Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1893-08-19

week and your~board ut the cafe and a
ticket on the railroad, so that you can
come to the city every Saturday night and
stay until Monday morning
1t was more than he expected. He
had not hoped 10 receive more than seven
or eight dollars a week for anything an
inexperienced boy like himself could
do.
Thank you, SIR" he said. 81 will
report for duty tomorrow morning."
All right There is to be big pic
mic party out at the lake tomorrow, and
the young nan who had charge of the
boats and swings last year will go out
with you and instruct you in your du-
ties ! would like you to 90 out on the
seven O'Clock train. Clll here at about
three this afternoon and get your rail
road ticket for six months
Lake Window, twenty miles from the
city, was a clear, deep BODY of water
abont three -fGurths of mile long and
half mile wide. The grass grew to the
very edge of the water all around, and
at one side was large and pretty grove
fitted up for picnic parties that paid for
the use of the grounds.
There were thirty-@ve or forty small
boats for hiring out at fifty cents an hour
TO picnickers. 1t was Perry's duty to
take full charge of these boats and to
collect the money for their use.
There were some swings with box seats
for four persons near the boats. Ten
cents half-hour was charged for the
swings. Then there was bowling alley
In charge of young man named Hale,
who lived in Crofton. He went to his
home every evening, after turning over
the receipts Of the bowling alley to
Perry
The total sum thus placed in Perry's
charge sometimes amounted to seventy
five dollars.
Perry's situation was pleasant one in
the day time, when the grounds were
often filled with merry picnic parties, but
the silence and loneliness that followed
their departure were depressing. The
lake was secluded, and as night came few
sounds were heard except the dismal
hooting of owls in the dim woods or the
mournfu! song of the whippoorwill
AS the shadows of the trees length
ened on the lake and the water darkened |
In the twilight, Perry would sometimes
take boat and row for an hour or two,
after walking around through the de- |
serted woods to pick up things lost by
the picknickers.
The keeper of the cafe always set out
Perry's supper, and then left for Crofton
After eating his lonely meal, time would
drag slowly with the boy until o'clock,
when he "turned in y for the night. He
slept in bare little room at one end of
the cafe building an implanted and un-
plastered structure.
AS the season advanced, the loneliness
of Perry's nights came to an end but he
would have preferred solitude to the
company that then resorted to the
grounds. Nearly every night the place
was visited by tramps, whose shouts and
brawls increased the disagreeableness of
Perry's situation.
The tramps would wander around the
grove, picking up and eating the food
thrown away by the p cnic parties, before
going to sleep in the dancing pavilion or
ON the long covered piazza in front of the
cafe. Here little that could be stolen or
eaten was kept over night by the pro
prietor, who took his stock in trade to
Crofton every evening and returned in
the morning before the arrival OF picnic
trains.
The tramps never came around in the
daytime, and Perry tried to believe that
they were ignorant of the fact that he
had money in his possession. Usually
they paid little attention to him.
Perry's instructions were that he
should send to the city every Thursday
his receipts for the three pre-
vious days, and bring in with him on
night the money taken during
the three closing days of each week. On
night of the fifth week of his
stay his takings from three large picnics
On successive days amounted to nearly
hundred dollars.
The money made "a package of con-
siderable size Almost half was in
silver, and the rest in bills. Perry had
it all tied up in a handkerchief.
The third picnic party left the grove
1T five in the afternoon and Perry was
alone on the grounds, sitting in one of
the boats counting the money. He had
made the silver into piles of five dollars
,ach and the bills he was running over
N his hands. Suddenly he was startled
)y shout.
"Hellow
Perry looked up, Two tramps whom
ne had never seen about the place before,
lad come from behind small building
IN the shore, and were looking at him
with interest.
Good morning, replied Perry gath
ring up the money aud putting it back
nto the handkerchief. ,
kind o struck it rich, amt you,
loung leller'" said one of the men.
NO" replied Perry, ~ haven't. 1t
sn't my money
"Oh, it hain't' Whose might it be,
HEMP
at belongs to the company that owns
he grounds.
While he was speaking he picked up
he oars aud sent the boat out from the ,
shore
Where are sou going'' called one Of
he men.
Nowhere IN particular said Perry,
till rowing
"Wcll wait % minute wcwaut 10 talk
70 YOU
81 huvanff frof time a. rtlIsd out psrrv