The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1894-05-03

Caleb Speeds farm was in southern
Maine, near the coast. Jerry had
grown mp with the sound of the sea in
his ears. 1t had long sung only a
meaningless monotone TO the boy, but
it had begun to fill him with some
thing of its own restless spirit. And
about this time the Spencer boys were
urging him to go West
"No," he answered; ''I owe il to
Uncle Caleb TO stay here. He was too
good to me when ! was little shaver
for me so leave him now, when he
needs me. He shall have the best ser.
vice ! can give him until am twenty
one; then I'll be free to follow you. ="
But there came crisis. Uncle Caleb
gave Jerry a sum of money to pay n
bill in town. There was fve-dollar
piece in roll of bills, aud the gold
piece had disappeared.
Jerry insisted that he could not have
had the money. 81 know. Aunt Lucy,
Uncle Gale handed me the roll of bills,
and | put it down in this pocket, and
never touched it till l got to town.
When ! took it out there were the bills
just rs he had handed them to me, and
not n thing more"
MAYBE there's hole in your
pocket, she suggested.
She turned 1t wrong side out, but
found no place where coin could have
slipped through
well, it's a mystery where it went, ="
she said. 81 cant understand il"
Pooh! It's no mystery, answered
Jerry contemptuously. Uncle sim
ply didn't give it to me. "I thought
he had it rolled mp in the bills, but
was mistaken. That's ALL
What do you mean by that ?" cried
Caleb, jumping up white with anger.
II tell you IT was wrapped up in the
bills and If you can't account for it,
you've either lost it or spent i'll"
Jerry bounded up stars to his room,
stuffed his best suit of clothes into n
little brown carpet bag, and then
poured out the contents of an old,
long necked blue vase. He had thirty
dollars saved toward buying horse
of his own. Then he marched defantly
down stairs 10 his uncle.
'l never saw or touched your gold
piece, he declared, "but I'll not go
away leaving you to say that | took
any OF your money !"
He threw down "A tive-dollar bill aud
started to the door. As he turned the
knob, he looked back at the woman
by the fireplace, with her face in her
apron.
"Good-by, Aunt Lucy" he said,
with choke in his voice. you've
been awful good to me I'll never for
get that !"
Then he shut the door abruptly.
went out into the night. 1t lacked
only five minutes of train-time when
he reached the station. determined to
go 60 a cousin of his fathers who
lived in Vermont, and write from
.aaeie 10 Jach Spencer tina, he would
work his way out West as soon as he
could.
Iingling with the recollection OF
uncle's reproaches, the boy sat up
very straight and wide-awake in the
train for long time. Then his ten.
sion relaxed, and for lack of something
else to do, lie felt in his pocket for
Jack Spencer's letter. As he pulled
1t from its envelope something else
fell into his hand. 1t was gold-piece.
He could scarcely believe his eyes
as he sat dropping it from one hand
into another. How had the coin got
into the letter? For time he could
not guess then the truth suddenly
became clear to him,
The letter had been in his breast.
pocket when he stuffed the roll of bills
into If, aud the coin must have slipped
into the open end of the envelope as
he pushed the bills down. When he
began to search for the money he had
changed the letter to another pocket
never dreaming that it contained any.
thing except Jacks glowing descrip.
tion of prairie life.
Jerry had been keeping his anger
warm all the way by telling himself
that his uncle had been harsh and un-
Just He had even pictured to him
self with grim satisfaction how shame.
faced Caleb would look some time
when he should come across the coin
among his own possessions. Aud now
he had tn think of himself as the blum.
derer and the unjust, foolish person
But now no apology could be too
He would get on at the next
station and take the first train home
The case called for an immediate
reconciliation.
Then he reasoned that as he had
paid for his ticket, he might as well 60
On TO his journeys end and have
short visit II would he easier, per
haps, to write than t. speak his
apology,
Jerry soon found his elderly cousin.
Tim Bailey, who happened TO be work.
ing just then in new store-a COM
OF a bookstore and an old.
fashioned daguerreotype gallery; not
then, for 1t was before
he nhptOurnph had nanatrataJ 10 tha