquized Jim's aunt.
That particular boy was doing piec
of as hard thinking as he had ever don
in his life. HIS own words, just as b
dropped the door-hand]e, and starte
on dead run, had fired his brail
"He'd promised Mr.. Starrett''- ye
and he had promised Mrs. Stare,
something, too. The first bound WI
all he made toward the run that was
walk before he reached the gate and