Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1882-11-14

quire the price of that beautiful old |
brass mounted chest of drawers in the
kitchen of the house yonder. ny
daughters"
mo price at all, sir, said Able. ut
amt for sale"
IF liberal remuneration, sir, would
be any inducement to you"
mot for SALE" good-humoredly re-
peated Abel. "Nothing would induce
my mother-in.law to part with it."
IAN old family relic, eh ?" remarked
the professor:
Exactly" said Abel.
And he went on hammering, and
whistling the tune of robin Adair,"
while the professor made his way back
through the prickly hedge Of gooseberry
bushes and black currants.
Half an hour afterward Mary, the
pretty first cause of all Abel Jones' r0-
mantle adventures, ran into the shop.
They had been married for over three
months now, but Abel's smile OF well
come was no less bright than 1t had
been in the days of the honeymoon.
Bless me, Polly nj said he. "What is
the matter? You look half scared to
death I"
"And no wonder, !" said Mary. "There
have been burglars at the house. Moth
er'e chest of drawers is gonew
"What !" shouted Abel.
"And these were left under one Of the
volumes Of Barnes Notes on the Cos.
pel on the kitchen table!n breathlessly
added Mary, displaying five ten dollar
bills In the palm of her hand.
"Upon-my-word! !" said Abel. TITS
l tho old fo11Nx1, NTH hal hnaA pnvIu
and the spectacles, you may depend up
on it. I thought he looked like an old
| furniture dealer"
| Alas, poor Abel! not to be able to dis
criminate between a second hand store
keeper and the professor of aesthetics
and bellies lettres in Highley university |!
But such is life!
but it's stealing!" cried Martha
breathlessly.
"Well. not exactly" said Abel, laugh
ing 1.-THE old hing in itself wasn't
worth ten dollars. If they choose to
value it at fifty, why it amt bad for US
in the light of pecuniary transaction,
eh, Polly ?"
but what will mother say ?" pleaded
Mary.
I've got another one nearly finish
ed" said Abel. II was meaning to sell
it to Mrs. Harrington. but I'll just set
1t up In the old place, and mother will
never care whether it's number one or
number two that is there"
So that when Mrs. Bubble came home
from the sewing society Abel was just
setting up new chest of drawers, and
Mary eagerly related to her the tale of
the burglary, for 30 she still persisted in
calling it.
"Well, never !" said Mrs. Bubble
Fifty and twenty-five makes seventy
five. I'm glad I didn't take the Death
Of Jonathan ="
"This means business" said Abel to
himself.
And he sat diligently to work to man
ufacture still other duplicate of the
''chist o. draws" staining them dark,
rich brown, and beating out odd shell
shaped decorations to complete the illu-
sion. And when the curiosity hunters
came up the solitary road, endowed in
elms, where it required considerable en-
cheering for one load of hay to pass
another, Abel sat whistling on his door
step, ready to drive bargain.
ANY old furniture or antiques to
sell?" the hunter would blandly in.
quire.
mot stickp said Abel, and then
after a minutes blank silence on the
part of the aesthetic, he would add -
"Unless you'd like to look at this 'ere
chist o, draws as I've just tinkered up.
l cant say up and down, you know. as
it. I don't care whether sell it or not.
Nor yet I don't put no price on it.
amt none of your bargain drivers. If
you like 1t pay what you think is right
If you don't why there amt no harm
done!n
So that no less than seven editions of
the chest of drawers were sold before the
season was over. They became the
fashion. Every person who bought
one had vague hope of having some
thing little different from his neigh
bors. And some of them have never
yet ceased looking for hidden treasures,
old papers or outlawed wills among the
pigeon-holes and compartments.
And when the season ended and the
city bOarders went back to their brick
and mortar wilderness Abel brought his
mother in law a plethoric pocket-book
"Three hundred and sixty five
dollars, mother" said he. Enough
to pay off the last installment of the
mortgage on the old farm. We couldn't
| law 4A0u0 AAOA0 HOAOy UA0A tu6I IL
we'd kept a houseful Of boarders, as
Polly wanted to do. But don't mean
Polly to be at the beck and call of q
dozen fine ladies, and work her roset
off, not while I'm able to work for her"
And the'report of Abel jones' good
luck spread for and wide through ali
the country side. Mrs. Hopper, the
Abigail Ann" of Mrs. Bubbles legen
dairy "reminiscences, heard the grea,
news and drove down from Plum Hill
to enquire into it.
IF it's true as you've found five hun
dred dollars" said che dolefully, "ic
that old chist o. draws it's the law as
all the heirs should divide equally,
Sophiar Bubble"
but it amt true" said Mrs. Bubble
"Oh," said Mrs, Hopper, II told my
husband as it was all made-up story !"
"Not that exactly, neither, said Mrs.
Bubble, laughing.
And then she related the precise cir
cumstances of the case.
Mrs. Hopper drew long breath.
II wish I hadn't chose the Death of
Jonathan, said she, 1.-THE cord broke
last week, and it fell down and smashed
luck with it,"
"And served you right for your greed
and rapacity !" said Abel Jones, soto
voice, to Mary, who, in the next room
was helping him to varnish set Of
hanging shelves.
"Hush-sh sh !" whispered Mary.
While old Mrs. Bubble smiled and re
marked ssgely that "nobody never
knew exactly how things was goin' to
turn out"
But" she added, wiping her spec
tacle glasses, that chist o. draws Ger
tainly did bring me good luck. It has
paid off the last of the old mortgage, and
laid In a stock o. real black walnut for
Abel to work with, and got navy blue
cashmere for Mary And if that amt
luck don't know what ISL
"What station is this?" asked lady