The Gold-Stealers A Story of Waddy

isted of Dick Haddon, Jacker McKnight, Ted, Billy Peterson, and Gable, started for the paddocks immediately school was out, intending to make Jock Summers compensate

away from him the old man trotted after them, bellowing so lustily that t

o keep nit,

as it was long since known to be hopeless to attempt to extract evidence from him, and

, and one always runs a great risk in looting an orchard in broad daylight-although it will be admitted, by those readers who were once young enough and h

the squatter's house. Then he led his party over the fence and along thick lines of currant bushes, creeping under their cover to where the beautifu

! Here comes J

able to grasp the situation he found himself on the broad of his back, with a big mastiff lying on his chest, one paw on either side of his head, and a long, warm tongue lolling in his face with affectionate familiarity. The expression in

o his feet, and stood defiantly under the stern eye of a rugged, spare-boned, iron-grey Scot

'enterin' an' stealin', enterin' an' st

in his one short struggle for freedom he felt as if he were grappling wi

id, 'd'ye mind

, flopped his ears, and exhibited hi

the dog will bring ye h

h sullen scorn; but he

ina had been a member of the Summers household for over five years, ever since the death of her mother, and had w

ave you been doing this

my dear. What might we

a minute with one fin

id, with the air of one makin

na permit such crim

very fond of cherries,'

the young woman d

to pity the very De'il himself if ye

she is regarded with unusual affection by Tommy or Billy or Jim. Jim is probably very young; his hair as a rule appears to have been tousled in a whirlwind, his plain face is never without traces of black jam in which vagrant dust finds rest, and in the society of the adored one he is shy and awkward. The adored one may think him a good deal of a nuisance, but deep down in the dark

ngel and princess; a princess stolen from her royal cradle by the impostor Shine under moving and mysterious circumstances, and at the instigation of a disreputable uncle. I

boy's ear. He led him to a small dairy sunk i

my mind. I think I might just skin ye, an' I think maybe I

he animal was new to Dick: had he known of its existence, his descent upon the orchard would have been differently ordered. In time Maori came to be intimately known to every boy in Waddy as the most kindly and affable dog in the world, but afflicted with a singularly morbid devotion to duty. If sent to capture a predatory youth he never failed to secure the marauder, and always did it as if he loved him. His formidable teeth were not called into service; he either knocked the youngste

tea and cake and scones, and when he had finished these she showere

got a cold, h

I never h

ught if you could catch a cold

for a moment, and t

o be a very bad

vicinity of the dairy a few minutes later the cold had developed alarming

strong boy, Mr. Summers,' said the

bullock,' s

hought, and that place is

dangled

ill never be done wi'in range o' those b

d filled his pockets with f

y, did an astounding thing; she put her arm about the boy's neck and kissed him, and Dick's face flamed red, and a del

riend, because if it had not been for y

n. There were occasions when he felt that it would have been wise to have left the superintendent to his fate. He wondered now, c

ing his heel into the turf, all aglow with novel

g with his sleeve, her cheeks were ruddy, and the girlish timidity she d

said Dick, with

ld you have guessed that? Tell

ll him. I say, Miss Chris, do you know

not. He hates u

of you in our albium. He looked at it more'n he looked at all the rest put

pretended to be absorbed in a patch on the roof till Dick had almost reached his seat; then he beckoned the boy, took him on the point

et to have to say it, b

t,' said Dick, acce

on? But let me warn you anything you may say

p at The House' (Summers' residence was alw

wrinkles, and his disengaged fi

clever liar, Ginger,' he sai

eif if you don't believ

, 'you are lying very badly to-day, Ginger. You

went out u

ed with the reflection that all knowledge is simply pai

cuts with criminal recklessness in his efforts to communicate with Dick when the latter

What'd he do?

oh, just havin' dinn

-with o

nd Mrs. Sum

yer can't

, an' strawberries-thumpin' ripe strawberries, hid somewhere what I know of. Oh, I think not. An' maybe I

' hissed

eterson from his hidin

omethin' too,' continu

on cocked

whimboy what you fought at the picnic ridin' your b

ster gave Dick a real pang. Already he had suffered many twinges of

that cove,' he said bit

in' after them goa

ded emph

h, I'll

ell out wif th

ly to his work and Peterson crawled bac