Huntsville gazette., 1886-05-15
"Oh, Cassy. Cassy." cried the girl.

"a ghost?" cried Classy, skillfully
drawing the wet brush in straight,
sweeping lines across the ceiling. '.Or
q mouse, or q black beetleP'
''Not one of the three" retorted
Cora, making her breathless appear
ance at the head of the stairs. ..Three
| five-hundred-dollar bills, in an enve-
lope, laid fat under the oil-clotn in
front of Cousin Grimgooke's Washing
stand. Oh, Classy, what shall we do
with them? I feel as if l had been
stealing"
"Do with them?" repeated Classy.
who was the valiant one of the family.
"Why, put them in your pocket, OF
course, and replace them exactly
where you found them when the carpet
goes down again"
But how do you suppose they came
there?" go
"Cousin Grimgooke put them there,
of course. It's one Of his magpies'
nests. And that was the reason, don't
you see, that he was SO unwilling for
us to take up the carpets"
Il wish we admit disobeyed him."
said Cora, with quivering lip.
"Why, what little goose you are!"
| said Classy; with superior air. ''One
can't live always in the dirt, can
one?" -
And Cora finally came round to her
sisters way of thinking.
The two girls made haste with their
undertaking, and had the house all
thoroughly cleaned by Saturday night,
| just about the time that old Uncle Silas
Peabody came by, selling CLANS.
Don't want any, eh?n said he.
oval, I've had dreadful bad luck to-
day. Haint no money to buy lodg
ing. S'pose you wouldn't like to let
me sleep in your barn?"
"Certainly we should not" said
Classy, with decision.
"Cousin Grimgooke would never al
low such thing" protested Cora,
turning pale.
oval. wal" said Uncle Silas, ''there
aint no harm done! | guess | can just
stub on spell furder."
But he did not ''stub" further than
the barn, apparently, for there he was
found, half an hour later, asleep in
the hay, with half-smoked pipe lying
beside him, and the entire premises in
light blaze. The neighbor who made
the discovery lost no time in summon
ing help; but there was no steam fire
department in Wiggletown, and within
two hours both house and barn were
in ashes. Uncle Sile carried off to the
nearest hospital, and Cora and Classy
wringing their hands at neighbor's
window as they gazed at the ruins.
And the embers were yet smoking
when Mr.. Grimgooke came hurrying
up from the railway station.
''Is it true?" he said. s'Is my house
burned DOWN."
And he was as pale as marble as he
what had once been Home"
Don't fret, Grimgooke," consoled
Squire Burrell. They're insured, both
house and barn. And the Reviver
Company's always as good as its
word"
"Don't look SO sad, Cousin Grim.
cooke" coaxed Classy, creeping up to
his side.
II hope, cousin, you don't blame
u.s." sobbed poor Cora.
''No. gals, no. said the old man,
with quiver of his lip. Nobody
could ha' prevented it, least of all two
slips of gals like you. Butt wish I'd
told you-my little savings was hid
away in my rooms-all in bills. And
it cuts me to the heart to think that
what l worked SO hard to save was
burned up in two or three spurts of
flame, with no one to save it.
He groaned deeply, and pressed his
hand to his eyes. Cora came close to
him.
Cousin" she said, in whisper,
"was it in three five-hundred- dollar
bills? Under the oil-cloth in front of
your washing-stand?"
He started back.
"How did you knowP" said he.
'Because they are here in my
pocket" said Cora. ''We found them
when when we were cleaning house.
We were waiting to replace them,
when the fire broke out"
Mr.. Grimgooke uttered cry Of joy.
..Gimme kiss, little gal,'' said he.
"For if ever you did me good turn,
you've done it now."
And when Cora told the story of the
family house-cleaning, Mr.. Grimgooke
laughed heartily.
"Well, I'll never object to carpet
beating again!'' said he. ''And I'll
tell you what: I'll divide one of the
bills between you and Classy, to buy
you new frocks."
And the hearts of the Grimgooke
girls were light once Dore.-N. Z.