Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1880-06-09
SOMETHING HANDSOME.

Nobody knew just how rich Mrs. But
tersby was. Some said she was mil
honaire; some limited the sum to sixty
or seventy thousand; some said she pos
sessed only an amount which died with
her: and some that she was richer than
John Jacob Aston, and had bags of gold
up her chimney and behind secret pam
nels, and amongst the roots of the old
pear tree at the foot of the garden. TIE
pear tree being such very likely place
for hidden treasure, as 1t was utterly I'M
protected, and only fenced In from the
public road, over which any tramp might
Chamber, as many did, at any hour of the
night. However this might be, all agreed
that Mrs. Buttersby was miser; and
certainly, for woman of any means, she
was remarkably penurious. Her small
house had few comforts in it, One
smolldering fire alone was lighted there
In the depth of winter.
Butchers meat was almost an unknown
thing, and tea, coffee and sugar luxuries
never to be thought of by Penelope Bax-
ter, the only other inmate of Mrs. But
tersby's mansion beside her excellent
self. For, be it known, Mrs. Buttersby
had a slave of white complexion who
trembled at her very nod; who lived on
cold potatoes-when there were any
wore Mrs. B. s old gowns, out of which
she was always bursting, like an over
boiled potato out of its jacket; and was
invariably seen in very much fattened
slippers entirely down at the heels and
the clumsiest of blue yarn stockings. A
slave who, on rare occasions of absence,
signed her letters to the old lady Your
dutiful niece, Penelope Baxter, and was
supposed to be the daughter of Mrs.
Buttersby's sister, who was always allud-
ed to as that 'undutiful critter, Sal, ;" by
the old lady, and as ''mar" by theyoun
one.
Penelope, although not set off by her
attire, was a good-looking girl, with
nee retrOusee, blue eyes, pink cheeks,
curly golden hair, and no sign of bones
anywhere about her, and was, truth to
tell, the object Of alteration, not only of
Simon Tompkins, the village baker, but
of Simon Starbuck, who hadno particular
trade at present, but thought of doing
something, and, meanwhile, was the
genius Of his household Having taste
for music, and being known to have
written poems for the Leekville Thunder
bolt. The baker, being elderly, and
wearing red wig, was despised by Miss
Penelope; but Simon was favored not
only In secret, but III a measure openly;
for at the bottom of the garden, under
the pear tree before alluded to, there had
been an interchange of VOWS and locks
of hair, and promise of eternal con-
stancy. For the life of her, Penelope
would not have revealed this to her aunt,
but the old lady being shrewd enough to
see through SO transparent thing as
Penolope's heart, found it out for her.
self, and accused her of the crime.
"You've gone and engaged yourself,
Pen," she said, standing stiff as any
ghost in her white nightgown beside the
damsels cot-bed one night.
''And thankful thing it was to one
that took and did for you when that un-
grateful critter, Sal, died. [ should
think the victuals you'd had would hev
riz up and choked you, and that blue
bead necklace what Civ you would hev
turned to hemp rope about your neck.
Did I Civ you bed, board and clothes to
hev such a reward as this !? All! you'd
repent it when I'm dead and gone, and
buried in the churchyard. faint likely
I'll live more'n twenty years. Couldn't
you wait till then, Pen ?-couldn't you
wait till then?"
Pen, who was tender-hearted damsel,
wept profusely at this, and, in the
scantiest Of night attire, went down upon
her knees, and, after asking pardon,
vowed then and there that not even the
talented Simon should induce her to
leave her excellent aunt as long as that
lady continued to breathe. "And, !"
sobbed Penelope, fundamentally,
clinging to Aunt Buttersby's hand, 81
did think of the maroon-colored merino
you took off of your own back to give
me Christmas, when [ said yes to
Simmy, and my heart smote me-indeed
it did"
The old lady, somewhat Modified by
this confession babe Penelope arise, and
bound her by solemn oath to remain
in single blessedness, during the rem
nant of her aged aunt's existence, be it
long or short.
''And surely as you do" said Aunt
Buttersby, when the oath had been ut
tered, "surely as you do, I'll leave you
something handsome, and you can have
Simmy whenever you choose"
Something handsome!" Aunt But
tersby uttered the words with a signifi-
canoe which implied millions, and Pene-
lope, who had never hitherto believed in
her aunt's fortune, was instantly con-
verted to a popular superstition
What could something handsome %
mean but large fortune. Under the
pear tree that night Penelope told
Simon Starbuck of this promise, who,
being genius, he at first received with
contempt and remarks about sc dross,"
but which he afterward began to view
In more hopeful light, and received
with the encouraging remark that I" the
old lady mightn't live long, after all .
a speech that caused Penelope to shed
tears and hope that her aunt might live
thousand years-an age which would
have caused poor Penelope to marry
rather late in life. In any case, the
genius" WAS not prepared to go to
housekeeping even on the smallest scale;
SO he made a virtue of necessity, and