Arizona weekly citizen., 1881-01-01
The old Blue Chest.

bNtADAA ANS ANnesl
 One day last week, five or six wO- men with serious faces and husheu voices, were galh lhered in a room in house on Fourth street east. For two years a poor old woman had lived there, not exactly a beggar or an Ob- ject of charity, but certainly m 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 wan dercd out into the country and died. This left the old woman alone, and there were days and days in which no one went near 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 wcpt as tender hands clasped hers and kind voices addressed her. Death had already placed its mark on her face. and the women could do noth- ing. 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 ard spllntered, but yet hold ing together. It had seen strange times, that blue old chest. It had held S, ks and broadcloths perhaps il had surely held rags. IL had been moved from house to house and from town to town. IL had listened to laughter, and had heard sobs and moans. IL had grown old no faster than the old woman whose hands had so often lifted its lid. It had doubt less kept the company of gcod car pets and furniture and crockery, and laughing romping children had climbed over il or hidden ID it. l. had faded, and its hinges were rusty and weak, but il had outlived it's owner.
 The women looked al ound for gar ments in which to enshroud the dead. Nothing was in sight. One of them lifted the lid of the old blue chest, and and called the others 10 help drag it out from it's dark corner. It held treasuTe-such treasure as men could not buy or poverty steal away. There was dress of fine material, cut after a fashion of long years ago. For twenty years the chest had been its guardian. IL would have snld for d few dollars, but though the gnawIngs of hunger had come often ana the cold mad fought ils way tu her marrow IhHl poor old woman would not pat with that relic of better days. IL may have been link 10 connect her with wealth and love. Beneath it was treasure still more priceless. Care fully wrapped in paper was silver dime more than fifty years old. A weeks fast would have sent her to the bakers with that relic. A child, dead m its young years, had worn that dime around its neck as a gift or talls- man. There was child's mitten, stained and worn, hut mitten knit bv a proud young mother for her child. IL could not speak 10 tell the dim past, but it had power. As the women saw it they covered their faces with their aprons and weDt.
 There was boys cap and 6 girPs hat, both so old and faded and time eaten that they had to be Ienderly handled. The women looked from them 10 the poor old white face on the bed and whispered:
 |" None but a good mother would have treasured these relics. She was old and poor, but her heart was pure.
 Deeper down, as if to batfie the search Of time itself, was similar toy -a child's dumb watch. Hands were broken and gone, face scratched and case battered, but the women handled it as if a touch would shivrr II. There was A dolls head, a boys fish liOe, some toy chairs, a yarn ball, and oth- CT things Co show that in the long ago tbat dead woman had felt the soft kisses of children, heard their good nights and thanked God that she was blessed. Each relic was wepi over-egch was replaced with fresh tear-stains. They asked the old blue chest no questions. Its relics might have been voiceless to man, but 10 a woman and mother each one had a tale in words as plain as print. They shed more tears as they again bent over the poor old dead, and they said to each other:
 " If she had only told us of this, how we would have loved her and sought to Tighten her sorrows.
 Bu she had gone. She had come and gone as a mystery, and blt for he old blue chest in the corner lew would have cared, and none would have sorrOwed.