Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1898-12-11

'.whers did be ten ron Il VAST" asked
/ Samuel.
I'm the chest in the dark bedroom. :
said I. That was the truth and it did
no harm.
/ Whereabouts in the chest?"
! I'm the secret drawer
/ "Oh, SO there's secret drawer. Did
your father tell you how to open it,.
l said he did.
| "Weli. you just come in here and show
me how to open it, said Samuel.
I 1 went with Samuel into the dark bed
room and showed him how to open the
drawer. I could see nothing else to do.
1 stood back while he opened it, 1 won
dered if 1t would be wrong for me to cry
out as if I were astonished when he dis
covered that the money was gone Then
all of a sudden heard a sound that made
| my heart jump with joy. l heard sleigh
| bells and then fathers voice shouting TO
the horse. Father has come" said T.
! Samuel made one leap and was gone,
rushing through the kitchen and out the
| back door.
/ ran and unbolted the south door. and
there were father and mother, come home
sooner than we expected When saw
their faces, just broke down and sohbed
and sobbed and told them all about it in
such queer snatches that they thought at
first 1 was out of my mind Father aid
afterward that he never heard such jum-
BILE of popcorn balls and secret drawers
and Samueis. When father fairly under
stood what had happened. he lighted the
lantern and searched out in the barn and
the sheds to be sure that Samuel was not
lurking about the premises but he did
not find him. Father said that he knew
the man, that he belonged to a good fam
lily. but had been sort of shiftless and I'M
lucky.
When we were all settled down again for
the night and l felt so safe and happy
| with father and mother at home. | could
not help feel troubled about poor Samuel
out in the storm. I hoped he would not
die of cold and be found dead when the
snow melted in the spring. There was
quite a severe snow storm. That was the
reason why father and mother had reach
ed home late. They had been obliged
to drive slowly on account of the gather
ing snow.
We were just sitting down to our
Christmas dinner next day when We all
stopped and listened. Then the sound
somebody was out in the storm calling
family for help.
1T is the man. said mother do go
quick as you cam, Mother had been
worrying about Samuel all day. She
said she did not want him to perish If
| he had tried to wrong us. and father
had been all around the farm looking for
him. He thought, however, that he had
gone down to the village the night before.
We opened the door, and we could hear
the calls for help quite plainly. Father
pulled on his big boots and started out.
The storm was very thick. Soon we could
not hear father, but we could hear his
shouts and the faint cries in response,
! and then we saw father coming back half
carrying Samuel ]. Wetherhed.
| Samuel was pretty well exhausted, be-
| sides being frightened and ashamed when
he saw where he was, back in the house
| of the man he had tried to rob He tried
to stop at the threshold of the outer door
| spent as he was. Il guess you-don't-
know" he began but father interrupted
him. Come along inn cried father in a
hearty way. You have been good to my
children and as long you didn't do what
you set out to there's no use talking about
it."
Samuel was pretty well exhausted. He
had spent the night in an old barn on the
| other side of the mountain and had been
| foundering around in circles all day. try
ing to and the road. However he was
able to eat some Christmas dinner with
us, though he hesitated about that as he
had done about entering the door. and all
of sudden he dropped his knife and fork
| bent his head down over his plate and
we saw that he was crying though we
tried to take no notice.
Samuel stayed with us that night and
was present a the Christmas tree though
| he seemed very sober and dashed his
hand across his eyes a good many times
| when his name was called out and he got
! little presents.
The next day the storm had stopped,
| and father put the horses in the sleigh
and took Samuel down to Lebanon to
take the train. We never saw him again
after he had shaken hands with US all
and thanked mother in a voice that trem-
bled so that he could scarcely speak and
father had driven him off in the sleigh.
! That day we girls pulled the corn balls
to pieces and found the bills inside not
sticky at all. The next day father took
the money to the bank, though he said he
didn't know but corn balls We're safer,
| since robbers knew that money was in
banks but he didn't think they had any
| suspicion of its being in corn balls.
| We spent the next Christmas in our old
home in Wareville, for father and Uncle
William had made up and We had gone
| back there to live. We had a tree, and
the day before Christmas a great box
came by express with a handsome present
for each of US. There was no name sent
| with them, but we always knew as well
| as we wanted to- and father and mother