Maryland independent. [volume] (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1874-current, 1897-06-04

The Missing Spoons.

S~~~~~<<eeee4~~Hssee~~~~~S
Ma1ge burst in.o the room, her eyes
wide and staring and her face pale
with fright.
"Why, Ma1ge Fosto~, what can be
the matter q asked her mother, look
ing up from her sewing.
Madge swallowed and gasped.
Grandmother Maxweii5 spoons,
she said they're gone e
"Gone Grandmother Maxwells
spoons repeated Mrs. Foster, as if
she couldn't quite understand.
" les, gone, put in Nat, who hal
come in looking almost as frightened
as Ma lge.
Why. who would have touched
them 2" asked Mrs. Foster, rising
from her chair
" Better ask who took James butter
bowl last Tuesday night, aud who
stole the cake from the china closet,
and what has heenme Of the last
volume of " Uncle Toms Cabin, and
my best skates, and Madge's gold
stickpin, and Charles best coat -"
and Nat paused for want of breath.
" | tell you there's something awfully
mysterious about this - he continued,
a moment later
But grandmother's spoons :"
questioned Mrs. Foster, trying to be
calm.
" Why, it was this way" explained
Malge, who was now calm enough to
talk Jane was getting the supper
table rea ly, and she thought she'd
put on the best silver becaase the
minister was to be here 50 she wens
to the closet to get grandmother
spoons and they were gone. There
wsen't sign of EN- anywhere,
although we looked ali over the closet.
They were in that little, old red plush
case on the third shelf behind the big
blue bowl. No one knew they were
there but Jane The box was open
and the spoons were gone. And Jane
says she is sure she has found tracks
on the floor"
Tracks ~" repeated Nat, in an
odd, scared voice 81 saw 'em my
self"
Mrs. Foster followed the twins ont
into the kitchen and made a careful
search on her own account. But the
spoons were gone.
There were six of Grandmother
Maxwell's spoons, aud they were kept
bound up in little bundle tied with
faded red tape. They were very thin
and old-fashioned, but every member
of the Foster family from Father
Foster down held them in great rever-
ence because they had been in the
family for more than a hundred years.
When Grandmother Maxwell died she
had left them to her three grand
children, two each TO Madge and Nat,
the twins, and two to Charlie, their
elder brother. For this reason they
were priced more highley than any
other single possession of the Max
well family. Jane, who had been a
servant in the Foster family ever since
the twins were born, was as proud of
the spoons as any of the others and
took as much care Of them as if they
had been her own.
Charlie hal left his book in the
library and had followed the others
out into the kitchen. He was down
on his hands and knees examining the
tracks on the pantry floor.
They don't look to me Just like a
mans tracks" he said they're
hardly big enough in fact, | don't
believe they're t'aeks at all :"
What are they, then ?" asked Ned.
holly, "who do you s'pose is doing all
this stealing @
81 don't know, sail Charlie, "but
I've got theory"
Charlie always has got theories, ="
put in Madge, mischievously; Il
guess he gets 'em out of books. "
Well, | don't dream of travelling
over all creation replied Charlie,
winking.
But Nat was interested he hal
good deal of confidence in his elder
brother Besides this, the mystery
as to what became of all the missing
things was beginning to grow serious.
Nearly every night something disap-
peared from the building, and there
was not the slightest clew as to what
became of it. Even Father Foster
was worried, aud for several evenings
he had remained up late and had taken
particular care to lock every window
and bolt every door But in the face
of it all Grandmother Maxwelrs
spoons hal disappeared.
Yes," Charlie was saying, "I've
been cogitating, and I'll tell you what
l think. That old cellar has some
thing to do with this stealing.
Ma1ge started and looked over her
shoulder, started even in broad day
light. Charlie had said these words
very slowly anl distinctly, and it was
some moments before any one spoke.
But nobody can get into that eel
lar. If burglar tried it | guess it
would be the last of him"
''I'm not SO sure of that, responded
Charlie. Yesterday l went down
cellar with lamp and there in the
sand"
"In the sand" repeated Msdge,
breathlessly, leaning forward with
parted lips.
"There in the sand" continued
Charlie, paying no attention to the in
terruption, | saw tracks leading to
the door. .
And I've been going down there
all alone" walled Jane, lifting her
hands in horror.
81 just believe the thief is hiding
in there" said Nat.
The old cellar was hardly more than
niche in the stone wall, with a stout
oak door covering its opening. Years
before an old we'll had occupied the
uiche, lat it had caved in, and NJ.
Foster had not thought it worth white
70 fix it mp, especially now since the