The Mena weekly star., 1910-04-21
QUESTION OF ETHICS

ter dinner, If feller was to find any thing, what's he to do?"
 His father looked over the ton of his paper and regarded him absently.
 Oh, advertise. I suppose, he said. That is, unless the thing he found was already advertised as lost. Why?"
 "oh, nothing" replied Bobby. 'T was just wondering. I knew feller once that found a dog"
 Was it valuable?"
 Not so awful. You see, he was just common yeller dog. with an awful scraggy tail. He took him home and kept him"
 Maybe some little child cried be. cause her pet was lost,' Bobbys fa- ther said. Did he have collar on?"
 T don't know. Then I knew mother Teller that found ten cents, and it was my ten cents and he wouldn't give 1t back. That was Sam, and he says finders Is keepers"
 Well, it isn't If you found any thing I should be very much ashamed of you if you didn't take it back at once"
 We got place in Billy's cellar to play ball." said Bobby, hurriedly. We want to keep in practice, so we play catch when it's bad weather. Billy.s a swell catcher. all right"
 T thought you said you lost your ball"
 Well this is another one,p said Bobby. "The one I had was fine, but 1t went down sewer hole. Billy had another, but it rolled under a wagon and got smashed would "a said it was Billy's fault, but he wanted the driver to pay for it."
 Did the driver pay him?"
 T should say not" Bobby replied, scornfully. "He belongs to the mean est grocery in town, anyhow, that driver. He won't ever let a feller hitch or have ride, and when Harry jimmons tossed snowball at him he .hased Harry two blocks. And they don't ever put blanket on the horse.
 q think you would have been glad if some one had brought your ball back to you"
 "Oh, but they couldn't" said Bobby. Tt was gone for good just as soon as it hit the sewer hole. I don't see why they have those bars so far apart Most anything could fall in Mamie Kelly knows woman who lost solid gold watch down One of 'em. Billy says he bets it was only plated"
 Well is 1t the watch that has been found?"
 No, sir; they couldn't ever get that without taking up the pipes, could they? Mamie Kelly says it was lost whole lot of years ago"
 "Oh, thought 1t was sn occurrence In modern history" said his father. What has been found, then?"
 We'll Bobby began. nervously. "a Teller I know found knife. It's bully knife, with six blades, and only two broke. It's just what anybody'd want who didn't have one, like me. I don't know why nobody gave me a knife for Christmas"
 That was a serious oversight, l admit" said his father "Go on."
 Well ll-now-er-can't the feller keep it?"
 Tt belongs to somebody. Do you know whose 1t is?"
 q think maybeI do."
 Well. then, I advise you to tell this boy when you happen to meet him that you know whose knife he found, so that he may take 1t to the owner"
 'Yes-but--" Bobby stammered. You see, it's Sam's knife, and Sam says finders is keepers. I'd like to know why a feller should act different to Sam than Sam did to me. He kept my ten cents"
 Now, look here, Bobby" said his father. seriously "Of course you haven't told me who found that knife. but just suppose it was you, what wonld you do?"
 Bobby gave his father a startled look and then gazed at the spot where bis toe was digging hole in the rug.
 "Come, Bobby" his father reminded him. T am waiting"
 Well" said Bobby, slowly, T guess if it was me, I'd give it back"
 "Yes. think you would"
 Bobby reached for his coat, which was conveniently at hand.
 "Ill be back pretty soon,' he said. hastily I'm just going over to Sam's."