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ther, and I must have a watch,” said Kit
Dunstable, as he unfolded a crumpled
newspaper. .
“Do you need one nowany more than
for several years past, Kit?” asked Cap-
tain Dunstable, with a faint smile.
“LT think Ido. Ishall be graduated in
a few weeks more, and it is rather more
important that I should be on time just
now,” added Kit. “I can get one for
nothing now, and I may not always be
able to do that.”
“A watch for nothing !” exclaimed his
father, with a look of incredulity. “Don’t
allow yourself to be imposed upon, my
boy.”
“Ot course I don’t suppose I am actu-
-ally to get the watch for nothing, though
that is what the advertisement says,”
continued Kit, seating himself, with the
‘newspaper in_his han
“Read it, Kit,” said his father.
“J don’t believe it is much of a watch,
- but very likely it will do for me if I can
set it every day,” laughed the boy, who
was hardly more than fifteen years old.
“Here it is:
: “+A Warton ror Noraine!
ocr we will send the Home Monitor,
the best family paper in existence, for
twelve months, witha good-running silver
watch, warranted for one year. “We run
Railway, Londo ;
stock, Box 241, Trenton, N. J.
“Two dollars for the paper, with the
watch thrown in,” said Captain Dunsta-
ble, when the son had_finished reading
the advertisement. ‘Of course it isa
ud. 7
“J don’t think so, father,” replied Kit.
“JT don’t believe any firm would dare to
ut such an advertisment into a paper if
hey did not mean to do what they prom-
ise. At any rate, I should like to try it
once, If itis a fraud, I will follow the
concern to the end of the world.”
“Whether itis a fraud or not, my boy,
I have no money to spend in that way
just now,” replied the father, with a very
sad expression on his thin, pale face.
“Oh, I don’t ask you for the money,
father! exclaimed Kit. ‘I have some
money of my own now, you know,
“T "know you have; but you might as
well take it down to the Delaware River
and throw it overboard as to send it to
the Home Monitor. Lam not even sure
there is any such paper in existence.
- “Of course there must. be, father. A
man would be a fool to advertise a paper
that was not published. It don’t look
like any bigger bargain than some that
are advertised at that big store in Chest-
nut Street.”
“I don’t feel able to discuss the matter
Though he was the youngest member
of his class in one of the high schools in
the city, he was about to be graduated
with the first rank. But it was evident
from his excellent physique that he had
not injured himself by hard study though
he had done a great deal of it. ie was'a
reat walker.
Captain Dunstable had been a sea-cap-
tain. Ill health had compelled ‘him’ to
abandon a sea-faring life more than ten
years before. .
He had gone to Philadelphia to reside,
with his wife and little boy, soon after he
resigned his command. His brother Noah
had induced him t6 doso by the assur-
ance that he could live cheaper there than
in any other city inthe Union, __
Six years before his son Christopher
not more than. pay
the taxes and in-
surance.
Captain Dunstable
had intended to en-
gage in some busi-
ness, but his health
L4& . +»
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yeu
sx y \
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B IS | N 6
My) DUYD F JU
[Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1867, by Janzs Exvenson, in the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington, D. C.)
3 ELVERSON, §N.W. N $83.00 P) SUM,
VoL. VII. A Rablisher OS YM ana Sprcce sis. PHILADELPHIA, JANUARY 15, 1887. TeRMs:{ PN XovaxcE. No. 7.
to-day, Kit, and you can do as you please | was to be graduated, he had’ invested had not permitted him to do anything. At
Kit Du NSTABLE : about it,” said Captain Dunstable, about two-thirds of all the money he had | first he had occupied the second and third
throwing his head back in the arm-chair | in the world in a house on Blank Street, | floors of his house himself, but. the death
oR, in which he was seated. adjoining a large property on Chestnut | of his wife,a year before, had rendered
“What’s the matter, father? Don’t | Street. the use of the second floor unnecessary.
A WATCH FOR NOTHING | you feel as well as usual to-day?” asked The purchase was made by the advice When he purchased the house, he had
——- it, rising from his chair and walking | of his brother, ata time when the busi- | about five thousand dollars left. had
ER OPTIC over to his father. _ | ness interests of the nation were suffer- | loaned his brother one thousand, and the
BY OLIV ’ “T don’t think Ido. I walked out this | ing under an unexampled depression. | last of the remaining four thousand had
AUTHOR oF “HIS OWN HELPER,” “vicHtine | forenoon, and I am very much exhausted. | When the panic subsided, it, doubled in | been used in fitting up the second floor
FOR HIS OWN,” “THE PROFESSOR'S Don’t talk tome any more now, and I | value. The lower floor contained a store, | for business purposes.
80N,” ETC., ETC., ETC. shall be better,” replied the captainyin | but, unfortunately,
feeble tones. a he looked at h the occupant had se-
Kit said no more, an e looked at his | cured a ten years’
CHAPTER L father’s pale face with a great deal of | lease of it at a mere-
A WATCH FOR NOTHING, anxiety visible in his own healthy-looking ] nominal rent of
i i 4- | countenance. He was avery stout boy for | three hundred dol-
» “T was late at school this morning, fa- is years ars, which would
PARTY STRUCK AT THE CABIN-BOY
AND HIT THE CHILD.”
bly engaged in the real estate
business, and when the rooms
were ready, he took the one in
the rear for an office.
But the brother did not seem
to do any business, and conse-
quently-he was always short
of money. He paid the cap-
tain neither his rent nor the
interest on his note.
Sickness and death had ex-
hausted the resources of the in-
valid. He could not work, and
now he had no money. But he
was as proud as he was honest
and upright.
Noah owed him three years’
interest and six months’ rent,
The. captain told him his situa-
tion, and begged him to pay
what he owed. Teal es-
tate agent had promised over
and over again to do so, but not
a dollar had he paid.
Yo one wanted to hire the
.Toom .over the store, and for
months it had been vacant.
When he had money, Captain
Dunstable: had paid: several
doctors for treatment, but they
could do nothing for him. They
all ended by saying he had a
heart disease; he might live
for twenty. years, and he was li-
able to die at any minute. Any
shock or excitement would be
extremely perilous. ~~
When’ Kit read the adver-
tisement of ‘A Watch for No-,
thing,” Captain Dunstable had
It
i
“THE OFFICER IN COMMAND OF THX ;
i
Noah Dunstable was estensi-. °
~~ SS
iff
.
ee ele awe Le ee