Nevada County picayune., 1886-09-15
CAUGHT IN A TRAP.
How Willie Saved His Uncle's
 Hard-Earned Money.

| Did'e anu courageous ueeuS arc being done about us daily, which the world outside seldom hears lof. One of these deeds has lately leone under my observation, and 1 am going to tell the boys who like to hear true stories, what another boy has done. On a small "home. stead' farm, in one of our Western States, lives "Unclt" Joe Sampson. It is about five miles away. from a village, and is rather lonely place in the woods, with no neighbors nearer than two miles. Last fall a nephew ofJoe's came to the city to visit him. Willie Dane was about fourteen, quickwitted, courage. ous fellow, who had never been "in the woods" until that season. He brought gun with him, and Uncle Joe, who is a great hunter and trapper, took great pleasure in showing his nephew how to hunt deer and such other game as abounds in the locality in which he lives. When the corn began to mature, Uncle Joe discovered '.signs" of bear.
 "Fll have to get the old trap out and clean it up," he said to Willie. "When the corn gets ripe I think we shall be able to catch bear or two. They'll come into the corn field for something to eat, for the beachnuts and acorns will be gone by that time, because there isn't many this year"
 So the old trap was brought down from the shedloft, and Uncle Joe oiled it's stout spring, aud made such repairs on it as was necessary, and pronounced himself ready for Bruin whenever he was driven by hunger to seek food in the cornfield.
 "I think it must be pretty hard job to set the trap" said Willie, as he looked it over. 'I don't see how you go to work to crowd the spring down."
 "I'll show you about that some day." answered Joe. 'It's easy enough when you know how" | Uncle Joe owed about fifty dol lars on span of horses he had bought in the spring. He had been cutting wood at odd spells during the summer, which was 10 be sold to the railroad running through the village. He could earn enough in this way to finish paying for his horses. One day he was notified by the agent of the railroad company to haul the wood to town. When 1t was there he could have his money for it. Ac- cordngly he set work at once, and at the end of the week the wood was all piled up al the depot, and he came back from town with enough money in his pocket to make the last payment on his team.
 II don't care 10 carry it about with me-" he said to his wife that evening. "I'll put it in this box. Itll be safe enough here, l guess, till 1 get a chance to send it to Brown" So Uncle Joe put the money in box that stood on lit tie shelf in one corner of the living room, and supposed that no one but himself, his wife and Willie knew anything about it. But, as he found ont alterward, a tramp saw him put the money away. Tramps were numerous in that part of the country and were often dis covered prowling about the house after dark, but he never once thought of such thing as being seen by one when he put the mon | in the box. The next afternoon Uncl, Joe came from the cornfield and said that bear had been at work in the corn.
 "We'll set the trap tonight" he said. "I'll show you how it's done now, if you'll go and bring it in.' Willie went to the shed, took the trap down from the nail, upon which Uncle Joe had hung 1t alter bling it, and brought it into the kitchen.
 "Bring me the hand-spike that's out by the wOod-plle," said Uncle Joe, and Willie did so. Then his uncle put one end of the lever in a
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