Hill Grace Brooks - The Corner House Girls' Odd Find стр 6.

What do you know about this? demanded Mrs. MacCall, spectacles on nose and eyeing the contents of the round trap in alarm and disgust.

Uncle Rufus was chuckling hugely in the background. Sandyface, the mother cat, was arching her back and purring pleadingly about Sammys sturdy legs.

What are they? demanded Ruth.

Mice, grunted Sammy, gruffly. For Tess cats. They like em, dont they? But my mother says Ive got to bring the trap back.

Whats to be done with a boy like that? demanded Mrs. MacCall. Being kicked to death with grasshoppers would be mild punishment for him, wouldnt it? Whats to be done with eight mice?

One kitten will have to

declared that they positively could not sleep and then were in the Land of Nod almost before their heads touched the pillow.

Ruth kissed them both after she had heard their prayers, and then tiptoed out of the room. Downstairs was suppressed laughter and much running about. Agnes and Neale were beginning to tie the presents on the tree, and to fill the stockings hung on a line across the chimney-place.

Everybody even Uncle Rufus had hung up a stocking for Santa Claus to fill with goodies. It had cost infinite labor and urging to get Aunt Sarah to put her stocking in evidence for Kris Kringle; but there it was, a shapeless white affair with unbleached foot and top.

Mrs. MacCalls hung next rather a natty looking black stocking, if the truth were known one of a pair, the mate to which had long since been eaten by Billy Bumps, the goat.

Then came the girls stockings in one-two-three-four order, like a graduated course of bamboo bells. Then followed one of Neales golf stockings, which he had brought because it held more than a sock, with Lindas coarse red woollen hose and Uncle Rufus huge gray yarn sock at the end.

It was great fun to fill the hose and to tie the wonderfully curious packages on the tree and heap them underneath it. Neale was to get all his presents at the Corner House; so that added to the confusion. There was a special corner in the sitting room where Neales gifts had been hidden; and there he was supposed not to look.

Then Agnes had to go into the kitchen while her presents were being unearthed and properly hung. Last of all, Ruth retired, leaving Agnes and Neale to hang those gifts which the Good Saint had brought the eldest sister. Ruth was tired, for she had worked hard; so she went to sleep and had no idea how long her sister sat up, when Neale went home, or at what hour Mrs. MacCall locked the house and went up to bed.

Agnes and Neale had something besides the hanging of Ruths presents to interest them. The former found the big, old family album hidden behind the sewing machine in the sitting room. She sat down with Neale to look it over.

CHAPTER VI TREASURE TROVE

Thought you said it was a family photograph album! said Neale ONeil.

With their heads close together they were looking into the moth-eaten and battered book Agnes had found in the old Corner House garret. On turning the first page a yellowed and time-stained document met their surprised gaze.

There was a picture engraved upon the document, true enough. Such an ornate certificate, or whatever it might be, Agnes or Neale had never even seen before.

The Pittsburg & Washington Railroad Co., read Neale, slowly. Whew! Calls for a thousand dollars good at any bank.

Sandbank, I guess it means, giggled Agnes.

But Neale was truly puzzled. I never saw a bond before, did you, Aggie?

A bond! What kind of a bond?

Why, the kind this is supposed to be.

Why, is it a bond?

Goodness! you repeat like a parrot, snapped Neale.

And youre as polite as a a pirate, declared Agnes.

Well, did you ever see anything like this?

No. And of course, it isnt worth the paper its printed on. You know very well, Neale, that people dont leave money around loose like this !

This isnt money; it only calls for money, said the boy.

I guess it never called very loud for it, giggled Agnes.

Must be stage money, then, laughed Neale. Hi! heres more of it.

He had turned a leaf. There was another of the broad, important looking documents pasted in the old book.

And good for another thousand dollars! gasped Agnes.

Phony phony, chuckled Neale, meaning that the certificates were counterfeit.

But just see how good they look, Agnes said wistfully.

And dated more than sixty years ago! cried Neale. There were green-goods men in those days, eh? Hello! heres another.

Why, were millionaires, Neale, Agnes declared. Oh! if it were only real wed have an automobile.

This is treasure trove, sure enough, her boy chum said.

Whats that?

Whatever you find that seems to belong to nobody. I suppose this has been in the garret for ages. Hard for anybody to prove property now.

But its not real !

Yes I know. But, if it were ?

Oh! if it were! repeated the girl.

Wouldnt that be bully? agreed the boy. But he was puzzling over the mortgage bonds of a railroad which, if it had ever been built at all, was probably now long since in a receivers hands, and the bonds declared