The Lost Idea 15

The next day he saw old Nebuchadnezzar
the cottager standing at his little green gate
and chuckling to himself very proudly.

“J will watch that old fellow,” said
Timothy to himself. ‘“ He wouldn’t be so
jubilant unless he had hit on something
above the common. I’m certain he has
stolen my Idea.”

He watched old Nebuchadnezzar; and
he saw him place a ladder against his house
and climb up with barrow-loads of earth
and throw the earth down his chimney until
he had filled it up; and when Nebuchad-
nezzar had filled it up he took a little some-
thing out of his pocket and popped it into
the earth in the chimney-pot, and patted
the earth neatly down.

“That’s my Idea he’s hidden there!”
thought Timothy; and next morning at
dawn he slyly got old Nebuchadnezzar’s
ladder and stole up to the roof, and raked
out the little object with his finger.

“Bah!” said Timothy ; “ ¢aé dirty little
thing is not my beautiful Idea; it’s only a
common tree-seed.”