, 1889-12-14
II LOST RICE.
How n Serious Breach Was Almost Made
Before the Thief Was Found.

- y ~ %AN-h w." @aAaSh '"A
Before the Thief Was Found.
among the earlier settlers of Draper,
Canada, were three young men and
their newly married wives, who had
iourneyed thither in company from
n of the eastern counties.
In order to gain time for their work
of clearing land, the young men
erected but one log house the first
year. and three small families inhab-
tied ii in common.
Among the parting gifts from her
friends in the eas that one of the
Young wives, whom we will call
Mary. had received was a six pound
box of rice. 1t was regarded as a rare
delicacy and treasured accordingly.
AT rare intervals only did Mary cook
a little of the rice, but she always gave
some to her friends.
The precious box was kept on a shelf
neal the caves of the rude cabin.
But during the autumn the young
housekeeper began to notice with won
der that her rice was mysteriously
disappearing. At first she dismissed
the thought that one of her friends
and cabin mates was robbing her, and
kept the matter quite to herself; but
when she found that more of it was
gone, she told her husband.
The young man adviced silence and
discreet observation; but in another
week the last of the rice had disap-
peared from the box. Then Mary,
with the empty box in her hand, openly
accused the other young wives of hay
ing robbed her.
The charge was promptly and in
dignantly denied. Angry words fol-
lowed. The harmony of that small
cabin was rudely broken up. The hus-
bands became involved in the quarrel,
and even grew at variance with their
own wives.
Hitherto, the three girls, for they
were scarcely more, had been bosom
friends; now, after a violent quarrel.
they settled into sullen enmity, refus-
ing to speak, or even look at each
other. Such a state of things in a
small cabin could not be tolerated.
After two days the families deter
mined to separate at once and for
ever.
Two of the young men took their
axes and stalked forth to fell trees and
chop logs for new houses. each upon
his own land.
While one of them was thus en-
gagged, he CHANGED TO cut a partially
hollow beech. To his ast%onishment,
several grains of rice fell out, and upon
fitting up the log and pounding upon
it with his X. a long, white stream OF
rice trickled II in a heap upon the
ground!
1t was all there-mOre than "A quart of
it, With a disconnected CHECKER. a lit
tie chipmunk ran out at a hole farther
along the tree trunk.
The matter was plain enough now.
The roguish squirrel, coming in at
the chinks beneath the caves of the
cabin, had transferred the rice to his
own hoard. Quickly taking in the true
situation, the young pioneer stuck his
X in the log and walked back to the
cabin.
Mary" he said, grimly, "if you
want to see who stole your rice, come
out here"
After a moment of surprise and hes
i~tation, she followed him, as did also
the two other young ONE who had
overheard the words-the first which
had been spoken in the cabin that
morning.
There's your rice and there's the
thief, sitting on that stump yonder,"
said the young farmer, when they
reached the beech log. only to
think that we should have been SO set
by the ears by little rogue of a SPUR
relV he continued.
The two accused young women burst
out laughing, but Mary shed bitter
tears of modification.
She gathered up the rice, and hay
ing carefully washed it, cooked it all
that day as a peace offering for the
foolish haste with which she had al
lowed herself to suspect her friends.
The new cabins were not built that
fall, and this was the only quarrel
which aver occurred between this
three families. youths Companion.