The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1879-09-17

spare caSn winch would nave MADE us
all so comfortable" thought Mrs. Bevel,
was provokingly locked up in the quaint
and multifarious wares which filled the
house to the exclusion of more desirable
things. II declare, would almost as
soon he did something wickeder which
wasn't quite so inconvenient, thought
the poor wife, and then child herself for
the thought.
She child herself again and more sadly
when, little later, it became evident
that her husband was declining in health.
Never; strong man, it attracted little
at first that he came in spent
and exhausted from his daily walks;
but when the walk gradually shortened,
and at last one eventful morning there
was no walk at all, and Mr.. Bevel for
the first time within the memory of man,
indoors all day, Mrs. Bevers
anxieties, slumbering till then, awoke to
full life, and communicated themselves
to her children. The result was much
well-meant but wearisome restriction.
Papa was to eat this, not eat that; must
not walk, or tire himself, or talk too
long; above all, must not follow his own
inclinations in anything. Very patiently
did Mr.. Bevel endure these cures, but
he did not improve under them. His
occupation was gone with his failing
strength. The experienced fingers which
had handled so many choice things lay
idle now, with nothing worth handling
within reach. Life had lost its SAVIOR
for him; he made haste, as 1t were, to
be gone from it. And almost before his
family realized that there was cause for
alarm, all was over.
The last morning of his life he was
lifted, at his own request, into an ancient
ebony chair, spoil of some Siennese pal
ace, which was one of his special treas
ures. High, hard, STRAIGHTFORWARD. it
was not the most commodious resting
place for n sick man, but Mr.. Bevel
seemed to like it, as he lay, propped with
pillows, gently following with his fee
BILE fingers the rich and intricate wander
ing of the ivory pattern with which it
was inlaid. His wife and daughters
were with him; they rarely left him
now.
"My little Rose" lie said, after a long
silence, Il should like you to keep this
chair. You are the only one who cares
for such things. Keep it for your own,
my dear. The rest wouldn't value it. I
made my will while ago." he con-
tinued, after short silence. =" have
tried to do fairly by you all, and to act
Justly. Some of you have thought hard
Of me at times. l am afraid, for buying
so many things, but you'll get over that
later. All the arrangements are made
for the sale of everything-advertising
and all. You are not to have any trou-
BILE in the matter er"-turning to his wife.
"All is left in the hands of Leonard
Ashe. He knows the full value of every.
thing, and will see all properly done.
The sale is to be advertised for two
months beforehand. Ashe will attend
to that"
"Yes, my dear, yes" replied Mrs.
Bevel, soothingly. "Don't worry your
poor head about those old things now"
while even at that mournful moment
NJ ltilda could not refrain from a glance
at Maud, which meant, "Poor papa!
still harping on that absurd craze of
his" Only little Rose, with pitiful
tenderness, stroked and kissed the wasted
hand. Misunderstood in death as in life,
old Mr.. Bevel passed from his narrow
corner of this narrow world into the
wide liberty of the next.
The will was read in due time. Mat
ters proved in a worse condition even
than the family had feared. There was
small life-insurance for the benefit of
the widow, five thousand pounds in con-
soils, the house-that was all, save the
collection, whose proceeds-so the will
ran were to be divided among the six
heirs. Mrs. Bowel was stunned, the
others were indignant.
1t was really like insanity" pro-
tested Maud. "1f we had only guessed
it, and stopped papa in timei Why,
Arthur estimates that pa could not have
spent less than seven thousand pounds in
buying those trumpHry things. Seven
thousand pounds! And think what that
would be to us now"
"Oh, dear! oh, dear! how comfortable
we all could have beenm moaned her
mother, while Matilda, between angry
sobs, protested that she "never should
be able to forgive pa quite. 1t seemed
as if he hadn't cared bit for his own
family. only for those horrid, useless,
ugly old duds, which nobody would ever
want so long as the world stood"
"Oh, Matte! don't talk sol" urged
her mother. Your pa never meant
any wrong. 1t was just a disease with
him to buy things. And they'll fetch
something dare say. We shall get
part back"
Eyes, couple of hundred pounds,
perhaps. What's that out of seven thou
sand pounttsp l declare, to think of it
makes me 1eel as ii L SnOuIu IKE 10 Dlte
somebody" remarked the amiable Ma
tilda, with a click of her sharp little
teeth. The others, more outwardly re-
spectful, were no less inwardly miser-
able. None of them had any hopes from
the sale.
The two months advertising were duly
fulfilled, and the collection removed to
the auction-rooms. Very bare did the
old house look after it was gone; but
that mattered little, for its occupants
were preparing to move as soon as the
sale was over They waited for that,
but with so little hope or interest in the
affair that it was not till late in the after
noon of the third day that Bryan troubled
himself to step down and learn the
result. He came back so red and ex-
cited that his mother turned pale with
apprehension, while the girls crowded
about him.
What's the matterP Has it all gone
wrong?"