The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1896-02-15
T>heL0St TRUNK
psNlEEgNGS5SlEp eNseNseeee

sEEEEES SNE3EEYEE
less haste, and, slowing the letters in his
own pockets, was lying lazily on the
couch reading the paper when his chum
entered.
well, he cried, what mystery did YOU
unearth?''
NO mystery at ALL was the deliberate
answered; "but the stuff, as you call it, is
worth something, and would be regular
gold mine to girl. I've notion to buy
it from you and present it to my sisters.
What will you take?'
"Oh, come! You're Just doirg that to
help me out. know your bene, olent old
heart. No. I'll follow your first advice
and hunt up the owner. 1t would he
quite romantic, and besides, You limited
that might make shilling o. tvo bv it
GU f"nnd her name and address there,
didn't your"
"ies," Al reluctantly answered: 81
found her name and an address, but it is
hardly likely you could find her after so
many years, You know, they keep lug
gage long time before it is sold.n
Pm not sure about that" said Fred.
We thought about it all the morning, and
the idea grows on me. 1t will be rare finn
to try anyway What did you say the name
was?
'Hut II" doubt this girl was killed
luggage l. seldom lost except bv some
such accident and maybe she is an old
woman"
Fred laughed mmoderately.
Just as it that would make an act of
charity less mcritorous Old women
don usually wear white lace hats. though.
lon must have found something p,ecious
in there-JeHelry, or somethinc-which
makes you anxious to martvrize yourself.
It's mine, however and am not as anx
ious to part with it as | was-not till I've
I looked through it, anyway"
As he turned the key Al remembered
that his own photograph was lying in a
conspicuous box, and exclaimed:
Wait until after dinner. then: I'm half
staN ed. "
Perhaps it would be better was the
answer, and they passed out together.
When fairly down stairs Al said he had
forgotten his handkerchief. and flew back
tire" steps at time to get it, Securing
the picture and placing it in an inside
pocket. he said to himself:
Surely there's nothing else to give me
away. Bat ] must whccdlc him out of the
trunkn
After dinner Fred went through" the
contents of the trunk, making hoyish re-
marks concerning each article as he threw
it aside. Al inwardly WINGED at these re.
marks, and could scarcely restrain himself
from knocking him over on the spot
what makes you so crusty?" queried
Fred, suddenly, as one of his choicest
JOKES was met by gruif III M There's
no fun in you, and why you want this
stuff beats me. Your sisters would turn
up their noses at second hand clothing, if
it is pretty. But it isn't worth fussinr
over, so take it along No doubt it would
prove a white elephant on my hands sooner
or later
, Not until the trunk was safely in his
room could Al breathe freely: even then it
was no easy matter to keep it out OF his
sisters sight They both made pet and
conidant of their one brother and had "A
fashion of dropping into his room at all
hours to tell him of their schemes and
woes. He had pushed the trunk under a
mahogany table in the corner. the old
fashioned cover of which reached almost to
the floor
| When he told them he was going away
for little business "trip they beset him
with questions and petitions to be taken
with him, finally declaring that they would
clean house while he was gone, and sort
out his trash
So behold him, in the dead of night,
carrying the "white elephant" up the
narrow attic stairs humping his head on
every rafter and getting cobwebs in his
mustache. He covered it with old cloth
ing, pushed a big box in front of it and
then crept downstairs, feeling as guilty as
il he had been concealing some crime. At