"wanted--a Boy!"

Lucy Randall Comfort, in Uolden Dai s. Wantkd- A isoy to Rnn Ermnds and rnnke nlrnaeli geiierally useful. Mr. Peppergrass came out, with bis cap od the back of lus head and his spectacles pushed high up on bis forehead, to wafei this written notice on the side of his store. And tivo minutos afterward (it might have beeu less, or it might have been moro) a crowd of eager little lads assembled around it, standing on tip-toe to read every word. Jolinny Jarvirf had been just discharged frora his place as eash-boy in a dry-goods xtore because business was dull and customers few. He was a fine, tall boy of twelve, with brigbt black eyes and a laughing uiouth, and he didn't at all like having nothiog to do. Charlie Warner wanted a situation because there were a good many little Warners and nothing to feed thera with since tlieir father died. Louis Brown had been out of regular employrnent ever since the china factory closed in the fall. For these little fellows belonged to the innumerable army of boys who cannot play and enjoy the bright hours as they go by, but must work and drudge, and count every day lost that does not briug in its corïesponding wages. Children, did you ever think how hard tbc world was on the poor little toilers ? It was not long before Mr. Peppergrass' store was tull of boys who wanted to "run errands and make themselves generally useful." Big boys and little boys, tall boys nnd short boys, well-dressed boys and shabby boys- boys who leaned up against the flour and potato barrel?, as if they had left their back bones at home ; boys who slood straigh t up - boys who took off their caps, and boys who kept them on. And still they kept coming. " Hold on!" said Mr. Pepporerass. "Thiswilldo!" 80 ho took down the nolicc and bolted the store-door. " Now1, I will proceed to business,1' said Mr. Peppergrass, rumpling up his hair and adjusting his spectacles so as to make his keen, gray eyes sharper than ever. A few penetrating glances, half a dozen questions, and the number of boys w;is gpeedily reduced to our thrce little friends - Johnny Jarvis, (Jharlio Warner and LoBÏI Brown. They wcre all three willing and anxious tn work ; all three brought good recomnicndations, had honest facen, wanted to enter on the situation at once, and wrote neat, round hands. "lluroph! humph!" said Mr. PepperL'rass, with his hands locked under his coat-tails bcliind. "Thero's three of you, and lean't find work for three boys!" The litlle lads said never a word, but looked eagcrly at thegrocer, each one hopIng ttlat he might be the boyselected "to run errands and make himself' generally asefuL" Mr. Peppergrass stared hard atthespice boxes and preservc-bottles in the window, frowned at the crackor-boxes, and finally m:i'l' up his ininil. " Brown I" said he. " Sir !" said Louis JJrown. " Fll try you on a few sums. I want my boy to understand the first principies of arithmetic!" 11 1 am good at figures, eir !" cried Louis. "Are you?" said Mr. Peppergrass. " cry well ; I'll give you a trial." He wiote down a labyrinth of figures on a slate, and then opened the door of a little room which communicated with the store. " Sit down here, Brown, and work out theM sums," said he. "I'll come to you in a few minutes. " Johnny Jarvis and Charlie Warner looked blankly at each othcr, then at the grucer. " Please, sir, what are we to do?" said they. " You are to wait," said Mr. Peppergrass, shortly. " Your turns will oome ia due time." The sums were not especially hard, and Louis Brown was quick at figures. He -nuil dispatched his task and began to look around. It was a stuffy, close-smelling little room wilh one window close up to the ceiling, and a curious, old-fashioned book-case or desk, with glass doors, lioed with faded red silk, in the corner. " I do wonder what Mr. Peppergrass keeps there?" said Louis, to himself; and aftcr he had wondered a little while, he pot up and went softly toward the desk. "The key is in the lock," said he ; " there can't be any harm in looking. Perhaps there are story-books - or maybe curious shells and stones - or - " As these thoughts crossed his mind he opened the silk-lined door. whew ! out flew a beautiful pearl-colored dove. Louis stood aghast. In vain were his effortü to capture the little creature. It nuttored from the top of the book-case to a pile of bozos beyond, and thence tothe top molding of the windows, as if itenjoyedthe chase ; and n the midst of it all, in came Mr. Peppergrass. "Kh? What?" said he; " How did this happen?" "Please, sir," said Louis, hanging his head, ' the bird got out, and I was trying to catoh it again. " "Got out, did it?" said Mr. Peppergrass. " It must be a very ingenious bird, to be able to open the desk from the outside ! You may go, boy. I'm quite certain that you wont suit me. I don't approvo of meddlers." So saying, he opened a door which led directly out into the back street, and disinis.-ed poor Louis Brown without further ceiemony. "Now, Pearlie," said he to the little dove, who perched on his shoulder at once, " ynu can go back to your nest. You have helped me out of the difficulty this time." So he let the little creature fiy out into the yard, where it belonged. Charlie Warner was tbe next one ushered nto the etuffy, smelling room. He, too, speedily finished hia pums, and bcgan to look around him for something to occupy his attention. "O li, my ! What a lot of boxea," aaid he, "piled up one above another, like a Tower of Babel ! What can Mr. Peppergrass keep in all of them ?" Charlie listened. No advancing footsieps were near. Ho looked cautiously about him, but he saw nothing. Then he rose from bis chair, and cnpt toward the mysterious pile of boxes. Thcy were of all shaprs, rather small, and fitted with loose, wooden covers. Charlie lifted the lid of one. It was full of Knglish walnuts. "Helio!" thought Cha"rlie. "I'ui in Iuek ! Old Peppergrass will never miss two or tbree of these," and he pocketeda handful The next box was full of beautiful Malaga raiñne. Charlie nipped two or thrae bloomy, wrinkled fellows off the stem, and ate them. He was fond of raisins. " What next?" he Faid, tugging at the covenefthi third box, which seemed to fit a little closer. All of a sudden, however, it flew off with a jerk, filling the air with Cayeiioe pepper, and setting poor Charlie to sneezing as if he meant to tneeze bis head off. Mr. Peppergrass bustled in. "Ah!" said he. "I see ! But you needo't have been in sueh a hurry to examine my stock, young man. I haven' t engaged you yet, and I don't iotend to." And poor Charlie sneaked away through the back door, which Mr. Peppergrass held politely open for hiui, fceling that his curiosity had ruined bis cause. It was 8ome time before the Cayenne pepper was sufficiently cleared from the atmosphore for Johnny Jarvis to take his turn at the sums in decimal fractions, but he worked them patiently out, and then sat looking around him, as the others bad done. But he was too honorable to dream of meddling. He, too, wondered what was in the boxes, but he didn't do anything more than wonder. He heard a mysterious rustling behind the faded-silk doors of the old book-case, where Mr. Peppergrass had shut up his pet kitten, but he never thought of opening it to see what it all meant. The old grocer looked at the candy jar, he glanced at the unmolested boxes, and opening the desk, saw tbe kitten fast asleep in the corner. "Ah!" said Mr. Peppergrass, with a long breath. " Yes, exaetly ! You are the boy I want. Come right back into the store, and I'll fet you to work weighing out lea and coffee." And that was the way Mr. Peppergrass suited himself with a bov.