regard for time and occupation known only to the genuine boy.
He remembered to have placed his knotted bag upon the veranda, and,
slipping off his stiff boots slowly and softly, slid along against the
wall of the house, looking carefully on the floor, and yet preserving
a studied negligence of demeanor, with one hand in his pocket, and his
small mouth contracted into a singularly soothing and almost voiceless
whistle--Richelieu's own peculiar accomplishment. But no stone appeared.
Like most of his genus he was superstitious, and repeated to himself the
cabalistic formula: "Losin's seekin's, findin's keepin's"--presumed
to be of great efficacy in such cases--with religious fervor. He had
laboriously reached the end of the veranda when he noticed the open
window of Louise's room, and stopped as a perfunctory duty to look in.
And then Richelieu Sharpe stood for an instant utterly confounded and
aghast at this crowning proof of the absolute infamy and sickening
enormity of Man.

There was HIS stone--HIS, RICHELIEU'S, OWN SPECIMEN, carefully gathered
by himself and none other--and now stolen, abstracted, "skyugled,"
"smouged," "hooked" by this "rotten, skunkified, long-legged,
splay-footed, hoss-laughin', nigger-toothed, or'nary despot" And,
worse than all, actually made to do infamous duty as a "love token"--a
"candy-gift!"--a "philanderin' box" to HIS, Richelieu's, girl--for
Louise belonged to that innocent and vague outside seraglio of
Richelieu's boyish dreams--and put atop of a letter to her! and
Providence permitted such an outrage! "Wot was he, Richelieu, sent to
school for, and organized wickedness in the shape of gorilla Injins like
this allowed to ride high horses rampant over Californey!" He looked
at the heavens in mute appeal. And then--Providence not immediately
interfering--he thrust his own small arm into the window, regained his
priceless treasure, and fled swiftly.

A fateful silence ensued. The wind slightly moved the curtain outward,
as if in a playful attempt to follow him, and then subsided. A moment
later, apparently re-enforced by other winds, or sympathizing with
Richelieu, it lightly lifted the unlucky missive and cast it softly from
the window. But here another wind, lying in wait, caught it cleverly,
and tossed it, in a long curve, into the abyss. For an instant it seemed
to float lazily, as on the mirrored surface of a lake, until, turning
upon its side, it suddenly darted into utter oblivion.