Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1893-06-03

OF Inle1 tnlet But gradually, as
nothing happened to him and nobody
seemed to notice him, he grew bolder
He began to have desire to see the
contents OF the box, and stopped under
lamp post in retired street, where
there were a few passers by, took off
the wrapper and opened the box.
Such a tempting array as there was
in it Enough to make ones mouth
water to see it. Dick put his fingers in
to take out great delicious looking
cream drop, when whisk out flew bon
bons in every direction, into his face
and all over the sidewalk, and out
popped the queerest, the most dread.
full looking figure A little old man,
with bushy white beard, and sharp
black eyes glittering under his cooked
hat. 1t would have given anybody
start, but it threw Dick, with his guilty
conscience, into a panic of terror ; he
dropped the box and ran as fast as his
trembling limbs would carry him.
Only few squares, however, and
then his senses, which had been almost
entirely carried away by fright, began
to come back to him. He remembered
that he had once, long time before,
when his father was alive and they
were not so poor. seen in toy shop
box out of which mouse would Jump
whom the lid was raised; and of course
this was one of the same kind, only the
figure of the little man was covered
with bon bons to make his appearance
still more unexpected and startling
And in the indistinct light, and with
his conscience making a coward of him,
had been startling enough to poor
Dick.
What goose I was!' he said to
himself Il wish had never touched
the box. But then," suggested his
greedy little sweet tooth, Il may as
well go back and pick up the candy"
Nobody was passing; the street for
its whole length was almost entirely de-
serted. He went back to the spot
where he had dropped the box and be-
gan to cram the scattered bon bons into
his pocket.
He was SO eager to find them all that
he forgot his fears, and did not hear
the sound of coming footsteps until a
hand was laid upon his shoulder. Then
he looked up with cry of fright, and
there was the gentleman who had
bought the box standing beside him!
"Oh, don't tell my mother!' cried
Dick, trembling and sobbing. Take
me to Jail. or anywhere. only don't tell
mother! 1t would kill her to know it. z"
Tell your mother what, my boy?"
said the gentleman; and then seeing
the bon bon box, he seemed to under
stand the whole. You heard me tell
the boy to leave the box on the steps,
and you followed him and took it; was
that it?' he said, severely.
Dick hung his head and was silent.
1T can't be, then," the gentleman
said, musingly. Dick Halstead's son
wouldn't have been thief"
Il amt real thief, said Dick, hum
bly, and chokingly. never stole any
thing in my life before.
WAS your fathers name Richard
Halstead?" asked the gentleman
"les, sir, answered Dick, hesitat-
ingly.
He felt almost as if he would rather
the gentleman would hand him over to
a policeman at once than talk to him
about his father and mother. 1t made
him feel so badly to think of them
now!
We'll, I am going home with you to
see your MOTHER" said the gentleman.
Then Dick was in despair. 1t would
be too dreadful to have his mother
know that he was thief He begged
and prayed the gentleman not to tell
her, and he at last promised that he
would not, on condition that Dick
should promise never again, as long as
he lived, to take what was not his
own. That promise Dick was ready
enough to give.
And the gentleman went home with
him, and it turned out that he was an
old friend of Dicks father, and had
tried often, unsuccessfully, to find his
family, since he had heard of his
death.
Oh, how Dick wished that he had
resisted that dreadful temptation and
waited at the store door, as the gentle
man had asked him to do, and then he
would not have felt ashamed to look
him in the face.
The gentleman was rich and gener-
Gus, and better days dawned for them.
Dick and Lena were sent to school,
and after awhile-not until he had
fully proved his honesty, for people
are always suspicious of one who has
once yielded to temptation, you know
the gentleman took Dick into his
counting room. And I am happy to
tell you that his trust was not mis-
placed.