were
beyond the rise of the Hill, so the talk was mostly about the Weather
and Married Women.

The baptismal Cognomen of the mottled Offspring was Alexander Campbell
Purvis, but on account of his sunny Disposition he was known to the
Countryside as Aleck.

One morning the Lad did his crawl from under the Quilt at an hour when
our Best People of the new Century are sending away the empty Siphons.
He was acting on a Hunch.

The far-famed Yankee Robinson show, with the Trick Mule and the smiling
Tumblers, had exhibited the day before on the vacant Lot between the
Grist-Mill and the Parsonage.

Aleck was familiar with the juvenile Tradition that Treasure could be
discovered at or near the trampled Spot on which the Ticket-Wagon had
been anchored.

It was known that the agitated Yahoos from up in Catfish Country were
likely to fumble and spill their saved-up Currency, thereby avoiding
the trouble of handing it over to the Grafters later on.

Aleck was the first Prospector to show. He got busy and uncovered a
Silver Buck.

It looked about the size of a Ferris Wheel.

While beating it for the parental Roof he began laying out in his Mind
all the Pleasures of the Flesh that he could command with the Mass of
Lucre.

The miscue he made was to flash his Fortune in the Family Circle.
After breakfast he found himself being steered to the Farmers &
Merchants' Bank.

He was pried away from the Cart-Wheel and given a teeny little Book
which showed that he was a Depositor.

"Now, Alexander C.," said his Ma, "if you will shin up the ladder and
pick Cherries every day this week at two cents per Quart, by nightfall
of Saturday you will have another Case-Note to put into Cold Storage."

"But, if I continue dropping the proceeds of my Labor into the
Reservoir, what is there in it for me?" asked the inquisitive Chick.

His mother replied, "Why, you will have the Gratification of moving up
to the Window at the Bank and earning a Smile of Approbation from old
Mr. Fishberry with the Throat Whiskers."

So the aspiring Manikin clung to the perilous Tree-Tops day after day,
dropping the ruby Cherries into the suspended Bucket, while all of the
Relatives stood on the ground and applauded.

One day there was a Conference and it was discovered that little Aleck
was solvent to the extent of $2.80.

"Would it not be Rayzorius?" queried the Sire of Alexander; "would it
not be Ipskalene if Aleck kept on and on until he had assemble