Aunt Jane's Nieces at Millville

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But he

tried to disarm the pending accusation with his usual brazen

impertinence.

"Nice time ter send fer me, this is, Joe," he grumbled. "It's gittin' so

a feller can't even paint his foot in peace an' quiet."

"Peggy," said Joe, "when I went away, three years ago, I gave you a

letter for Miss Ethel. What did you do with it?"

Peggy's bulging eyes stared at his blue foot, which he turned first one

side and then the other to examine the red stripes.

"It's this way, Joe," he replied; "there wa'n't no postige stamp on the

letter, an' Sam Cotting said it couldn't be posted no way 'thout

a stamp."

"It wasn't to be sent through the post-office," said the boy. "I gave

you a quarter to deliver it in person to Miss Ethel."

"Did ye, Joe? did ye?"

"Of course I did."

"Cur'ous," said McNutt, leaning over to touch the foot cautiously with

one finger, to see if the paint was dry.

"Well, sir!"

"Well, Joe, there's no use gittin' mad 'bout it. Thet blamed quarter ye

giv me rolled down a crack in the stoop, an' got lost. Sure. Got lost as

easy as anything."

"Well, what was that to me?"

"Oh, I ain't blamin' you," said Peggy; "but 'twere a good deal to me, I

kin tell ye. A whole quarter lost!"

"Why didn't you take up a board, and get it again?"

"Oh, I did," said McNutt. cheerfully. "I did, Joe. But the money was all

black an' tarnished like, by thet time, an' didn't look at all like

silver. Sam he wouldn't take it at the store, so my ol' woman she 'lowed

she'd polish it up a bit. Ye know how sort o' vig'rous she is, Joe. She

polished that blamed quarter the same way she jaws an' sweeps; she

polished it 'til she rubbed both sides smooth as glass, an' then Sam

wouldn't take it, nuther, 'n' said it wasn't money any more. So I

drilled two holes in it an' sewed it on my pants fer a 'spender butt'n."

"But why didn't you deliver the letter?"

"Did ye 'spect I'd tramp way t' Thompson's Crossing fer nuthin'?"

"I gave you a quarter."

"An' it turned out to be on'y a 'spender butt'n.

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