Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-07-23

blushed. Pm not stingy." she cried, stung
| t. the quick, land you know it!'
| We'll, l call it pretty stingy, went on
| Harry, mot even to be willing to spend D
| cents for your own church.
Very we'll. Harry" said Mary quietly.
Il viii take chance Can you change
| quarter?"
| Harry somewhat sheepishIy handed back
| ~ cents and slip with a number "lS
| printed on 1t. THANK YOU" he said ana
| ran Off.
| Mary started on toward the grocery store.
| She knew she had done something wrong.
because she had absolutely no right TO
| spend her mothers money without asking
| permission and she knew if sne had asked
permission that her mother would nave
] had to say NO" for even cents made
| difference to Mrs. Morse.
| II will be afraid to go home and tell
| mother" she thought to herself. land yet
I'll have to, because I'll have no change 10
| give her from the quarter
Tell her you've lost It,, instantly Wills
pered a small. bad voice.
DO nothing of the kind, said anotne,
voice; go straight down to Mr.. refers
office, tell him the truth, and ask Tor your
money back. He'll give it to you. Mary
WaYered. 1t was strong temptation, ana
for moment it did seem so much easier 10
tell one little whopper than to have to
confess to Mr.. Peters whose deep FoiGe
she was deathly afraid of. But 1t was onIy
Tor moment and then the good anger TIL
umphed and Mary turned her Footsteps 70,
ward the biggest office building in town ana
knocked on the door that said peters o.
Co" on it.
as Mr.. Peters ln?" asked Mary tlmloiy
of clerk in the Office.
He is" answered the clerk.
Just say please, that little girl wants
to see him on very important business
said Mary. ,,
Must be important" muttered the clerk,
dissppearing into a mysterious looking III
tie room. IN moment Mary was usherea
rto the awful presence of MI. Peters, anu
strange to say, he wasn't so a"iul d. az,
At the first sight of his kindly face Mary
forgot she ought to be afraid ana Simply
told him the whole story; how she hao
started on an errand for her mother inet
money for chance when she knew an me
time it was wrong. And now wouid MI
Peters please buy back the chance?
"Ahem," said Mr.. Peters, IN MS oeep
voice: 80 you spent your mother money
did you, when you knew you ought not 10
Very foolish, my dear, very foolsh II
don't buy back the chance what will you
do?" Mary was in for it now, and oound
to tell the whole story. SO she cohIesseo
how she had been tempted to tell her moth,
er she had lost the money and then had
decided to come to Mr.. Peters in the end
you did right. perfectly right said Mr..
Peters, land by all means 1 will buy back
your chance" and he held out 5-cent
piece Mary thanked him and went ON to
the grocery store, feeling, oh, so much hap
pier .
A week passed by and Mary heard that
the bicycle had been ratified and that Is
had been the lucky number, but no one
seemed to know who had won 1t.
Mr.. Peters, of course said Mary, when
she heard of it. Il sold him 10 myself
Dear me- if only could have kept it,
Then something very strange happened
That same night, about o'clock, the bell
rang. and Mary, who was just on the way
to bed, opened the door. There on the
front stoop stood a boy with a note in his
hand Miss Mary Morse?" he asked. Il
have a bicycle here for you. Shall l bring
it up?'
"A bicycle for me?" said Mary. Why.
you must have made mistake. / didn't
order bicycle
Its for Miss Mary Morse said the boy
consulting the note. Maybe this letter will
explain it, Mary opened the envelope
eagerly. There was the slip with the num-
Der Is on 1t, and written on the back was
this message: Eighteen was the lucky
number, and IS was yours. for l gave it
back to you myself, even though you didn't
know It, Always be as honest you were
today, and your lite will be prosperous
one. G. F. Peters,
Mary couldn't believe her eyes, but 1t
was true and her mother was as surprised
as she They sat up half the night COM
posing a suitable letter of thanks to Mr..
Peters, and then sent it off in the morning,
feeling that 1t didn't half express what
they both felt. So Mary made up her mind
that she would thank Mr.. Peters all her
own self, and out she set the next morn
ing and you may be sure 1t was on. her
new bicycle