The Ordway new era., 1917-12-21

under the trees.
when lie awUke and continued his
IicSlra frosty sparkle in the air had
succeeded the dr0wsy warmth Of tho
dhy aud as this portcnt of Il chilly
hiEht translated itself to the brain of
Sir P"regrlnc he heightened his stride
ana bethought him of shelter.
a distant Clatter In the rear quickly
developed into the swift beat of horses
hoofs. Turning his head, he saw ap-
preaching fine team of stylish grays
drawing Il double surrey. A stout
man with white muStache occupied
the front seat, giving all his attention
TO the rigid lines In his hands. Behind
him sat II placid, middle-agpd lady and
brllliant-looking girl, hardly arrived
at young ladyhood. The lap robe had
| slipped partly from the knees of the
gentleman driving, and WhiStling Dick
| SAW two stout canvas bags between his
f""t-hagS such rs, while loafing in
cities, he had seen warily transferred
between express wagons and bank
doors. The remaining space in the
vehicle was filed with parcels of varl-
Gus sizes and shapes.
As the surrey swept even with the
sidc-traclled tramp, the bright-eyed
girl, seized by some merry, madcap i'm
pulse, leaned out toward him with a
sweet. dazzling smile and cried. "Mer-
ry ChrlstmaS!" in Il Shrill, plaintive
treble.
Such a thing had not often happened
to Whistling Dick, and he felt hand-
capped in dcvising the correct re-
spOnsc. But, lacking time for reflection,
he let his instinct decide, and snatch
ing off his battered hat he rapidly ex-
tended it at arms length and drew it
back with n continuous motion and
shouted loud, but ceremonious "Ah,
there"
The sudden movement of the girl
had caused one of the parcels to be-
come unwrapped. and something limp
and black fell from it into the road
The tramp picked it up and found it
to be Il new black silk stocking, long
and fine and slender.
said WhiSlng Dick, with broad grin
biSccting his frccllled face. "W'ot d
yer think of dat, now? Merry Christ
mus! Sounded like n cuckoo clock
dat's what she did. Dem guys Is swels
too, bet yer life, an der oil un stacks
dem sacks of dough down under his
| trotters like dey was common as dried
apples. Been shoppin' fer Christmas
and de kids lost one of her new socks
w'ot she was goin' to hold up Sanity
Wild"
Whlstling Dick folded the stocking
carefully and stuffed it into his pocket
1t was nearly two hours later when
he came upon signs of habitation. The
buildings of an extensive plantation
came into view.
The road was inclOSed on each side
by a fence, and presently as Whistline
Dick drew nearer the houses he sud
denly stopped and shifted the air.
"If dere amt n hobo stew cookin
somewhere in dis immediate precinct,
he said to himself ''me nose has quit
tellln' de trut."
without hesitation he climbed the
fence TO wlndward. He found himself
in IN apparently disused lot, where
piles of old bricks were stacked ana
rejected, decaying lumber. In corner
he saw the faint glow Of flre that
had become little more than bed OF
living Goals, and he thought he couid
500 some dim human forms sitting or
living about 1t. He drew nearer, and
by the light of little blaze that sud
denly tlared up he saw plainly the fat
figure of ragged man In an OLD brown
sweater and cap.
"Dat man." said Whistling Dick to
himself softly, ais dead ringer for
Boston Harry. I'll try him Wit oe
high sign"
He visited one or two bars of rag
time melody, and the air was lmme-
diately taken up and then quickly enu-
cd with peculiar run. The first WINS
tIer walked confidently up to the hre'
The fat man looked up and spake IN u
loud, asthmatic wheeze:
"Gents, the unexpected but welcome
addition to our circle is Mr.. Whistlins
Dick, an old friend Of mine for whom
I fully vouches. The waiter will lay
another cover at once. Mr.. W. u. VIII
ioin us at supper, during which tunc-
tion he will enllghten us in regard TO
the circumstances that give us tne
Measure of his company.
For the next ten minutes the gang
30 roadsters. six in all, paid their undi-
vided Vi attention to the supper. In an
old five-gallon kerosene can they had had
@ cooked a stew of potatoes, meat and
onions, which they partook OF from
smaller cans.
whisting Dick had known boston
Harry of old and knew him TO pc one
~ the shrewdest and most successful
of his brotherhood. He looked IKE q
nrosnerous stock drover or solid mer'
chant from some country village. He
... stout and hale, with a ruddy, al