Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1876-07-05
called on Mrs. Coulter, with whom Mar

called on Mrs. Coulter, with whom Mar
garet lived just as she does with me
now-Grannie and all-before she came
here, and I asked her plainly why she
did not keep her. At first she refused
to tell. Then / told her my suspicious.
It will surprise you to hear that she
then confessed to having lost 50 many
things, that she also lost her faith in
Margaret. So there is policeman
down stairs, and Margaret's trunks are
to be searched, and, unless she makes
confession, I shall not let her off so
easily, for she is the worst hypocrite I
ever met"
81 won't listen any longer" cried
Mrs. Bonnycastle. 'sI'd trust Margaret
with untold gold. One of your dear
old servants has done it, of course, and
you suspect the stranger. I'll 60 to
Margaret"
Suddenly she stopped. A wall ran
through the house-an awful cry. Mrs.
Cameron caught Mrs. Bonnycastle by
the arm.
people only scream that way over
the dead" she said. What is it,
Where is it?"
They rushed to the door. In the
hall they met the servants. The po-
licemen also hurried up stairs. The cry
had come from the housekeeper's
room, and thither they all made their
way. 1t was Margaret's voice they had
heard, and in her arms sat the cause;
Grannie. in her ruff1ed cap and apron,
with her knitting in her hand, but
stone dead
She was all / had to love !" walled
Margaret, "all all all !"
There was nothing more said of the
robbery that day, Mrs. Came ron was
overcome by the incident and tainted,
as she always did when startled. Mrs,
Bonnycastle remained with Margaret
The old wcman's form was stretched
upon bed, and doctor sent for. She
had simply died of old age. Nothing
allied her besides that.
For long time 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
rewarded for it hereafter. You don't
believe the things they say, / know.
Poor old Grannie, Pm SO glad she didn't
know And / ought to nerve myself a
little. I must save her from disgrace
clean, only that dreadful quilt of hers;
and I'll get it off 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 to wear that patch"
And Margaret, busy about the
solemn figure on the bed, amidst fast
falling tears, drew off the many patch
ed petticoat. She sat down on the floor
when it was in her hands and sobbed
aloud.
ave don't know how we'll feel when
people are gone" she said. "How
angry I've been about this. Feel the
Jumps in it, Mrs. Bonnycastle. I fear
it hurt the poor dear. There's some
thing hard in it like stones. I can't
guess what it is"
Suddenly she gave little scream
She had ripped away a rough flannel
patch.
Look look |" she cried; and Mrs.
Bonnycastle looked and saw, stitched
against the original material, quite COW
cred moment before by the patch
ething that glittered
cts the pearl bracelet" cried Mar
garrett; Oh, what shall I do?"
What Mrs. Bonnycastle did was to
call Mrs. Cameron, and the three
women together ripped up the poor
patched quilt. In it, carefully basted
and covered over, were the pilferings
of years-the things that Mrs. Cameron
had lost-the things that Mrs. Coul5e1
had lost-articles of Margaret's own
property long missing. The petticoat
was a perfect store house, and it was
plain that Grannle Mum had, in hel
years of childishness, become con
firmed kleptomaniac-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 dew
otee would some precious relic. She
never. shows it to anyone, and she
often cries over it. eft is more like
her, after all, than anything else" she
would tell you, were you in her conf
dence. g 1t is all that is left of poor
old grannie's quilt"