Bozeman avant courier. [volume] (Bozeman, Mont.) 1872-1882, 1878-10-17

make us three comfortable for life. -

make us three comfortable for life."
'.How do you uean? What would you
do with thousand dollars, if you had it.
John?''
'.I'll tell you. Langworthy is going to
sell his practice"
''Oh!''
''It is large practice, for the country.
you know. 1t brings him in six or eight
hundred ycar-someiimes more. He has
= chance to go into partnership with his
brother out West somewhere, and he'll sell
for thousand"
''But. John. some people like you better
than they do DR.. Langworthy.'
"Yes, some people do. But the ques-
ton is, will they like me better than the
other man who buys DIR. Langworthy out:
IT | were that man, 1 should command
both practices. 1t is a chance, don't you
see? But new man coming in has his
chance to cut ME Out..'
II see. What can be done%'
Nothing" with rueful laugh" That's
the worst of it. l can only keep on and
hope for the tsst. But it is hard, when
with this mis- erable thousand dollars l
could double my chances and make a
nice home for you two. Sue, darling, don't
cry.'' -.s.
She had laid her check down ON his arm,
but she wasn't crying, only looking sadly
into the fire.
1T we sold everything, all this which
aunty left us-the home. everything
couldn't We get the thousand dollars 2"
asked. desperately.
John shook his head. IL couldn't let
you do that. Cree. in any case. You'll
want your share some day for yourself; it
mustn't go into buying practice tor me.
But, apart from that, houses sell so badly
now that this wouldn't realize much over
the value of the mortgage ut 4 forced sale.
And the furniture. though worth good
deal to keep. would go for nothing at an
auction That plan wouldn't do at all for
any of u.s.
''Still. there's no harm in thinking about
it, and seeing what we have, and what it's
worth,' urged, 10th t" give up any ghost
of chance. 1--WE may do that, mayn't
we. .John?'
''Of course. That is thing you must
do sooner or later. Look over the house.
and mike Il list carefully, and we'll con-
suit and fix on approximate values. Don't
hurry about it. though. Next week is time
enough, and know you need rest"
'.Rest is the very thing don't need and
can't take" cried. impetuously. ''Sone-
thing to fill up the long days and keep us
from thinking and getting blue is what we
want. ..We'll make the list tomorrow,
John -
4 little more talk and he rose to 60.
Ibid yon stop at the post office, John?'
"Yes. There was nothing for YOU"
Not even the Ltcll;gencer2" asked Sue,
langnidly.
II forgot to tell you. There has been a
great fire in New York, and the Mtett;-
gcace,. is burned ont. Abner brought the
news over; it was telegraphed to the juno
ton. They say the building is total loss.
so suppose there won't be any publica-
ton for Wholesome days at least"
Poor aunty! how sorry she would be!''
sighed Sue. '.Aunty took the paper ever
since it began, forty-five years ago. She
never missed a number. There it all is,
up-stairs-stacks and stacks Of it. She was
so proud of her file. It's no use at all
now, suppose, is it, John?''
'.Tie ragman will give a penny pound
tor it" suggested; ''that's something"
'We'll weigh the lot, one of these days,
and see what we can realize" said John.
'.Good.n night, Children
1t was ghostly task which we set out
to do next day. The past itself, the faint,
fr,gmentary past, seems to be wrapped up
and inclosed in those bundles Of time-worn
articles with which elderly people encum-
Der their storc-rOoms and closet shelves.
Some air OF antiquity exhales as you open
them. and, mingling with our modern air,
produces an impression halt la,ghable,
halt sad. Aunt Priscilla had been born
collector. She loved old things because
they were old, apart from use or value. and
instinct and principle combined had kept
her from ever throwing away anything in
her life. Had she been richer, her garret
would indeed have proved mine OF treas
ures for the bric-a-brac hunters. No tin
peddler would have laid eyes on her and
irons; her claw-legged tables would have
held their place. her Spede and Worcester
wares sat undisturbed upon thc'r upper
shelf, century in and out. IT,. Aunt
Priscilla had no claw-legged tables. no
brasses or old china. Instead, we found
~ ILo Of hV.
gone dresses, rolls OF faded chintz. papers
yellow with age. pamphlets which no NOR
tai had ever read or would read, old books.
coverlcss or with pages torn away, scraps
of rusty iron, screws without heads. and
nails without points. The furniture, tho
neat and whole was of the plainest. Even
our Impractical eyes could see its lack of
value. Who would want to buy the old
time ,limity curtains, with ball fringe sew
ed along their edges. or the cOunterpanes,
made by Aunt Priscilla's own hands out
OF the calicoes of her youth? Our list
was very short one. A few chairs and
tables, dozen thin spoons and small tea
pot in silver, the huge newspaper heap
which had appraised at penny pound
these seemed the only saleable things;
and we looked comically and grimly into
each others faces as We set them down.
81 wish it were possible to eat .mteiti-
gencers.' said l.
s.They say newspapers make excellent
counterpanes, replied Sue-"wartner than
blankets"
..Yes, and they say that teaspoonful
of Liebig's Extract gives as much no''i'-
ishment as ever SO much roast beef, re
torted l.. '.Bnt it seemed to me, when ]
tried it, that except for taste in my
mouth as il had swallowed an old s.oe,
shouldn't have known that had eaten
anything at ALL
John came % usual In the evening.
"Here's enterprise" he called out as he