"Well, I feel a little bilious myself," said Billy Getz.

THE TWO-CENT STAMP

The house in Tenth Street where Philo Gubb was doing a job of
paper-hanging when he made the happy error of capturing the dynamiters
while seeking the un-burglars was the home of Aunt Martha Turner, a
member of the Ladies' Temperance League of Riverbank.

The members of the Ladies' Temperance League--and Aunt Martha Turner
particularly--had recently begun a movement to have City Attorney
Mullen impeached and thrown out of office, for they claimed that while
he had been elected by the Prohibition-Republican Party, and had
pledged himself to close every saloon, he had not closed one single
saloon. Aunt Martha Turner and her associates believed this was
because Attorney Mullen was himself a drinker of beer, and it was to
get proof of this that the hot-headed ladies had engaged a youth named
Slippery Williams to make a raid on his home.

Detective Gubb was, however, quite unconscious of all this when he
proceeded to the home of Aunt Martha to complete his work there. He
was in an unhappy frame of mind, for he had in his pocket nothing but
one two-cent stamp and he had immediate need for one hundred dollars.

Mr. Gubb had, early that morning, visited the home of Mr.
Medderbrook, from whom he hoped to have news of Syrilla, but the
colored butler informed him that Mr. Medderbrook had been called to
Chicago.

"He done lef word, howsomedever," said the butler, "dat ef you come
an' was willin' to pay thutty cents you could have dis telegraf whut
come from Mis' Syrilla. An' he lef dis note fo' you, whut you can have
whever you pay or not."

Mr. Gubb quite willingly gave the negro thirty cents, the very last
money he possessed, and read the telegram. It said:--

Hope on, hope ever. Have given up wheat bread, corn bread,
rye bread, home-made bread, bakers' bread, biscuit and
rolls. Have lost six pounds more. Love to Gubby.

This would have sent Mr. Gubb to his work in a happy frame of mind,
had it not been for the note Mr. Medderbrook had left. This note
said:--

Called to Chicago suddenly. I must have one hundred dollars
payment on account of the gold stock immediately. Cannot let
my daughter marry a man who puts off paying for gold stock
forever. Unless I hear from you with money to-morrow, all is
over between us.

Such a letter would have made any lover sad. Mr. Gubb had no idea
where he