"So you have reason to think the child is in (sic) Phildelphia?" he
said, musingly.
"Yes," said Jack, "Ida was seen in the cars, coming here, by a boy
who knew her in New York."
"Ida!" repeated his Uncle Abel, looking up, suddenly.
"Yes. You know that's my sister's name, don't you?"
"Yes, I dare say I have known it; but I have heard so little of your
family lately, that I had forgotten it. It is rather a singular
circumstance."
"What is singular!"
"I will tell you," said his uncle. It may not amount to anything,
however. A few days since, a little girl came into my shop to buy a
small amount of bread. I was at once favorably impressed with her
appearance. She was neatly dressed, and had a very sweet face."
"What was her name?" inquired Jack.
"That I will tell you by and by. Having made the purchase, she
handed me in payment a silver dollar. 'I'll keep that for my little
girl,' thought I at once. Accordingly, when I went home at night, I
just took the dollar out the till, and gave it to her. Of course she
was delighted with it, and, like a child, wanted to spend it at
once. So her mother agreed to go out with her the next day. Well,
they selected some nicknack or other, but when they came to pay for
it the dollar proved to be spurious."
"Spurious!"
"Yes, bad. Got up, no doubt, by a gang of coiners.
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