The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1892-07-15

appeared on the tea table, and now,
thursday morning at five minutes to
nine, not n cooky was to be seen-only
lew crumbs marked the place where
'thcy had been. Nora was so astOnished
That rshe actually shook the jar, as
II those delicious beauties might
come Sitting through it's stone bot
tom. Then She turned it upside down
and patted it vigorously, as if, per-
chance, they were hiding close up
against the sides and would come out
and show themselves if properly
ooaXed Then she carried this sur
prising jar to the window, and, getting
the best possible light, examined it
carefully al over but it was of no use.
There was no trap door for them TO
fall through nor secret drawer in which
TO hide. They were Enthusiastically
gone, and without leaving behind them
the slightest trace of n cause for their
disappearance
No trace? Perhaps 1 am mistaken
about that, for whenever any mishap
'befell the Howard family they invnri-
ably reversed the law which says:
'Believe Il person innocent until he is
proven guilty" and always believed
Willie to be the cause of the trouble
until he proved himself innocent-o
thing he seldom could do.
Nora shook the jar once more, set il
down with little more emphasis than
was necessary and started upstairs to
tell Mrs Howard, muttering something
unpleasant about that bad boy again"
as she went.
That evening, when the family were
scented thp front ctr nh Tn
fading sunset, Mrs Howard looked at
Willie reproachfully. What did you
do with oil those cookies, Willie?" she
asked
'What cool1ies?" asked Willie. inpo-
Gently.
"Why, Nora made a jarful yestcr-
day, and they are all gone to-day" ex-
claimed mamma
suggested, evasively. Rover got up and
walked away. as if he understood and
felt deeply injured.
"Or maybe q fish came up from the
lake and took them, or the canary may
nave stolen Them" said papa, sarcas-
&icaily.
Willie looked OFF beyond the treo
tops, as if he had failed to hear. ooh,
w AiiAS' w iiliCs C4CldiIuCQ lndIuInd, 6AQ-
.ly; but still he sat there, with look,
and apparently thoughts, far away
The sunlight died and the stars came
to take its place, and sprinkled tho sky
as thiclfly as frost crystals do the earth
when the flowers no longer adorn it.
ut is bedtime, Willie; kiss me good
night, said mamma A sorrowful note
in her voice, and disappointed look in
her eyes, made it very hard for Willie
to bid her goodnight as. if nothing had
happened, but finally, with light kiss
on her lips and gentle touch on her
.nair, he said Good night" and slowly
went upstairs to his room.
st isn't SO much fun as some people
might suppose" he thought, gloomily,
this running away to be q pirate, il q
fellows mother is going to look like
that when she kisses him good night"
mouse was gnawing at the wall in
between the partitions, and its cease
less filing made him very nervous. He
looked over his shoulder at the heavy
shadows which made the room seem
unfamiliar and large, extending farther
than he could see, as if it ended in some
winding passage or dark dungeon. He
didn't feel half SO brave as he did in the
morning, when the sun YVES shining.
the hens were cackling and all live
things were awake and very busy.
Then he had taken the cookies and hid
them away.
He had thought it great fun to stalk
about till Nora left the kitchen and his
way was clear to the pantry, and then
to fill his hat with cookies and run.
Five times had he done this all the
while thinking it very brave and manly
to make such preparations for leading
the life OF pirate. He meant to en-
bark that night in his fathers row.
boat and cruise about Silver lake, a
body OF water two miles long by three
quarters of mile wide.
He pictured to himself the valor and
briiliancy of his future deeds, until his
imagination went so far as to represent
Bobby Jones, who was twelve years
old and could write the best compost
ton OF any boy in their class, as writ
ing his biography, calling it: The OAR
ing Exploits of Willie Howard, the
Princely Pirate of Silver Lake: or. Cap
tain Kidd Outdone."
3 This had all been very thrilling; but
now-why is it that our deeds seem SO
unlovcly when we think of them at
night, and conscience talks the loudest
when other voices are still? His actual
ly said stealing" when Willie thought
about the cookies. 1t was useless for
him to say: Mamma always wants me
10 have plenty to eat" PLENTY to
eat and two-gallon jar of cookies
were entirely different matters, and he
knew it.
No sound in the house. Every one
must be asleep. More stars came out
and tnade the sky mass of beauty.