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Copyright] To-Day's Short…

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Copyright] To-Day's Short Story. MONEY FROM THE SKY By John Dolbeare. "Oh, dear said Mary Thayer, a little fret- fully to herself, "it does seem as if I shall have to take Henry out of college. If only some money would fall out of the.. sky!" She sat at her desk by the open window that overlooked the tiny park across the street. It was early 3pring, and the trees in their suits of freshest green told once again -heir never old story of life renewed, hope Dd faith in the future. The wholesome lesson was lost on Mary this morning. Xot since she had been left to battle with life alone had the struggle seemed so hard, the prospect so dark. The property bequeathed by her father yielded revenue sufficient for the ordinary needs of the family, which consisted of a brotherrand two sisters, all younger than herself, but it seemed impossible by the best management to provide for the completion of Henry's edu- cation. This, to Mary and her sisters, was an all-Important project, but when the utmost sacrifices had been made, what more could be done? "Henry isn't prepared to take up profes- sional work yet," Mary continued, "and it doesn't seem right that he should be deprived of his opportunities just that the rest of us may live along doing nothing." The girls were not "doing nothing" by any neans; but in the light of their ambitions for their brother all their efforts seemed feeble and valueless. His present term at college could be finished, for all the bills were paid. It was the next year that was in question, and as that was a long way off Mary sensibly decided not to waste any more energy in worrying about it. So she opened one of the drawers of the desk, which had been her father's, to get various documents bearing upon insurance and other business matters, for the purpose of studying them. As the drawer came open a piece of folded paper fen to the floor. Evi- dently it had been caught in the bottom of the upper drawer and had been dislodged accidentally. Mary picked it up and unfolded it, wondering rather idly what it was..She couid hardly believe her eyes when she saw that it was a promissory note made to her father for the sum of 1,4k and signed by Ja.cob A Bent. Several times she read it over to make sure that she understood it. There could be no mistake. The Cote was in proper form, and though n was long overdue here was no mark of any kind upon it to how that it had been paid. Mary knew Mr. Bent siigntly. He had had business dealings with her father, and the two men were apparently loyal friends. It i eemed strange that Mr. Bent should not ji .ave called attention to the note at the time ji its maturity and paid it, for he knew the -ircumstan,ce,5 of the family. Perhaps he lad forgotten it; but if he had this would w an unmistakable reminder, and of coursa te would settle at once. Mary's joy was unbounded. This, indeed, •' Nals money from the sky," and, better still, t was amply sufficient to solve the problem hat vered her most. Too happy to keep her ,uod fortune to herself, she laid the note on the desÁ and ran to another room to tell her sister Flora about it. The sister. naturally could hardly credit the good news, and afier shoe had exclaimed over it I delightedly she-went back with Mary to feast her own eyes upon the note that meant so much to them. They found the floor near the desk some- what littered with papers. Evidently a. mischievous breeze had been cutting capers during Mary's absence. With no thought of anxiety the girls picked up the papers, and Mary looked for the promissory note. She could not find it. All other papers that she knew had been on her desk were there. The note alone, was missing. i. "It must have, blown out of the window," said Flora, faintly. Their hearts heavy with apprehension now. they both leaned out of the window and craned their necks in both directions. There was no sign of the one scrap of paper they wanted. They went out of doors and searched the entire neighbourhood, all to no purpose. At length they returned to the' room where the desk was, and sat for a time looking at each other in silent despair. I wish you hadn't found it, Mary," said Flora. This remark roused the elder sister. and inspired her with courage. No!" she exclaimed that isn't the way to look at it. The finding of the paper shows that Mr. Bent owes us that money. As bø owes it, of course he'll pay it. I ll go at once and tell him all abont it. Within an hour Mary was in Mr. Bent's office, telling her story with every confi- dence that he would need out a reminder .of the obíGa to meet it forthwith. He listened to her interestedly, saying nothing until she had finished. Then, "I'm sorry for you," said he, "but you must learn a lesson from it not to leave papers of value lying about." He stood up to indicate that the interview was at an end. "But, Mr. Bent," faltered Mary, "you remember making the note. do you not?" "Really, Miss Thayer," was his cool response, you speak as if you expected me to pay for your carelessnees. If you have any claim against me, bring me the evidence of it and I'll attend to it." That, in brief, was all the satisfaction Mary obtained from the call. With a woman's persistence she lingered even after her dismissal, pleading with Mr. Bent to remember, and assuring him of her need of the money. He simulated sympathetic patience at first, but at last offended her deeply by asking why she had not made the amount. of the lost note a thousand pounds instead of half aA much. Mary was too amazed and hurt to -reply, and the further she went from Mr. Bent's office the more she suffered. There was now an added incentive for recovering the note. It seemed to her that the money it called for could not be worth so much to her as i the means of satisfying- the man of business f that she was not trying to impose upon him. r To this end she and her sisters made I another search of the house and neighbour [ hood. They made inquiries of all the people r who lived near, with the result that ash- barrel.> were overturned, scrap heaps scat- tered, and excursions of small boys [ t encouraged beneath stoops. It all came to I nothing. The note had disappeared, and the L girls themselves at last gave up hope of find- f ing it. [ Abont a week had passed. The little park opposite Mary's home was ringing with the excited laughter of children. An employe of the Park Department was at work there with a bug exterminator. It amused the children immensely to see him use his big squirt gun on infected foliage wherever he found any. A good-natured man, with children of his own, he entered syrripatheti-cally into their enjoyment,, and ma(Te things a. merry for them as he could. He had a light ladder that he carried from tree to tree. Don't squirt on the bird's nest, mister," called out a youngster in the course of the proceedings. "Where? What nest?" returned t-he & Just over your head to the right," explained the child. The workman glanced up carelessly, said "Huh!" in a surprised tone, and then mounted another rung of the ladder to inspect the nest more closely. Weil, kids," said he. "the bird who lives here is quite aristocratic; and more than, that he wants us all to understand it. Here's a sign, on. his house that says it's worth five xundred pounds." Go em! Toti're guying; us," said biggest boy; and the others, taking their ctie from him, declared that they didn't believe [ 'Then I'm blind," retorted the bug man, and I never learned to read, and I can't believe my eyes. One of you can climb up here and see." There was a wild scramble for the ladder, but the biggest boy won. He edge up beside the workman, and saw that in making her nest the bird had woven in a, piece of white paper; and on the exposed surface. just as if it were a placard, were the fig-ures: £ 500." The boy certified the fact to his companions, and they talked about the matter with the keenest interest. Returning from a trip to market, Mary Thayer overheard a youngster declaring his willingness to bet that there wasn't another bird in the city whose hous.2 was worth £ 500. She had striven to forget the lost note, but the mention of this sum aroused her curiosity; not that she connected it with the note. but that the amount exercised a kind of fascination for her. Knowing the children well. she asked them what they were talking about; and when they told her. her he-art seemed to stand still. She went to the work- man and begged him to let her look at he nest, a request he granted readily. Mary climbed the short ladder, and wa6 satisfied with ozx glance that here wac; the evidence Mr. Bent dema.nded. Very carefully, so as not to destroy the new nest, she pulled the paper out. It was crump-led and soiled, and a corner had been corn off by the bird's sharp beak, but all the writing wa6 intact. The young manager bad learned a lesson from her previous call upon Mr. Bent. and when lle went to him with the recovered note, she took a friend along. It is net neces- sary to narrate the conversation. Mr. Bent blandly acknowledged the genuineness of rhe document, and ignoring his former refusal to remember having given .such a note, made payment in full on the spot. "It's more like money 'from the sky' than before, Flora," said Mary, on her return home with her treasure, "for the bird was keeping it for us up in the air."

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