West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1888-08-23


THE incest thing have eaten in n
month";" enthusiastically answered the
young man. ''And this cheese Is like
solicited cream"
Little Ellie stood watching him.
''Are you the tin peddleri" she asked,
suddenly. ''Did you leave your pack
out in the roadl Because our old tin
dipper is rusted nearly through, and
there Is quite a bag of rags and clippings
on the pegs back OF the door, it,"
''Oh, am not the tin peddler" said
he.
Ellie turned very red, feeling con-
scious of having made a faux pas in her
impulsiveness.
81 beg your pardon" said she. 81
didn't know"
al am very much obliged for your
kindness, I" said he, rising from the door
sill, which had done temporary duty for
a seat; and then he went on his way.
Ellie looked after him with solemn,
long dashed eyes.
"He is very. handsome, said she to
herself. 81 think he must be like Don
Alonzo Mendoza, in the Fall of Castig-
liza, or like Guy Livingstone. hope he
wasn't offended at my asking him IL he
was the tin. peddler; but in place like
this one never knows who is who"
Ellie Tier was teacher of the primary
department Of city school, and she had
come to spend two weeks of her vaca-
tion with her Aunt Bessie Parsons, who
was married TO farmer. And this was
the first day that she had been left to
keep house" all alone by herself.
OF course, it was an honor, but, all the
same, there was certain responsibility
attached to it, and Ellie secretly felt that
she would be very glad when Aunt Bessy
came back from town.
Just then footstep sounded on the
threshold of the back kitchen door, which
opened into the shady luxuriance Of the
orchard. 1t was her Uncle BENJAMIN.
"Ellie," said he, 'T wish you would
stir up pitcher OF cold ginger aud
water, with a little molasses in it, for
the haymakers. just remembered that
/ had left my coat hanging up here by
the window, with Eh-hallol where
is itl'
"Where is what, uncleG" said Ellie,
pausing with the can of ginger in her
/ hand.
There was a ten-dollar gold piece in
leather purse in the pocket of this ala
packy coatw said Uncle Benjamin, look
| ing aghast. 81 forgot to take il out
when l came from town yesterday, and
now it is gonem
He turned every pocket of the thin
summer coat inside out he shook it as
/ il expecting that the missing coin wou d
drop out, like a ripe nut. But all to no
avail; nothing was there.
''lt's the strangest thing in the world ~
said Uncle Benjamin. Ikrow i left it
here. Has any one been in the house
since morning, Elliep
"N-no" faltered Ellie, salving her
conscience with the reflection that the
brown. complexioned stranger certainly
had come no nearer than the door-sill.
''Then what has become of my gold
piece" said Uncle njamin.
''I am sure / cannot tell" fiuttered
Ellie, her heart giving a sudden throb as
she recollected the two intervals of her
absence, once for the glass of milk, and
once for the piece OF blackberry pie.
During those intervals what might not
/ have happenedi
/ 'Ill go upstairs and look in the bureau
drawers" said Uncle Benjamin. "I am
| perfectly certain that the money was
here in my cOat-pocket; but still"
He hastened up the narrow, wooden
stairway, and Ellie. spurred on by new
inspirat on. caught her muslin -wreathed
hat from the table. and darted down n
lane that led across the brook, and
| through q patch Of woods to the high
road beyond.
IF 1 take tho short cut over Denni-
sons Hill," she thought, 81 can catch
him c en- yet. The thief the migrate.
full poltroonl To drink the milk and
cat the blackberry pie, and then to serve
me so !"
She coursed through the fragrant
masses OF sweetfern, across thickets Of
low-growiDg huckleberry bushes, all
/ purpled over with fruit, under the
shade of solemn, old pine trees, and past
/ herds of grazing cattle, who lifted their
/ heads TO look at her as she passed.
But when at last, breathless and pant
\ ing, she reached the low stone wall that
separated Uncle Benjamin's farm from
the main road, she reaped her reward.
There, only few PAGES away, the tall,
brown-skinned stranger sat on a stone,
/ flaming himself with the wide brim Of
/ his straw hot. and reading from the
/ pages of tiny duodecimo volume.
I Like young deer, Ellie Tier shppe d
! over the wall and seized his arm.
"Oh, you wicked, wicked man !" she
cried, gasping for breath. "Aren't you
/ uoldhltt u lONihtlAl AsiNb Aib bdGh iiit
money thai you sto e this instant Oh,
don't stare at me as il you didn't under
stand what / say You do understand
You are a thief You nave returned my
kindness with the basost ingratitudcw
The man looked at Ellie as If he
believed her to have gone suddenly
mad.
"Reaily," said nc, "all this is per-
fectly incomprehensible 10 me-"
Ellie uttered n scornful laugh
''You will please be so good as to
come back 20 the house with me 7" said
she, gorously, retaining her hold Of
HE sleeve, "and Uncle Benjamin viii
search you
search me For what7"
GAS If you dido't know" retorted
Ellie, curling her pretty upper lip.
The n-compiexioned stranger
was tall and broad -shouldered, with
thews and sinows like those Of a
/ gladiator.
Miss Tier was something under FIVE
feet in height, and a resolute turkey
eobbler could have put her 30 fight at
+ ten seconds warning. But, nevorthc-
less, he followed her as meekly as II he
had been a feeble prisoner in the grasp
..N H.f.N