me sort of a thing on his head like a wreath.
Oh, my, but that's too bad. Look, Bess, there's a hole been bored in it.
P'raps you can't spend it."

Near the edge, there was, in truth, a tiny depression, nearly obscured
by dirt and corrosion, which seemed to indicate that the coin had at
some time been pierced, as though it might have been worn by someone as
an ornament.

"Let's scrub it," said the girl. "Perhaps it'll brighten up, so we can
see it better."

They went in with it to the kitchen sink, where Bess Thornton, getting
a basin of warm water and soap, proceeded to polish the coin with a
small brush. It soon brightened sufficiently to reveal the unmistakable
gleam of gold, and was a foreign coin of some sort, possibly of Austrian
coinage; but the letters which it had borne, and the figures, had been
worn much away; and one side was worn quite smooth, so as to give no
clew to what had been stamped there.

"Well, I can wear it, if I can't spend it," said Bess Thornton. "There's
the hole to hang it by. Isn't it pretty?"

"Isn't what pretty?" said a voice, suddenly interrupting them. Old
Granny Thornton was peering over the girl's shoulder. "What are you two
doing? What have you got there?"

"See, gran'," replied the girl. "Look what we found. It's money, gran',
and it's gold."

The old woman took the coin in her thin fingers and held it up close to
her eyes. Then she started and her hand shook tremulously. A pallor
overspread her face. She sank back into a chair, staring at the coin,
which she clutched tight as though it had some strange fascination that
held her gaze.

"Where did you get that?" she cried hoarsely. "Where was it?"

"We dug it up just now, gran', out in the yard. Why, what's the matter?
Can't I keep it? What makes you act so queer, gran'?"

The old woman hesitated for a moment and seemed lost for a reply. Then
she said, hurriedly:

"No, girl--no, not now. You shall have it some day. You can't have it
yet. It isn't time. You wore it once when you were little--but it was
lost. Oh, how I've hunted for it! You'll get it again. I'll keep it
safe, this time."

She was strangely agitated and spoke in broken tones. Then, to their
surprise, she arose and hurried from the room, waving the girl back and
bidding her go and play. They heard her go stumbling up the stairs to
the floor above.

"Mean old thing!" exclaimed Bess. "Well, I don't care. Let her keep it.
I'll find where she hides it, see