The Argosy, Vol. XXIV, No. 3 — page 65: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

THAT MAY APPLE. 449 on the ground floor, back of the sitting room. There he placed on the bureau the candle he carried, and, turning to me with his eyes fairly blazing, tapped sharply with the forefinger of his right hand on my breast. I don’t know why I should have thought that he meant to ask if I carried there the considerable sum of money in my possession, for I don’t know that he was even aware of my having it, but that was my understanding of his panto- mime and I nodded affirmatively, before I considered what I was doing. He had guessed the right place, for every tap he gave there was squarely upon the sheepskin wallet in which I had carefully stowed Uncle Billy’s $847. He scrutinized my countenance keenly a few seconds, then nodded, turned upon his heel and left me alone. I do not think it at all strange that his queer conduct made me uneasy. His good guess at the hiding place of my treasure seemed to have an ugly significance ; I didn’t like his looks any way ; and, for the first time in my life I believe, the possibility of being robbed occurred to me. I said to my- ' self that such a thing in that house would be impossible, but something whispered to me that Jacob meant no good when he so audaciously tapped my wallet. Locks, on interior doors, in farm houses, were hardly ever seen then, in that part of the country, and in fact were generally lacking from outside doors. We were yet so uncivilized that thieves were scarce among us. My room door had only a simple thumb latch to hold it, and I could fasten it in no other way than by jamming asplinter from a wall log into the little cast iron guard -over the latch. Of course that did not secure it, but might prevent it being forced without such noise as would awaken me. The lower sash of the window was held down by a big nail loosely thrust into a gimlet hole in the casing and seemed secure enough. My bed had two mattresses, an upper one of thin corn shucks, and a lower of straw—-with a big slit on top, near the upper end, for convenience in changing the straw when it was mashed down. Before undressing, I lifted the end of the upper one, opened the loose ticking of the lower and poked my wallet in among the straw. Then I got into bed, but lay awake a long time. I hada great big scare upon me about that money, utterly without reasonable foundation, but none the weaker therefor. If I'd had a pipe, I would have dressed and sat up by the window all night, smoking and think- ing about Mary, with the wallet in my pocket. Butl had no pipe. At length, sleep insensibly stole upon me, and when I opened my eyes again, the sun was shining into my window. I sprang quickly out of bed, washed, and had nearly completed dressing, before once thinking of the wallet, so completely had my fright of the night before passed away, and when it did recur to my remembrance, I smiled at my foolish fears. Nevertheless, I went at once to get it, that it might not be forgotten in the straw. To my uuspeakable horror and consternation it was gone ! And in its stead I found—a big, ripe May apple ! The loss overwhelmed me. Small as the sum seems nowadays, it was large then, and I knew I could not make it good. Judge McDowell would (B) CONnniGloOokKkS.c©