Evening star., 1912-02-04

and mouths stuffed with the dcllCaCieS from
Henry Davis's At last found myself aloncl
MY pockets were stuffed to the brim with
A'A an assortment of possessions | could
not catalogue. My shirt bulged with candy,
dried apples, figs. crackers, and few dime
novels NV stomach-ah, my poor, inno-
cent, foolish little stomach!-who shall de-
scribe its contentso 1t had feasted all after
noon on those things that the wisdom of my
parents had forbidden it always. 1t had
eaten all the raisins it wanted, all the egg
biscuit it craved, all the citron-I hate to
think of citron!- lit could hold, everything,
everything it ought not to have had. And
with all this was mixed quantity of lemon
pop, and ginger ale, and soda water
enough to have hoated two craft of my draft
Yet the madness of wealth had not yet left
me- still had the desire to spend money.
But how?
| thought of everything that | had ever
wanted. Nothing tempted me. | had had
them all; or, if had not, could have had
them, which was the same thing. Ah well,
| thought, never mind. My moneys all
gone, anyway. Now for home and the anger
of my parents!
TUST then | chanced to put my hand into
= one of my pockets, and to my dismay it
touched coin. | fished around, and drew out
full handful of nickels dimes, three-cent
pieces, and few quarters Good heavens!
There was more left!
| shuddered as | realized that | must
spend this. | dared not go home with any
money left; for | was laboring under the
idea that, with my pockets empty of
cash, should be able to escape all suspicion
of having had any. | never dreamed that
q
reach my parents. How innocent | was OF
the power of gossip!
rose to my feet heavily; for the
burden of my feast weighed me down. l
again turned my face in the direction of the
village. Where was to go?
The drugstoreo | had bought it out! The
grocer's? | had left his shelves bare and de-
pleted his stock of dried apples! One Arm
lakes? What was there to be bought IN
One Arm lakes that had not sampled?
Ahal | had it, | suddenly realized that in
Mrs. Hoogly's store, next door to One Arm
lakes, was a treasure that | could buy and
exhaust all my money at one fell swoop-
provided Mrs. Hoogly would sell it, and that
still possessed sufficient fortune to pay for 1T.
Mrs. Hoogly kept thread and yarn shop.
| At least that was all | had ever bought there
when nv mother had sent me shopping for
her But in Mrs Hoogly's window was
beautiful thing, a stuffed duck, standing on
little bit of sandy beach, with seashells
around its feet. | had always wanted that
duck l had looked at it SO often that
knew its every feather, and could tell just
how long ago it began to shed the plumage
on its left side, where the moths had at
tackled it.
Mrs. Hoogly was just getting ready to
close up, for it was nearly suppertime; but
she let me in, smiling through her glasses.
"Hello, Paulie,~ said she. "What does your
mama want?'
"She-she wants that-that much
is that duck in the window, Mrs. Hoogly?'
"Duck!' she exclaimed. "Why, what are
you talking about?'
"The duck in the window said l. "You
know. Can-can buy it?
"Why, never!7 said the old lady. "What
do you want of that old motheaten stuffed
ducko | just keep it in the window because
amt never thought to throw it out. was
thinkin' of THROWN it away the other day,
too Do you want it,
"Y-yes,' said |. "How much is it?
Cause, if
why, you sha'n't pay a cent for the old
thing, said she, parting the little lace cur
tains at her window and taking the beautiful
duck out "Here it is and YOU re welcome