The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1909-02-24

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hawk. You can feel my gun barrels
are still heated, | guess. Won't you
please let down the grapevine, mister,
It's terribly hot here? feel sick from
| 1t now" The face of the man above
grew red with anger, but after mo-
ments thought he produced bit OF
string and said;
well, all right, but you had best
| send up the eagle-I mean, the falcon,
first"
Lin was pretty keen of wit, and he
laughed at this.
No, mol may have been bit of
fool TO get into this predlcament. but
am not all fool. If you don't believe
| shot the bird, mister, 1t will be easy
to prove 1t from a look at the shot In
1.-THE wound Is too deep to find them
now, but the bird-stuffer will, and
there is no use In keeping me down
here broillng all afternoon"
81 tell you what, my boy" said the
hunter, presently, 81 have notion
that you may be right-and whether
| you are lying to me or not, we will
compromise the matter In this way.
I'll buy the bird and then II the shot in
1t fit your gun you must return the
money and I'll return the bird. But
IL the shot In 1t fit my gun, then the
bird Is mine, and | keep 1t and you are
in that much money. Is that bar
| gain?
Lin thought moment. The money
! certainly would be more to him, and
he would make more than by the re-
ward of 50 offered by the town board
He decided to accept 1t. Five minutes
later 1t was agreed that s5 was a fair
| price for such common bird, and Lin
was scon helped up the cliff. He gave
his address and his name, and the gen.
tleman gave his. The falcon and
$5 bill changed hands and the two part
| ed.
When Lin reached the street on
which stood his home that morning he
noticed there was something wrong.
He missed the usual quietness of late
afternoon. Instead, large crowd Of
people were walking about And when
he reached his own garden, cry OF
terror escaped him. His home lay a
heap of smouldering ashes
There were several firemen still
around cooling the ashes off with a
single stream Of water. Lin was
scarcely able to speak from the sobs Of
agony that shook him, but he managed
to ask whore his mother and sister
were. Had they escaped?
They were at nelghbor's. Lin soon
found them, both prostrated, and learn
ed that the fire had occurred from an
overturned pan of fat. They had lost
everything they possessed in the world,
except the clothing on their backs.
The IS bill was at first considered a
welcome addition to their very small
earnings. They lived in boarding
house, and needed every penny to make
| up enough for the barest necessities.
But Lin remembered that he was not
yet certain of who shot that bird. So
he refused to use 1t until he had heard
from the gentleman.
1t seemed to him long time before
| the letter came. II said:
My Dear Lincoln: | have found that
the bird shot was yours after all; It
contained BB2 shot, which | never use.
| Therefore. according to agreement, you
must return the IS, and / the bird. But
as 1t happens, while peregrine falcon,
as you said, is very rare variety. with
peculiar ring coverts. In consideration
of this fact, and your honesty in deal
ing with me, | shall keep the falcon,
! and give you an additional sum in
payment, to be determined after more
thorough examination by a friend OF
mine. Very truly,
ST. GEORGE MITCHELL.
Havenoaks, Aug. 30.
This unexpected outcome of his
mountain adventure excited Lin great
ly, and he thought of the young birds
and the nest, which he had placed in
the hands of an older boy, neighbor,
to prepare for the school museum. So
he wrote again to Mr.. Mitchell, note
of interest, telling of the nest and the
two young falcons, and also mentioning
how his mothers house had burned
down. He introduced the latter, be-
cause he thought letter should be
longer than three lines. And he en-
closed the S5.
Three days later, two gentlemen call
ed on Mrs. Bristow, and Lin introduced
one of them as st. George Mitchell.
The other was a friend of Mr.. Nit
chell's, and was an expert taxidermist.
Eoth the gentlemen expressed great
sympathy with the mother and her
children who had lost their home. And
then Mr.. Mitchell surprised them all
by proferring check for $40, saying
that was fair price for one very rare
kind of peregrine falcon, with two
young birds and a good portion of the
original nest And although Mrs. Bris-
tow was at first too proud to accept it,
the gentlemen showed her that it was
only what anyone would have offered
Lin for such rare find.
"And further" said Mr.. Mitchell,
l