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Show O.M.T A SritEET 110V. He was a tall, thin, s tarve.1 look-inglwy, look-inglwy, with a Utile jieid, the !itvt of w liich erf t half way up his nrmp, aud a hat that was iiulli-lug iiulli-lug but a brim, and when she saw him liewuialniK ncrustoutof the pilttr. She was only a joor old woman who kept a liltleshop fur candy aud triraminx-', aud poor enoLgh llfelf, heaven Kue;hut, Miesail, he looked a little like her Tom might if he had grow u up and been negl-ted, and she couldn't stand it. tjhe called to him: 'Come here, my soonv," she said; and the 003- obeyed. Uefore the could 8eGk again, he sid: 'I didn't do IL I'll Like my oath 011 an thing. I didn't do it. I ain't so mean." "Didn't do wha'?" said the pleasant pleas-ant old woman. JSreak your w iuder," said the boy, noddlug his head toward a shattered pane. Why 1 broke that myself, with my shutter hist night." said the old woman, "I ain't strung enough to 'id them, that's the fact. I'm getting get-ting old." "If I'm around here when you shut up I'll do it forou," said "the tioy. ' I'd just as soon. What was that you wanted me for?" "I w ant to know what ou was eating that dry cni't out of the gutter gut-ter for? watho reply. "Hungryj" he sii.j. 1 laVe tiled ttgetajuball day. I'm going to skep 111 an area over there, after Us too dark f..r a policeman to see, and jou can't have a good night's sleep without somesupur, if it Is a little dirty " "I'll give jou some fhat'i, clean," said tile old woman. : " inatw hi ue begging," ho said. "Xo," s!.e said, "you can sweep the store and pavement, and put up the shutters fur it," "Very well," hesild. "Thaulee, tiien. If I sweep up flrat, I'll feel better." Accordingly she brought him a broom, and he did the work will. Afterwards he ate his cupper with a relish. That night he slept, not In the area, but under the old woman's counter. He had loll her his story. His name was Dick; ho was 12 years old, and his father, whom he had necrseeu sober, was in prison for life. The antecedents wire not elevating, elevat-ing, but tile boy seemed good. The uext morning the old woman encaged en-caged a clerk for her sma'l establishment. estab-lishment. The terms were simple -"his living and a bed under the counter." When the neighbors heard of It they wire shocked. A street loy, whom uo cue knew. Did 31m. Hriggs really want to bo murdered I 111 hir bt-u? But Mrs. Itrisrcs felt quite saf. She had so much time how that she was going to take in sewing. Dick attended to the shop altogether. He kept it in tine order, and increased the business by introducing intro-ducing candies aim chewing gum. . Penuiescsmcfnaslhey neerrame in before, since lie iiad painted signs iureil and blue ink to the if. . feet that the real okl moIas(n candy was to be got there, and that this was the place for Jieanuts. And in the evening after the shop I was shut up she U-gau to take him into her confidence. Her great dream was to buy herself her-self into a home for the aged! It would cost her $100. She was saving sav-ing for it. Sne ha 1 been saving for three years, and had $15 of it. Hut it cot so much to live, with her 25 cents percpjarterauJ loavcusosmall; and she had been sick, and there was the doctor ami Mrs. Jones Maria Jace to be paid for minding the shop. After this Dick took the greatest interest in the savings, aud U10 winter win-ter months increased them, as though he had brought a blcfng. One night in the spring she took the bag from uuder the pilkw aud cou nted w hat it had. It was $i0. "And I'll begin lo rasLe kites to morrow, .Mrs. jsrlggs," ild the toy, "aud you will see the cu-tonl itwlllbriug. If a little shaver sees the kites he'll spend all he has for 'em, and then he'll coax hisuio'hcr for mere to buy the stick darts and chewing guci. Iknowboes." "You're a ileer boy yoursilf," said the old weman, and pattod his hand. It was a plumper hand than It had been win 11 it picked the trutt out of the gutter, and he wore cleau clothes, though they were made of very coarse cloth. "How wrong all the neighbors were!" she said. "That by is the comfort of my life." So she went to bed with the trea'. uro uuder her tiilow, aud slept. Far on in the night she awoke. The room was utterly dark; thtre was not a ray of licht; but she heard a step upon the 11 jor. "Who is that?" she tried. There was no ansa tr, but she felt that some one leaned over the btd; then a hand clasped her throat and held her down, and dragged out the bag. nnd she was release.. Hall suffdcated, she fir a moment found IieKelf rmlioiihg aud bewildered, conscious only or a draught of air from the ojen door and some confuted con-futed rc-iscs. Tiien she sprang to the door, nnd hurried into the little shop. "Dick J" 'Dick!" sho cried. "Diik! Dick! heli! wiAeuj! I'm robbid." Thirc was no aruwer; the door into in-to tho street was v. ide open, and by the moonlight that poured through it she quick y s iw, as she peeped under un-der the counter, that Dick's bed was empty. The ly was gone. fioni!Gon! Oh, that was worse to Granny llriggs than ever the loss of tier money, for she hai trusted him, and l.ehod dicxived her. She had loved him, nnd he lmd abused her love. The refghbors were right; sho w cs a fool to trust a strange street boy, and had been served I rljrhtly when he robbed her. I When the dawn had broken, the I wise neighbors came Into granDy's , shop to find her crying and rockln, to and fro, and said they Ind tok . her so, she only shook her head, Life Ind lost Its interest for her, Her occupation was gone, but iiol with her savings. Money was bul money, after all; lie ha come to 1 the only thing she loved, nnd Dick Imd robbed her. I It was ten o'clock. Granny sat mourning by tho kitchen hearth. Uood-naturenl Mrs. Jones, from up stair, was "seeing to thing-," am! trj ing to cheer her, w hen suddeiil v there camen rap on the door, and a pollitman b.okeii in. "Mrs. Hriggs?" tin Mid. "Here she K" said Mrs J. me". "Ye, I'm the n retched crlltur," said Mts. I!rii:g-. "nouie one nants to see vou at headquarter!"," said the officer. 'There's a boy there and some money.'' "D.ck!" cried Mrs. Ilrlggs. "Oh, I cau't beurto look at him!" But Mrs. Jones had alreaJy tied on her bonnet, and wrapied tier in a siian 1, aud taken her 011 her arm. "The wretch!" she said. "I'm - glad he's caught; you'll get your I money back." I And she led Sirs. Brlggs along-poor along-poor Mrs. Briggs, who cried all the I way and cared nothing fur tiiel money. And toon they were atl their destination. Then, not lefore, I the policeman turned to tile twol women. "It's pretty lad," he said. "They'll take him to the ht-spilal in an hour. I sapposs you are prepared pre-pared for that. He's nearly bsateu to delh!" "Did j 011 beat him, you cruel wretch?" cried Mr. Briggs. "I wouldn't have had it done for half tho money. .Let hlai go ith it, if it's any comfort to him." "I beat him!" said the man. "Well, women have the stablest heads. Why it I haJu't got up when I did he'd have been dead. He held the bag of money tight, and the thief was pummcling him with a loaded slick; and the pluck I lie had for a little shaver. I tell cu. II never sail the like." "You shan't take tho granny's money from her," says he, aud he .fought like a tiger. If its 3 our I money, old lady, he's given his life Ifuritfuralllkiiow." I "Oh, Dick, Dick I knew you were good. I must have been craiy to doubt you." and then she' wrung her hands and cried: "Oh, Dick, for just a paltry bit of money." And so she knelt beside the still, nle face upon tho pillow, aud kls-ed It and called it teuder names. And Dick, never guessing her suj lelonsof him, whi-red: "I was so afraid he'd getofTwith it, granny, if he killed me, and you I In sucli high hopes last night." He did not know what she meant bybegglugtiim lo forgive litr. It woulJ have killed him if he had, for lie was very near to death. Dick did not die. He got well at last, aud w ent back to the htlleshop. And, though Granny Briggs had her taxings, sho novor went back to the old ladies' home; for long before lie died Dick was one of the most pn-!crous merchants In the city, aud his handsome house was hers, aud she was hapjiy. H'urery. |