The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1888-08-15

self generally useful"
Mr.. Peppergrass stared hard at the
spice-boXes and preserve-bottles in the
window frowned at the cracker-boxes
and finally made up his mind.
"Brown ~ said he.
"Sir ~ said Louis Brown.
"I'll try you on few sums.
want my boy to understand the first
principles of arithmetic!"
81 am good at figures, sir " cried
Louis.
care you?" said Mr.. Pepper
every we'll =; I'll give you trial"
He wrote down a labyrinth Of fig
ures on slate, and then opened the
door of little room which communi.
Gated with the store.
"Sit down here, Brown, and work
on these sums" said he. "I'll come
to you in a few minutes"
Johnny Jarvis and Charlie Warner
looked blankly at each other, then at
the grocer.
"Please, sir, what are we to do ?"
said they.
"You are to watt" said Mr.. Pepper
grass, shortly. "Your turn will come
in due time"
The sums were not especially hard,
and Louis Brown was quick at figures.
He soon despatched his task, and be-
gan to look around.
1t was stuffy, close-smelling little
room, with one window close up to
the ceiling, 'and curious, old fash
ioned bookcase or desk with glass
doors, liued with faded red silk, in the
corner.
"I do wonder what Mr.. Pepper
grass keeps there ?" said Louis, to him.
self; and after he had wondered a lit
tie while, he got up and went softly
toward the desk. 1.-THE key is in the
lock-" said he: "there can't be any
harm in looking. Perhaps they are
story-books-or may be curious shells
and stones-or-"
AS these thoughts crossed his mind,
he opened the silk-lined door. Buz-
z-zz-whew ! out flew beautiful pearl,
colored dove.
Louis stood aghast. In vain were
his efforts to capture the little crea-
ture. 1t fiuttered from the top of the
bookcase to a pile of boxes beyond,
and thence to the toy mouldings OF
the windows, % if it enjoyed the chase
and in the midst of it all, in came Mr..
Peppergrass.
"Eh? What?" said he. How did
this happen ?" "
"Please, sir" said Louis, hanging
his head, the bird got out, and I was
trying to catch itagain."
"Got out, did it ~ said Mr.. Pepper
grass. "It must be very ingenious
bird, to be able to open the desk from
the outside! You may go, boy. I'm
quite certain that you won't suit me.
1 don't approve of meddlers."
So sayinghe opened a door which
led directly out into the back street,
and dismissed poor Louis Brown with
out further ceremony.
"Now, Pearlie," said he to the little
dove, who perched on his shoulder at
once, "you can 60 back to your nest.
You have helped me out of the diff
Guilty this time"
So he let the little creature fly out
into the yard, where it belonged.
Charlie Warner was the next one
ushered iuto the stuffy smelling room.
He, too, speedily finished his sums
and began to look around him for
something to occupy his attention.
"Oh, my! What a lot of boxes, "
said he; "piled up one above another,
like a Tower of Babel? What can
Mr.. Peppergrass keep in all of them ~
Charlie listened. No advancing
footsteps were near. HE looked eau
tiously about him, but he saw nothing.
Then he rose from his chair, and crept
toward the mysterious pile of boxes.
They were of all shapes, rather small,
and fitted with loose, wooden covers.
Charlie lifted the lid of one. 1t was
full of English walnuts.
"HelloW thought Charlie. "Tm in
luck! Old Peppergrass will never
miss two or three of these" and he
pocketed handful.
The next box was full of beautiful
Malaga raisins. Charlie nipped two or
three bloomy, wrinkled fellows off the
stem, and ate them. He was fond OF
raisins.
"What next?" he said, tugging at
the covers of the third box, which
seemed to fit little closer.
All of a sudden, however, it flew of
with a jerk, filling the air with Cayen-
ne pepper, and setting poor Charlie to
sneezing as if he meant to sneeze his
head off.
Mr.. Peppergrass hustled in.
"Ah," said he. II see "But y.u
needn't have been in such q hurry to
examine my stock, young man. I
haven't engaged you yet. and 1 don't