Weekly commercial herald. (Vicksburg, Miss.) 1884-18??, 1886-04-02

them again; be searched the empty pocket
Then be searched bis own pockets.
The boy I ehind him watched with a broad
grin Of satisfaction, ash be understood the
cause Of this distress.
Then Dick sprang from his chair and
looked under the table, on the floor, in the
blotting pad, in the letter rack and in the
drawers. Then he logan all over again.
No Greek mime ever expressed more wildly
the anxiety, dismay and terror Of one who
has lost a thing Of vital Importance. The
Toy felt as if he should like to roll on the
floor and scream
"Have you picked up anything, you boyl'
Dick turned upon him fiercely, so that he
was fain TO repress the smile upon his lips
and the lightof joy in his eye. Come here,
you little devil!"
The boy obeyel with composed face, and,
in fact, with considerable trepidation, be-
cause there was something in his jacket
rocket which he ardently desired to conceal
from Mr.. Richard.
"Have you picked up anything at allg' he
asked again.
"What is itY' the boy asked, by way Of re-
ply. SIS it money droppedP
"You measly little DEVIL Why don't you
answerl Have you picked up anything! 1t
is something of no Importance 10 anybody
a bit of pink paper"
II haven't picked up nothing" replied the
boy, sullenly.
1--WE a great mind to search you, said
Dick, catching him by the coat collar.
You're as full of tricks as you can stick"
"Search me, then. Oh, yesl Search me.
I'll go and call the guv'nor and ask MIN to
search me, if you like. You just femme go
or I'll scream, and bring out the guvnor,
and ask him to search me-"
Dick dropped his coat collar instantly.
Look here" he said. 'Do you know this
rocketbookF'
Never saw it before in my life"
This, | regret to say was a falsehoo1. The
boy had seen it many times before. Every
day Mr.. Richard Dire Y that book from his
pocket and wrote in II, and then put it back.
"You came here before me this morning.
Was it on my desk when you cameF'
Don't know. Never saw it therA Never
saw it before in my life"
Dick began to think that he was wrong.
The book must have been in his pocket; he
must have taken it out without thinking.
But where was the
sYou boy" he said. eff you are lying, Ill
break every bone in your body"
Modern boy is SO constituted that this
threat does not terrify him in the least.
Nobody's bones are broken nowadays. 1t is
true that every father has the right to
whack and wollop his own son, and some
times does it, but with discretion, otherwise
the school board officer will find him out.
81 don't care. Call the guv'nor, and tell
him what you want. l dun know what
you've lost. What is it, thenq'
1--WE lost "a paper. 1t was in this book. F"
"What sort Of a paperl"
Dick made no reply. Perhaps the lost pa
per would be in his W room. Stung by
the thought that it might be lying about
somewhere, he put on his hat and turned
hurriedly away.
What sort Of a paper was it," asked the
boy. ''lf you give over threatening I'll help
look for it. What sort Of a paperF'
Hold your tongue. You can't help. I've
looked everywhere"
Perhaps said the boy, p~ersuasively-
perhaps it was the housekeeper.p
Very Few people think of the housekeeper.
Yet there is always one in every house let
out for offices. She is always elderly-no-
body ever heard of a housekeeper in the city
dying-and she is generally a grandmother
with a daughter, also a widow, and three or
four little c~hildren-they are always little.
Grandnlothers and children always, in the
city, rcmsin at the same age. All the week
long the children are hidden away some
where in the basement; on Saturday after
Moons and Sundays they come up and have a
high old time, because the front door is closed
and the place is deserted. and the whole
house is their own. Then the Office doors are
thrown open, and the children run races in
the most sacred apartments, and open all
the drawers and ransack their contents, and
make themselves acquainted with the clerks
secrets and tho chiel's hidden decanter OF
sherry, and read all the private journals, and
pick up the odd lead pencils, and provide
themselves with steel pens, penholders, blot
ting paper, note paper, letter paper, foolscap,
india rubber, envelopes, and, in ill-regulated
offices, with postage stamps as well.
Dick rang the bell for the housekeeper.
She declared, which was quite true, that she
had found nothing and carried away nc
papers. She had children in the house, but,
unlike children in some offices she could
name, her children vera never allowed in
her offices on Saturday and Sunday.
So she withdrew again, and the lost paper
ives no nearer recovery.
Perhaps Dick had left it in his W room
at home. Pierced by the thought, as will
> an arrow, he seized his hat and left thu
Office.
Then tile Office boy sat down in Mr.. Rich
i ards chair, and put his hands into his trous
ers pockets, and spread his legs out anc
grinned from ear to ear.
cts coming fast, " he said. "Lorl wisf
i, he had searched me. What would thu
guv'nor have said when this little envelop'
/ was found in one jacket pocket, and this en-
velope was found in the other jacket pocket
And what would Mr.. Richard have said
I'm a measly little devil am II And Mis-
Cronan, she's a Sapphier, which rhymes
. with liar, and goes with Ananias. I've offer
heard a boy called Ananias, but never a CIR
called S%apphier. sophy | know, but no
Sapphier.'
He could not resist the temptation O.
drawing out the two envelopes and looking
at the contents.
1 s'Shall IL he said, 'knock at the guvnorI
: door and give him these two envelopes al
| once, or shall / waltz ! think I'll wait
Hal The time will come. Then shall
jump upon him. Then I shall make hin
wriggle. Then / shall see him cuFln
1 This boy had not read the History o.
Springfield Jack" in vain.
|, But neither at home nor anywhere coulC
nick Murrid ro find that lost niece of nanar