Connecticut western news., 1880-11-10
The Old Blue Chest.

were gathered in room in house in Detroit. For two years poor old woman had lived there, not exactly 0 beggar nor an object of charity, but certainly in want. She had husband when she first moved there-a poor old man whose days could not be long but one day he was missing. He may have fallen into the river, or he may have wandered out into the country and died. This left the old woman alone, and there were days and days in which no one went near her or addressed her. The other day when she felt the chill of death approaching she wanted some one with her. She had lived alone, but she could not die that way. She wept as tender hands clasped hers, and kind voices addressed her. Death had already placed its mark on her face, and the women could do nothing. While their tears fell upon her wrinkled hands, she passed away as child sleeps.
 There was but little in the room be- yond an old blue chest-battered and bruised and splintered, but yet holding together. It had seen strange times, that old blue chest. It had held silks and broadcloths perhaps-it had surely held rags. It had been moved from house to house and from town to town. It had listened to laughter, and had heard sobs and moans. It had grown old no faster than. the woman whose hands had so often lifted its lid. It had doubtless kept the company of good carpets and furniture and crockery, and laughing romping children had climbed over it and hidden in it. It had faded, and its hinges were rusty and weak, but it had outlived its owner.
 The women looked about for garments in which to enshroud the dead. Noth- ing was in sight. One of them lifted the lid of the old blue chest, and called the others to help drag it out from its dark corner. It held treasure-such treasure as men could not buy nor poverty steal away. There was 6 dress of fine ma- terial, out after fashion of long years ago. For twenty years the chest had been its guardian. It would have sold for @ few dollars, but though the gnaw- ings of hunger had come often and the cold had fought it way to her marrow that poor old woman would not part with that relic of better days. It may have been link to connect her with wealth and love. Beneath it was treas ure still more priceless. Carefully wrapped in paper was dime fifty years old. A weeks fast would not have sent her to the bakers with that relic. A child, dead in it's young years, had worn that dime around its neck as 0 gift or talisman. There was Q child's mitten, stained and worn, but mitten knit by proud young mother for her child. It could not speak to tell the dim past, but it had power. As the women saw it they covered their faces with their aprons and wept.
 There was boys cap and girls hat, both so old and faded and time-eaten that they had to be tenderly handled. The women looked from them to the poor old white face on the bed and whispered:
 "None but good mother would have treasured these relics. She was old and poor, but her heart was pure"
 Deeper down, as if to baffie the search of Time itself, was familiar toy-a child's dumb watch. Hands were broken and gone, face scratched ant case battered, but the women handledit as if touch would shiver it. There was { dolls head, boys fsh-line, some toy chairs, yarn ball, and other things to show that in the long ago that dead woman had felt the soft kisses of chil dren, heard their "good nights an6 thanked God that she was blessed Each relic was wept over-each was TO placed with fresh tear stains. They asked the old blue chest no questions Its relics might have been voiceless to { man, but to woman and mother eacl one had tale in words as plain as print They shed more tears as they bent agair over the poor old dead, and they said to each other:
 eff she had only told us of this how we would have loved her and sought te tighten her sorrows"
 But she had gone. She had come ani gone as mystery, and but for the ole
 blue chest in the corner few would have cared, ard none would have sorrowed. - M. QUAD.