Los Angeles herald., 1907-08-04

I'm afraid Phineas will never amount tt
anything. He's Eighty" said Thad, shaking
his head sagely. as he sat down to dinner.
Ordinarily, Mary Olive was ready enough
to speak with candor of little Phineas' short
comings. but today she was silent, with q
guilty sense of sharing his "fightness."
The box was there. but the basket and the
rod and line were gone-Aunt M 'rias second
best basket, which she would not have allowed
him to take fishing
Phineas came back from the slip with his
lip quivering, and what could the stoutest-
hearted boy do. for the rest of the afternoon,
but dread Aunt M'ria's coming?
They, were all at the supper table, and
Aunt Mira was telling what well behaved
children Mrs. Drusy Babcock had, when
Sheriff Thompson drove along very fast and
stopped at the door.
Seen anything of lame, organ-grnderr,
with a monkey, round here today" he called.
said Aunt Mira.
mo, l didn't" said Thad 81 was down
in the field this forenoon and wedding the
garden this afternoon. If thered been one
| should have been likely to see him"
Phineas choked himself with a drink of
water; but it was unnecessary, for no one
thought of him or Mary Olive, taking it for
granted that they would have told if they
had seen the organgrinder.
Jail bird! explained the sheriff, briefly.
"Hurt his leg when he escaped An old thief;
had the organ for a blind. Been tracked to
Alderville."
And the sheriff rode off
Mary Olive and Phineas exchanged glances
behind tall pitcher, and Mary Olive was
pale and Phineas' eyes seemed starting out
OF his head.
They were waiting for the twilight to grow
a little deeper. so that they might, unseen,
make a last visit to the monkey for the night,
when Thad came running across the piazza in
breathess haste.
Get me my gun, quick" he cried There's
sitting on the Toulouse roof. L
lon't know whether it's u small fox or squir-
rel, or what it is. Such queer noise | never
heard"
''Oh, it's the monkey; it's the monkey |
Don't shoot" cried Mary Olive.
Then of course Thad had to be told all |
lbout it.
Fortunately. Aunt Mira was in the sitting
Dom, entertaining Miss Meacham, who had
come over to tell that there was report that
he new minister's wife wouldn't make any
thing but pound-for-pound preserves, and
Aunt NJ ria was so much interested as TO be
,blivious of everything else.
WELL if you're not pair of youngsters"
That was what Thad said when he had
heard the story.
But he didn't say anything more crushing
han that, and he showed lively interest in
he monkey.
He got ladder and went up to the roof of
he TOOL mouse ana got nm down. And Then,
- he couldn't think of any other safe place in
which to keep him, he patched up the holes
II the roof where he had got out.
Then he inspected the organ, by the light
# lantern.
He didn't think much of that" to Mary
Hives surprise; but he appreciated the mon
ley even more highly than they had expected.
n shouldn't wonder if you did get a bar
ain" he said. after some deliberation "And
{ they don't turn out to be stolen goods
hey arrest people, you know, for receiving
tolen goods"
Mary Olive showed symptoms of becoming
earful and Phineas quaked inwardly, though
he was firm
"You could probably get off, though any