The San Francisco call., 1898-10-09

h N travel and see the world, and, MI above all, to have the adven-
 lures bound to be encountered. 4'A He had read books by noted travellers and lay and dreamed of the time when fortune would favor him. But OakWood was village far away from any place of interest. One day while sitting on the sidewalk, near the small college of which the citizens were wont to boast, he noticed a ped dler valise in hand, walking toward him. The valise being drorned, the contents were scattered all around.
 One square box rolled toward Mar tin. which he picked up. The man exCitedly told him not to open it. put curiosity got the better. Instantly black ball shot out, and rolling over the ground marked out paths in all di- rections, and bursting with loud re- port vanished. Walking over to where Martin stood. the peddler pointed one finger at him and said slowly:
 50, in your reckless haste to see what the box contained, yoa loosed the mystic ball of fate, treasure beyond price to me. By so doing you have laid a charge on me, an unpleasant duty. noting the paths marked. You, l believe. wish to travel. see the world and meet with adventures. It IS as you wish. By reckless haste you have made it doubly certain. Being ma
 
 laying a charm upon you, and not till you have met with many adventures and are heartily tired will 1t be re- moved"
 He bent forward and touched Mar tin with the empty box In an in stant, from a handsome boy he turned into a common gray mouse and, glanc- ing at a pool of water and noting the change. he was so frightened his sole idea was to hide
 Climbing quickly up the side of building, he jumped through an open window into the sitting-room of the head professor, who was reading. The professor, looking up, saw the mouse and tried to drive it out. He hit it with a ruler, WhereupOn, in shrill voice, It said: Stop that; don't kill me"
 The professor was so surprised that he jumped backward.
 Could it be a mistake? No; that mouse could certainly talk These thoughts flashed through his mind. Yes, some one had taught, educated it, and there 1t was. What a grand and astounding discovery. He would capture the TO- dent. Having no trap, he was forced to make a paper cornucopia and place 1t in Q corner for trap.
 But the mouse suddenly departed by the same entrance, and crawling along a narrow ledge walked in at another window into a class room and slipped into a book case. A student noticed him. Once inside, Martin had ample time to think. A feeling of sadness came over him. To realize he was only a mouse, yet be able to talk and understand was disagreeable. What ought to be done? search might be made!
 Quickly gnawing a hole in a diction- ary he hid there, and later, when a search was made, no one suspected that the mouse was in the dictionary, car ried out by Earl Brown, who, on open ing it. was surprised to see one jump nfmbIy out and climb down to the street below.
 But here Martin was chased by a dog. and to save his life squeezed into q pfpe. and running along through it some distance came to the railroad and got into a baggage car. Here another difficulty confronted him. He wished to travel first class. So he managed to slip into a passenger car and was surprised at the people there. They were all bound on long journey. Lls- tening he learned they were party bound for the Klondike. A mighty idea came to him. Why not go, too Being a mouse, was that a practical reason why he should not travel and see the world? To pay no fare; just enjoy himself and see the beauties of nature.
 He resolved to go and at once began to look at the people, trying to select some honest, shreWd looking person with satchel, finding this difficult He finally decided to travel in the car and take his chances. He managed to get enough to eat, and while hunting