Year: 1871

in q loud voice, "My savings bank
my savings bank !" And the young
count, hearing her scream, rushed out
of his hiding place, to see what was
the matter. He speedily made friends
with the Countess, bnt the grief of the
young people was beyond description.
Nor. was the stout crossbow of the
young count, or the passion he at once
conceived for the maiden, of any avail.
The wicked old tramp was by this time
far away, and to seek for him in the
bushes would have been like hunting
for a needle in a bundle of hay, unless
you knew in which direction he had
gone.


The confidential conversation which
now passed between our hero and hero.
inc was as follows:


" Your papa left you a silverpenny. :"
says she, $50 [ know he was a 7ea1
nobleman.'


" And So, replied our hero, care
you a real countess.


" fear you fatter me-" said she,
lifting her sweet eyes to his.


Indeed, no; [ always speak truth, :"
says the youthful count.


That [ am SIRE you do !" says
Countess warmly, letting her little
hand touch his


- Then you are the most beautiful
creature IN the world!" replies our
hero


''Oh, sir,-I mean my lord!" says
the other, Withdrawing her hand and
looking serious. "Let us go and try
and find our savings bank, and on our
road we will help all the sick and weak
people we can.


&C Yes, do let u.s." responded our
hero. Perhaps we shall fnu it has
grown more, wherever it is


And so they travelled on together in
the most agreeable and friendly man.
ner, each doing az each had done be-
fore they met. At last the feeling on
the mind of the young count that they
were destined for each other became so
strong that he made formal proposal
for the hand of his lovely young COM
panion, and she consented to be his
when the proper time came.
VIII.


In this manner the time passed on,
Count and Countess doing nothing but
good actions, though of course they
! sometimes regretted the loss of the
savings-bank. One very hot summer
day, when they were crossing the omen
country, most awful thunderstorm
came on and interrupted them in the
middle of beautiful conversation
! about being united forever, and such.
All of a sudden, just at very fearful
fash of forked lightning, they heard a
horrible groan, and at sudden bend
in the path they perceived at the foot of
tree misarable-looking old man. The
! thunderbolt had split the tree and
struck the man, so that he appeared
aboutto die. Our travellers ol course
bent over him. and endeavored to lift
him up, though must not conceal that
he was SO hideous that it cost the count
an effort to go near him at all. He was
evidently at the very gasp of death,
but as the sweet look of the maiden
met his, light came into his eyes,
which made the young lover pity him
so much, that he seized his hand and
pressed it warmly. A grateful light
came over the face of the Black Tramp
for such was his name--and, painting
for breath, he said:


" leave you all my property"


And, as he fell back, as dead as
stone, something on which his head had
fallen made jingllng noise. Strange
to say, it was the savings-bank, only it
was by this time full to the brim of
coins and valuables. The only wonder
is how it could carry such a weight,
and, in fact, it had been mended sew
eral tim with little clumps of tin.


At the very bottom of the money-box
they found the silver penny and the
copper ponny whicA the wicked old
man had stolen; but what to do with
the remainder of the treasure they did
not know, for they could not feel sure
that 1t had been kindly, or even hon
estly come by. So, after defraying the
expenses of the old mans funeral, they
decided to give it all away to the poor,
and to begin life again on the silver
penny and the copper penny, in new
savings-bank.


In due time they were united in mar
riage, and formed very grand scheme
for helping all the weak, healing all the
sick, and such; and one of the best
things [ can hope for you is that you
may never believe those who go about
saying that the scheme came to nothing,
for such people do not understand
savings-banks.