Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1876-08-02

4
with untold gold. One of your deal
old servants has done it, Of course, ant
you suspect the stranger. I'll 60 Il
Margaret"
Suddenly she stopped. A wall ranf
through the house-an awful cry. Mrs
Cameron caught Mrs. Bonnycastle BY
the arm.
"People only scream that way oveI
the dead" she said. "What Is It:
Where Is it?"
They rushed to the door. In the hall
they met the servants. The policemen
also hurried up stairs. The cry had
come from the housekeeper's room, and
thither they all made their way. II
was Margaret's voice that they had
heard, and there In her arm sat the
cause; Grannie In her ruffied cap and
apron, with her knitting in her hand,
but stone dead.
"She was all had to love!" walled
Margaret; call! all! allv'
There was nothing more said of the
robbery that day, Mrs. Cameron was
overcome by the incident and tainted,
as she always did when startled. Mrs.
BOnnycastle remained with Margaret.
The old woman's form was stretched
upon bed, and a doctor sent for. She
had simply died of old age. Nothing
allied her besides that.
For a long while Margaret sat and
wept. At last she rose and bOlted the
door,
"You are so kind to me, ma am" she
said looking at Mrs. Bonnycastle, with
fearful eyes. 81 think you'll be re-
warded for II hereafter. You don't be-
lieve the things they say, 1 know. Poor
old Grannie, I'm SO glad she didn't
know. And ought to nerve myself q
little. must save her from disgrace
anyhow, She was always sweet and
clean, only that dreadful quiDt nf hers !;
and I'll get 1t of and hide it before they
see her. It's duty to both of us, for ]
did my best to keep her tidy, only she
begged 10 wear that patch"
And Margaret, busy about the solemn
figure on the bed, amidst fast falling
tears, drew of the many patched petit
coat. She sat down on the floor when
it was in her hands, and sObbed aloud.
1--WE don't know how wen feel when
people are gone" she said. ''How
angry l've been about this. Feel the
Jumps in it, Mrs. Bonnycastle. l fear
it hurt the poor dear. There's some
thing hard in it like stones. l can't
guess what it is"
Suddenly she gave little scream.
She had ripped away rough flannel
patch.
''Look. look :" she cried; and Mrs.
Bonnycastle looked and saw, stitched
against the original material quite COW
cred a moment before by the patch,
that glittered.
'It's the pearl bracelet" cried Mar
garet; ''Oh, what shall do:"
What Mrs. Bonnycastle did was to
call Mrs. Cameron, and the three wo-
men together ripped up the poor patched
quilt. In it, carefully basted and COW
cred over, were the pilferings of years
the things that Mrs. Cameron had
lost-the things that Mrs. Coulter had
lost-articles of Margaret's own prop
erty long missing. The petticoat was
perfect store house, and it was plain
that Grannie Mum had, in her years
Of childishness, become confirmed
- stealing without the
least expectation Of making any use Of
what she stole.
The discovery saved Margaret's char
acter for honesty, of course, and she
lives with Mrs. Cameron as housekeeper
to this day. No one thought Of blam-
ing the old woman, who had been as
honest as the sun in her young days.
And Margaret still treasures a small
odd looking bundle, Of which no one
could discover the meaning, as de-
votee would some precious relic. She
never shows it to any one, and she often
cries over it. "It is more like her, after
all, than anything else," she would tell
you, were you in her confidence. sit
is all that is left Of poor old grannie's
quilt"