Evening star., 1921-04-24

and. holding her knitting in her apron.
arose and went into the house to re-
turn with big golden ginger cookie
in her hand. Dick passed. Grandma
walked to the steps and called:
"Beggy."
The boy stopped.
Got a cookie for you" said Grand
ma.
Beggy entered the gate and sham
bled up the path He took the cookie,
said. Much obleeged." and was turn
ing away when. suddenly. he paused
and faced Grandma again. kin
have another?" he asked
"Calc'late so. Be you hungry"'
"Tain't for me-" said Beggy. Its
He received the second cookie and
ran after his companion.
Here" he said, diffidently. ITS
yourn."
Dick received the gift into his An
gers. looked at it, shifted of it. Huh
he said. but to Beggy's infinite delight
he began TO eat it. Beggy dropped
back to his deferential position. ten
PAGES in the rear.
Beggy followed Dick home, and then
scuffled away to the rickety, fenceless.
weed-grown place where he lived
with his father. Mr.. Turner was not
there. a thing which caused Beggy no
surprise. and the boy went about get
ting for himself such food as the
larder could provide.
When he had eaten. he went out
again in search of Dick, but Dick had
vanished. Though Beggy hung about
until 10 o'clock. his patience went
without reward. He could not UNDER
-, txrfo
had happened. two evenings in sue
cession that Dick .Towne, the easiest
of men to locate at any time was
not to be found. 1t worried Beggy and
weighed upon him. He went home
disquieted and dreamed restless
dreams.4- =---
Beggy would have been~mere dis
quieted had he hunted for Dick in the
village instead of waiting about the
house for him to return. The viii
lake knew where Dick was. Long
before it went to bed that night
Pleasant Point was made aware of
Dicks whereabouts. and with shak-
expected something of the kind to
the calaboose under the town hail,
charged with the theft of Walter
Shepherds three hundred dollars.
Have they mixed that little Beggy
Cutcheon's first question when Miss
Spooner arrived with the news.
He hain't been mentioned-yit
I'm. Find the money!"
Nary, hide nor hair of it"
Dick hain't owned up" 1t was
statement not a question.
Sticks to it he never done it. Bold
as brass. But they got him all snarled
up with circumstantial evidence"
raSama DSns 0ssSs 4ms he pisK sG1e hant m Tsia soa
the look of thief" She sighed.
Fingered to git my blueberries
canned up. and now comes this. Boys
and men is more importanntn blue
Ssrres s Nv hGesn Sesh Jest peeas psGI sss for sa
Beggy boy"
You hain't carlatin' to mix into
this" exclaimed Martha
II be-" grandma said, firmly.
1T is true that Beggy Turnip needed
sympathy sorely. His world had
spIintered into ruins about him. and
he stood appalled,.
"whatl they do with him." he de-
m handed tearfully again and again.
Send him TO the pen'tentiary, may
be for ten year. maybe for twenty.
Breakin' and enterin' a dwell
in in the night time.
Ten or twenty years without Dick.
1t was unthinkable. He could not
comprehend the monstrousness OF 1t,
and bew ildered and crushed. he wan
dered off alone with his agony. for
agony it was
The irrepressibility of the imagina-
ton of boyhood is marvellous gift
from heaven. Even the most weighty
grief cannot stay its operation, and
Beggy found hours of something akin
10 happiness in his plans to rescue
Dick and make away with him 70
land SO distant that the writ OF no
court could reach him. He saw MN
self the captain of brave and des-
perate band of outlaws. who at
word from him would gather at the
secret meeting place. and, mounted
upon snorting steeds. would rlde
down upon the village calaboose.
smash its doors from their hinges.
snatch Dick from his cell, and ride
away with a ringing cheer or tri-
umph. daring the powers or the law
to take the prisoner from them.
with a desire to do something con
crete for his friend. He wanted to
feel that he was working for DICK,
and he searched his mind Tor possible
service to render. At last he hit upon
It, Bait. He knew well how DICK
detested the labor of digging worms.
So, spade in hand. he went TO the
ancient barn where Dick and him
self were accustomed to NIL their bait
cans. His intention was clear: When
Dick emerged from prison Beggy
would be ready for him. ready to lay
at his feet angleworms enough to last
for the remainder OF his lifetime. He
would dig a barrel of worms and
bury them. 1t should be his career
A barrel of worm. His heart
zlowed as he imagined the distant
day when Dick. free at last. return
ed to Pleasant Point. and he led him
to the secret spot and uncovered be-
fore Dicks astounded eyes full bar
rel of bait.
He set himself to the labor of love
with enthusiasm. For an hour he
delved and harvested. 1t was not always
easy digging amid the rubbish. and
many were the obstacles to his spade
which he had to unearth and toss
aside. One of these was tin can
such as contains ground coffee. AS
he tossed it aside it caught and ar
rested his eye. II was obviously new
and shiny-yet II had been buried
eighteen inches under the ground: and
ii was heavy; 1t contained something.
BegEy dropped his spade and picked
up the can. He hefted 1t. Then he
removed the cover and peered In
side It was almost full of money, of