Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1892-06-09
A GUILTY CONSCIENCE.

plaster walls, fences. barrels, ash +. boxes,
curb stones, and in fact almost every avail
able object, with flaming posters III
Chicago the competition In this line is
particularly keen. No sooner is the last
rail driven and new fence completed than
it Is marked by the advance agent Of the
bucket and paste brigade, and in the dead
of night, WREN ali respectable people are
supposed to be in bed, as quietly and mys-
teri0usly as the Gew from heaven, the
brigade itTeit appears upon the scene aud
covers the fence with gaudily colOred !ith-
ographs, and silently disappears again
al lie st SO 1t seems.
The property owners only protection
against these midri ght pirates ir found IN
the familiar warming Post No Bills I'm
der Penalty of the Law" which meets the
eyes IN every direction. Human nature is
much the same the world over; and here,
IN far away Australia, one finds the same
eternal warfare between landlord and bill
poster, but wit h one slight d ference; here
me never hears of bill poster-he is
called bill sticker-and warnings against
him are worded accordingly. Ga this
difference hangs my story.
John Stickers was of good old Scotch
descent. He and his wife had left the
home land ST o.t!y after their marriage and
cast their lot with the colony of New South
Wales. As John brought with him letters
establishing beyond doubt that he was
a thrifty character, he had no trouble in
obtaining from the government a grant of
$50 acres Of bush land, located some $50
nj es wet OF Sydney. On this tract of
land, by dint If hard work and rigid
economy, he had managed to live and sup
port his increasing family for nearly if
teen years He had found it close scraping
b0weyer-so close in fact, that William,
lis dds son, was fourteen ears of age
before MS fatlpr considered himself suffi
cienlg well eff to tfOrd him the educating
advantages of a trip to the city. Yes,
William was to so to Il e city and stay for
d week. Just think Of il! To spend a
whole week IN the city with friend of his
fathers. 1t was indeed d pleasure to lJok
forward 10.
At last the eventful day arrived Never
before had the sun oecn so long In rising;
1t seemed to VIII as If the day would
never dawn. but at last il did, and such
a lovely dav it was.
1t was with light heart that en- that
eventual morning he kissed his mo her
and sisters good-by and turned his steps
toward the railway station. Remember,
William to keep yourself strai ,yht and not
get into mischief were his fathers part
ing words, DIS the train pulled slowly out
ef the station. ''All right, father a
cheerful! smile, . wave Of the hand, flut-
tering handkerchief and the train was
gone. Will carefully settled himself into
a seat ext to the window, SO as Lot to
miss any of the sights along the road.
Hills, valleys, lakes, and rivers, forests
and plains, passed in rapid succession and
almost before he knew it the train had
pulled in at Nudge, one of the mcst i'm
portant towns of the interior. a distance
Of nearly seventy miles from his home.
One Of the passe myers that boarded the
train here, a woman Of rather sunprepcses-
ing appearance with pair of horn rim.
med spectacles perched upon her small
red nose and a dozen long hairs growing
from a wart on the left side of her chin,
cpme slowly putting and blowing down
the isle, with her arms full of bundles,
till noticing the vacant seat beside Will
liam, she plauked yerself down into 1t
and proceeded to make herself comforta-
ble in way that did not leave a very fare
proportion of the seat to our hero. When
the conductor entered the car, not finding
her ticket just where she thought she had
put it she concluded that she had lost it
and the excitement that followed dropped
from her perse tenshiIling gold piece,
which slipping down the folds OF her
dress dropped noislessly to the floor, rolled
up against Wills foot.
With sudden impulse Will raised his
hand TO call her at ention to it. But, stay
she had not seen it fall; she had not miss
it; why not keep it for pocket money anG
sulting the action to the thought, he pu
MS foot upon it. A few miles farther or
the woman, gathering up her bundles
left the train, and William STOPPING anc
picking up the gold piece, placed it care
fully IN his pocket.
From that mon4ent the pleasure of ia,
journey seemed to decrease. He was for.
ever thinking of the step h had taken
thinking OF the money IN his possession
That did not belong Q him. Do what h
could he found il impossible TO drive tht
thought Ct the stolen ten shiliings frolr
bis mimi. A thousand times he wished
that he had re 'urned them. 1t WAS nov
too late-toTeyer too late, The miles rolt-
cd slowly by, and just at dusk the trair
pQlied into The Grand Central station a
Sydney Here Will found Mr.. Mclean
his father 5 friend, awaiting him. and to
gether they drove 70 dis home, wher,
VIII was most heartily welcomed. Blu
thcre was that Ten shillines still on hi
mInd. Ii cast q 3721nw UtIx be Who'll
evening, anu IN the solemn stiffness OF tn
night tie thought of II was fearful. o!
Tpt1rInCr SA haa raorir tro
before tired nature claimed her own an,
he fell into restless sleep, to be still fur
Their haunted in his dreams by dancn!
ter shilling pieces.
Next morning he awoke with q star
from bis troubled sleep. 1t was the Sab
bath, and as 1t was very early, Will de
c:ded to slip quietly down stairs an,
seek 70 divert MS mind by short wall
anorg the strange sights of the city
@ Iietiy closing the gate neaind HIN. b
turned down street f)Eards a point to II
rieht. wbre h could see, lying at ancho
II Man o War by. severa' large armo
ciaas, grim guardians the peace H
had not, however, taken more than z
Ell s'eps, when be noticed, posted on To
fence beside him warning:
BILL sTIcKERs BEWARE"
Well" thought he. what does tai
mean ? and he spelled the notice eve
again. Yes, there could be no mistake
there it was plain enough, "Bill Sucker
Beware That surely could not mea
hinl, though, as he felt sure that no On
had seen him pick up the ten sniilin
piece. With uneasy mind he wake
slowly on. Already ne could see the ME