ng in at the boy. He could not quite understand what h

" he said. "It will

bed. He had made many inquiries at the store of Joe Marks, and the answers to his questi

datory trip, ready to take any property he could lay his hands on. The chanc

ut thought it best to defer his plans until later,

was the very oak tree under which Peter's little hoard was concealed, but this, of course, he did not know. Had he been awa

w. But asleep he took no note of time, and when he woke up it was much later than he intended. However, without delay he ma

had carried a watch; but as he stood with his face glued to the w

ejaculated. "Well,

nd he thought it be

. "Then I could have ransacked the cabin without tro

see what Ern

th the corpse," he muttered, a little ap

r after carefully covering up the inanima

nce of death naturally affected his imagination. But gradually his eyes clos

ich it afforded the tramp could watch him, and at the end of

ne eye fixed on the sleeping boy, who might suddenly awake. He had t

he made his way at once to the trunk, whic

ps his gold, likely," he mutt

nest had had with old Peter so engrossed his mind as to make him less car

nts, and was not long in discovering the

leased and yet

ought to have been a pile of these yello

vest pocket It was not much, but it was more

t indignant. It seemed to him that he was badly used. That a miser sho

e more somewhere,

floor, or in the immediate neighborhood of the cabin. But it wa

e off making preparations for buryin' the

lance to see if there was anything more worth taking

ho was probably dreaming of t

ter," he

Ernest would open his eyes and detect his

get," solilo

t as the boy stirred again, he hurri

woke up, the sun was streaming in at the op

Ernest, wondering. "I am sure I

been entered. But the more Ernest thought it over, t

have been

nt that things had been disturbed. His eyes sought out the box that con

e done it?" he

little village, and he knew none that would be capable of theft. He nev

fray the expenses of old Peter's interment. It was not so bad as it might have be

must be careful,"

s work for him to do. He must arrange for the burial of the old man w

s to him something new and strange, for he did not remember ever having seen a dead man before. He m

out so early, m

h, Joe. My un

, though he knew now that

ejaculated Marks.

t. I wish you'd help me, f

We'll stand by yo

Luke Robbins en

will, Ernest. W

Ernest, "the cabin was entered