The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1892-05-26

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hand.
1t was plumper hand than it had
been when it picked the crust out OF
the gutter, and he wore clean, whole
clothes, though they were made OF
very coarse cloth.
How wrong all the neighbors
were' she said. "That boy is the
comfort of my life
So she went to bed with the treas
ure under her pillow, and slept. Far
on in the nightshe awoke. The room
was utterly dark; there was not a
ray Of light; but she heard d step up
on the floor. h..
"Who is that?" she cried.
There was no answer, but she felt
that there was some one leaning
over the bed; then q hand clasped
her throat and held her down, and
dragged out the bag, and she was re-
leased. Half suffocated, she for
moment found observation-disclosures and
bewildered, conscious only of q
draught Of air from the open door
and some confused noises. Then she
sprung to the door, and hurried in
to the little shop.
"Dick! Dick!'' she cried. "Dick!
Dick! help! wake up! Pm robbedP'
There was no answer; the door in
to the street was wide open, and by
the moonlight that poured through
it she quickly saw, as she peeped IN
der the counter, that Dick bed was
empty. The boy was gone. .
Gone! Gone! Oh, that was worse
to Granny Briggs than even the loss
of her money, for she had trusted
him, and he had deceived her. She
had loved him, and he had abused
her love. The neighbors were right;
she was a fool to trust a strange
street boy, and had been served
rightly when he robbed her. +
When the dawn had broken the
wise neighbors came into granny's
shop to find her crying and rocking
to and fro, and said they had told
her SO; she only shook her head. Life
had lost it's interest for her. Heroc-
cupation was gone. but not with her
savings. Money was but money,
after all; he had come to be the only
thing she loved, and Dick had rob-
bed her.
1t was 10 o'clock. Granny sat
mourning by the kitchen hearth.
Good-natured Mrs. Jones, from up
stairs, was seeing to things" and
trying to cheer her, when suddenly
there came a rap on the door, and a
policeman looked in.
"Mrs. Briggs?" he said.
"Here she u.s." said Mrs. Jones.
eyes, Pm the wretched crittur,"
said Mrs. Briggs.
"Some one wants to see you at
headquarters" said the officer.
"There's boy there, and some
money"
'Dick!" cried Mrs. Briggs. ooh, I
can't bear to look at him!' -.3-2 =.
Fl But Mrs. Jones had already tied
on her bonnet, and wrapped her in a
shawl, and taken her on her arm.
1.-The wretchp' she said. 'I'm so
glad he's caught; you'll get your
money back.''
And she led Mrs. Briggs along
poor Mrs. Briggs, swho cried all the
way and cared nothing for the
money. And soon they we're at
their destination. Then, not before,
the policeman turned to the two
women,
Its pretty bad" he said.
"They'll take him to the hospital in
an hour. suppose you are prepar-
ed for that. He's nearly beaten to
death!"
"Did you beat him, you cruel
wretch?' cried Mrs Briggs. Il
wouldn't have had it done for halt
the money. Let him go with it, if it's
any comfort to him.
II beat him!' said the man. "Well,
women have the stupidest heads.
Why, if I hadn't got up when I did
he'd have been dead. He held the
bag Of money tight, and the thief
was pummeling him with a loaded
stick; and the pluck he had for q lit
tie shaver, I tell you, I never saw the
like. 49,. . ......
"'You sha'n't take granny's mon
ey from her, says he, and he fought
like tiger. lifts your money, old
lady, he's given his life for it for all
l know. .'.~.-.
ooh, Dick, Dick! know you we're
good. I must have been cazy to
doubt you," and then she wrung her
hands and cried: ooh, Dick, for just a
paltry bit OF moneys
And SO she knelt beside the still,
pale face upon the pillow, and kissed
1T and called it tender names.
And Dick, never guessing her sus-
picions of him, whispered:
II was so afraid he'd get off with
it, granny, if he killed me, and you
in such high hopes last night"
He did not know what she meant
by begging him to forgive her. 1t
would have killed him if he had, for
he was very near to death.
Dick did not die. He got we'll at
last, and went back to the little shop.
And, though Granny Briggs had her
savings, she never went to the old
ladies home; for long before she died
Dick was one of the most prosperous