The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1894-08-01

OuJ TOlleu IHb COllbCleu lluIj huu
with it a rounded, dust-coated leather
wallet.
She picked it up, dreading the out
come of new surprise, and opened it,
The sight of the bulky rolls of bills in
side made her breath come fast.
Written in ink upon the inside of the
flap was the name and address of Caspar
MARROW.
The mystery began to clear. The
town had been agog for weeks over the
disappearance of this money and the re-
ward offered for its recovery.
Caspar NARROW, wealthy farmer,
was also a metaphorical pillar of the
Presbyterian church, further fancied by
an admiring member as "the pillar
supporting the pulpit, "a frequent
supply of arrears in the PASTORS salary
furnishing the analogy.
The Weekly IntelHgencer, a publica-
ton whose prosperity sprang from the
knowledge possessed by its editor of the
kind of news its readers desired, had
recently chroniced IAN Unfortunate
Accident " as follows: "Our fellow
townsman, Mr.. Caspar NARROW, was
the victim of a painful accident We'd
nesday night of last week, which was
attended with serious loss. AS he
was passing out from the chapel door
of the Presbyterian church at the close
of prayer-meeting, he missed his foot
ing, and fell with great force upon
the icy pavement. He was severely
bruised, and, though he walked that
night the distance of one and half
miles to his home, he has been con-
| Hpo1 n tho houso aipno bu tho
of his injuries. Upon reaching home,
he discovered the loss of eight hundred
dollars in cash, the partial payment for
carload of his famous fat cattle, sold
in the Chicago market. He had ar
rived home that evening after banking
hours, and was thus obliged to retain
the money upon his person.
"The liberal reward offered for it's
restoration ought to be sufficient in
ducement to the finder of the valuable
wallet. There can be no question that
the wallet was lost in his fall, since it
was in the breast pocket of his frock
coat, and his overcoat was unbuttoned;
and there is no doubt that it was
found by some bystander at the time,
or by some traveller in the vicinity
within the succeeding twelve hours"
Bette was filled with dismay at the
discovery, fearing that it might involve
her in some culpable way. Here
was new responsibility, and she was
already overburdened with such. There
was but one thing to do; 80, abandon
ing broom and brushes, she seized her
wraps and hurriedly left the church.
"Under the bookcase in the chapel
Well wellW reiterated Mr.. NARROW in
the hallway of his house, pausing
thoughtfully in his colloquy with the
almost breathless Bette, who had "not
time 10 go in, or sit down." Now it
must have been when | went back for
my rubbers. The room was dark. Jim
that is,-your father-had the lights
most out when went back, and l had
bad time hunting around for my over
shoes.
You know l always wedge my chair
in that angle the bookcase makes with
the walls. Won't trust my weight on
any ordinary chair since one broke
down under me at Kittie Wilson's we'd
ding.
" Easy enough for it to slip out from
my pocket when was feeling round for
my overshoes, and for me to knock it
under there myself. l had mighty good
reasons for not thinking about losing
my pocket book or anything else just
then. But | tell you, Bette, meant
what l said about getting it back"
And, standing his cane against the
wall, Mr.. NARROW counted out one hun
dred dollars from the contents of the
wallet, and thrust the bills into the
GIRLS hand. adding heartily. " And Pm
glad you're the one to find it, Bette.
You're good girl"
Bette did not bring about her fa-
theirs reformation at once, as some of
her over-hopeful admirers prophesed
she would. The old habit still occa-
sionally swayed him; but at such times
Bette assumed the sections duties,
and so secured Jim's reelection TO the
position.
"Jim or Bette, one of 'em, will get
the work done well enough for us" was
the ruling sentiment of the church
board; and Bette and her Sunday"
as it came to be called, supplied the
theme for many subsequent stories,
some of which gained little on the
facts whenever they were retold.
don't know" Brother Wentz used to
say, whenever the matter was referred
to, " whether that slip of girl would
have gone into the pulpit or not, if any
thing had allied the preacher, but she
run the rest of the meeting, bell-ringin'
and all, and did it just as well as jim
could have done it, or any one else fol-
that matter. y orthington' IS Magazine