Arizona republican., 1894-10-03

half an hour after. when he was safely esconced in a farmhouse a mile off and the family had been driven within doors by the increasing storm, they found everything as it had been left the broth on the fire, the cat on the window seat, the whiting and flannel on the table, but not a spoon was there.
 "Whar's the spoons?" cried Mrs. Simpson to the entire family, who stood by the fire drying their wet gar ments Nobody could tell. Nancy had left them on the table when she ran to the hay No one had been in the house, they were certain, for nothing was disturbed.
 The drawer was pulled out and the empty stocking exhibited. Every shelf, every corner was searched, but to no purpose: the spoons had disappeared and the state of the farmhouse may be imagined. The widow ran through it lt5e one distracted, questioning, scolding and searching Robin, Nancy and the farm men were dispatched in different directions, as soon as the rain abated, to inform the neighbors, under the supposition that some strolling beggar or gypsy might have carried off the treasure and would attempt to dis pose of it in the parish.
 Nobody thought of Geordy Wilson. He had not been spied from the hay field; his circuits were wide; his visits to any house were not frequent, and if he avoided Widow Simpsons from the day of her loss it was believed Geordy knew that neither her temper nor her liberality would be improved by the circumstance.
 Lost the spoons were beyond doubt, and the widow bade fair to lose her senses. The rich rela tion came at his appointed time and had such a tea that he vowed never again to trust him. self in the house of his entertainer. But the search went on. Rabbits holes were looked into for the missing silver and active boys were bribed to turn out magpies' nests. Wells and barns in the neighborhood were ex- plored. The criers of the three near est parishes were employed to pro- claim the loss; it was regularly adver- tised at kirkgate and marketplace, and Mrs. Simpson began to talk of get ting a search warrant for the beggar's s meal pouch. Bathgate was alarmed through all its borders concerning the spoons; but when almost month had worn away and nothing could be heard | of them, the widows suspicion turned from beggars, barns and magpies to light on poor Nancy.
 She had been securing the spoons, and had left the house last; silver could not leave the table without l hands.
 It was true that Nancy had always borne an unquestioned character, but such spoons were not to be met with every day, and Mrs. Simpson was de. termined to have them back in her stok. ing. After sundry hints to Robin, who could not help thinking his mother was losing her judgment, she one day pumped the charge, to the utter as tonishment and dismay of the poor girl, whose anxiety in the search had been inferior only, to her own. Though poor and an orphan, Nancy had some honest pride; she immediately turned out the whole contents of her kist (box), unstrung her pocket in Mrs. Slmpson's presence, and ran with tears in her eyes to tell the minister
 As was then common in the country parishes of Scotland, difficulties and disputes which might have employ ed the writers and puzzled the magis- trates were referred to arbitration, and thus lawsuits or scandal prevent ed. The minister had heard--as who in Bathgate had not-of Mrs. Simp. sons loss.