nd never been touched. It was almost dark when the red-headed
boy and his partners in crime, came down the sidewalk, so tired their
shoes interfered, and they stubbed their toes on the holes in the walk,
even.

"Well, I s'pose you ducks spent every cent you had and had to walk five
miles from the fair ground," said Uncle Ike, as he opened the gate and
let them fall inside and drop on the grass, their shoes covered with
dust, and their clothes the same. He invited them in to supper, but
the peanuts, the popcorn, the waffles, the lemonade, the cider and the
wieners had been plenty for them, and it did not seem as though they
ever wanted to eat a mouthful again.

"Where is your fob and watch?" said the redheaded boy, as he noticed
that the big stomach of the old man carried no ornament.

"Well, I decided this afternoon that it did not become a man of my age
to be wearing gaudy jewelry," said Uncle Ike, "and hereafter you have
got to take your uncle just as he is, without any ornaments. The watch
never did keep time much, and I have had enough of guessing whether it
was 1 o'clock or 3."

"Never going to wear it any more?" asked the red-headed boy, with a
twinkle in his eye.

"No, I guess not," said Uncle Ike, as he heaved a sigh.

"Then I guess we can draw cuts for the old rattle-box," said the boy, as
he pulled the watch and fob out of his pants pocket.

[Illustration: Where did you get that watch 167]

"Here! where did you get that watch?" said Uncle Ike, in excitement. "I
thought a pickpocket on the trolley car got it, and I was hot. Say, that
is one of the best watches in this town. Where did you find it? Did the
police get the man?"

"Oh, police nothin'," said the boy. "Say, Uncle Ike, you were the
easiest mark on the fair ground. There you stood, looking up at the
kites, with your hands behind your back, like a jay from way back, and
I knew somebody would get your watch; so I just reached up and took it,
and left you standing there. I wanted to teach you a lesson. Don't ever
wear your jewelry at a fair. Here's your old ticker. Sounds as though it
had palpitation of the heart," and the boy handed it to the old man.

"Well, by gum! To think I should live all these years, and go through
what I have, and then have an amateur pickpocket take me for a Reuben,
and go through me! But how did you like the great agricultural display?"

"Oh, I don't know," said the boy, taking off his shoes and emptying the
sand out