Whilst father was fighting

by Eleanora H. Stooke

"It's something I've found," he answered. "No!" as the other boy would have taken it from him—"I'm not going to part with it!"

Tom laughed.

"'Finding's keeping'!" he quoted. "You might let me look at it, though!"

Bob did so. Tom looked at it in silence for a minute, then said—

"I see. It's only one of those cheap brooches you can buy anywhere for sixpence-halfpenny. Like to sell it I'll give you a shilling for it."

Bob was shrewd enough to know that if Tom really valued the brooch at only sixpence-halfpenny he would not offer to buy it for as much again nearly as it was worth, so he said he intended to keep it.

"Oh, you do, do you?" Tom cried angrily, with a threatening look. "I'll see about that!"

He tried to snatch the brooch from Bob, but failed. The next moment Stray, all his teeth showing, had flown at him.

"Call him off!" he shouted, "call him off! He's got me by the leg!"

But Stray had only got him by the leg of his trousers fortunately. He dropped his hold the instant Bob bade him do so, and followed Bob quietly when he walked away.