The free press. (Poplarville, Miss.) 1890-19??, 1893-08-17


tell you beforehand that you will have
lonely time of it at night"
Wouldn't there be any one else there
at night but MYSELF"
"No, you would be entirely alone.
There is a cafe there, and a peanut stand
or two, and a man who takes tintypes.
But these people 60 to their homes in
Crofton, town about a mile from the
lake, at night. We should want you to
stay at the grove for several reasons. l
think you'd be safe enough, but it would
be lonesome"
Eyes, suppose So" said Percy. Wis
ions of long, lonely nights passed through
his mind; but his need of money was
urgent.
"Tll be glad to 60 if the pay suits
me, he said.
"Well, I will give you ten dollars a
week and your board at 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 to receive more than seven
or eight dollars 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 a big pic
mic party out at the lake tomorrow, and
the young man 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 go out on the
seven o'clock train. Call 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
about three -fourths of mile long and
half a 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-fve 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 a 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
mournful 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 a 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 9 o'clock,
when he "turned in for the night. lie
slept in bare little room at one end OF
the cafe building an unpainted and un-
plastered structure.
As the season advanced, the loneliness
of Perry's nights came to an end, but ne
would have preferred solitude to the
company that then resorted to the
grounds. Nearly every night the place
was visited by tramps, whose shouts ana
brawls increased the disagreeableness OF
Perry's situation.
The tramps would wander around the
grove, picking up and eating the tood
thrown away by the picnic parties, before
going to sleep in the dancing paVilioh or
on the long covered piazza in front OF the
cafe. Here little that could be stolen OF
eaten was kept over night by the pro
prietor, who took his stock in trade 10
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 tnac ne
had money in his possession. osuaiiy
they paid little attention to MIN.
Perry's instructions were that ne
should send to the city every THURSDAY
morning his receipts for the three pre-
vious days, and bring in with MN Oh
Saturday night the money taken during
the three closing days OF each wees On
Wednesday night of the nth week ol ni'
stay his takings from three large plcnlcs
on successive days amounted to nearly u
hundred dollars.
The money made package OF con
siderable size. Almost hall was IA
silver, and the rest in bills. Perry had
it all tied up in handkerchief; o,o
The third picnic party left the the grove sDas
at five in the afternoon ana re'iy "o of
alone on the grounds, sitting III one od u
the boats counting the money. he had
made the silver into piles of five dollars liars
each, and the bills he was running over over
in his hands Suddenly he was s'ar''eo