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

Into the life of flowers like these;
And lie down at blessed ease
Among thy weeds and grasses.
LUCY LARCoy, il, Atlantic Monthly.
A CHEST OF DRAWERS.
BY HELEN FORREST GRAVES.
married ~ said Mrs. Bubble-'mar-
ried! And without neither wedding
cake or new bonnet, nor so much as
q neighbor called in to witness the cere-
mony. And to Abel Jones, as poor as
poverty itself! Mary, never could have
believed it of you"
Pretty Mary Bubbles brown eyes
sparkled, half with exultation, half with
vague fear.
ut was out in Squire Larkins' garden,
mother" said she. esquire Larkins
was there, and Miss Jennie Wynward,
and Mr.. Hall. Abel was shingling the
icehOuse roof, and he said it must be
now or never, because he couldn't en-
dure the suspense. And the squire is q
justice of the peace, and I've got GER
tiffcate, all legal and right-see, mother
And as for being poor, why Abel has
his trade, and no one can deny that
he is an industrious, temperate young
man; please, mother" flinging both
arms around the old lady's neck, "if
you forgive me for disobeying you this
once, I never, never will do It again?"
So Mrs Bubble-although to use her
own words she never could get over the
modification of the psace"-finally for
gave bright eyed Mary, and consented
that Abel Jones should set up his shop
at the foot of the farm lane, there to com.
mama he oon Aiof ~ 1ifo
Though I'm quite sure" said Mrs.
Bubble, that he never will earn his
living, and did hope, Mary, you would
at least have cleared the mortgage off the
old place."
But Abel and Mary were both happy.
Where Youth and Love are sitting in
life's sunshine, old CIoesus is one too
many. Let him 60 his way; who cares
for him?
1--WE shall get along" said Abel.
"Of course we shall get along" said
Mary.
And thus matters stood when Mrs.
Squire Larkins, with q young friend in
founced white muslin. stopped at the
Bubble farmhouse to drink q glass of
milk and eat some of Mrs. Bubbles
cherry shortcake.
II hope the bride is WE'LL" said Mrs.
AhIhlus, laughing.
"Tol'able. thank you, said Mrs. Bub-
bic. "She's gone up to Deacon Fara-
days to get their recipe for maxim soft
In the shop, now, at work. His ham,
mer is sort o. company for me, when I
set here alone. don't deny as he's q
decent young man enough, If he wasn't
as poor as Jobs turkey! And with
Mary's face, and her term at boarding
school, she'd ought to done better"
"What a beautiful old chest of draw
ers," cried Miss Wynward, ecstatically.
"What lovely brass ornaments! And
what picturesque claw legs!"
"Oh, yes," said Mrs. Larkins. ut Is
over a hundred years old. Everybody
has heard of Mrs. Bubbles antique chest
of drawers"
"Oh, ma'am, it amt the same" said
Mrs. Bubble. st amt the old one at
all. I sold the old one month ago."
"Sold it !" echoed Mrs. Squire Lar.
kins.
II didn't want to sell it," said Mrs.
Bubble, looking imploringly over the
edge of her spectacle glasses. TT was
given to me, you know, ma'am, when
my fathers estate was settled up, and
the old furnitoor was divided. My
brother Johns wife she wanted The
Death of Jonathan, in gilt frame, with
cord and tassels SO she says, says she:
"'Sophiar, you can take the Old chist
o. draws
"And 1 know I was bein' cheated
then; but, la what's the use of trouble
among ones relations? So says L:
"'Have 1t your own way, Abigail
Ann.'
"And she took home THE Death of
Jonathan and 1 took the chist Of
draws. And Abel he fixed it up dread
full nice with little sandpaper and var
nish, and it was handy to keep old
letters and sample of patchwork and
paper patterns in. But when the fine
young lady from the city, as ia board
ing at Doctor Holloway's, offered me
twenty-five dollars for it, it seemed q
wicked Sin to refuse 80 much money, 80
1 sold it. And she says, says she !:
"'Sophiar. don't you suppose you
the same money!
"And I knew just how she felt, and
wasn't bit sorry for her, for she always
was a graspin' thing. But after 1t had
gone away in Doctor Holloway's wagon
began to miss it, and fairly sat down
and cried. And Abel, he says:
Cheer up, mother, says he. 'I'll
make you another one Just like it!'
Aud 80 he did. And there it lie, )" ad-
ded Mrs Bubble. with honest pride,
land you'd never know but it was the
same old chist o. draws. He's darken-
ed it down, and lied it up, and turned
out the claw legs, and beat out q set of
old brasses to cover the keyholes, until
you never would have known the diff
ference. And I'm just as well satisfied
as was BEFORE"
So Mrs. Bubble put on her things and
went to the sewing society when Mrs.
Larkins and Miss Wynward were gone,
SO that there was no one in the big, airy
kitchen when Professor Eldred and his
two daughters--maiden ladies of an un-
chronicled sge -alighted from their open
boX-wagon and stopped In for drink of
water.
There was the well, under the bowery
apple blossoms at the back; and there
was the gourd- shell lying in the grass
beside the sweep; and the cleanly- |
scrubbed kitchen floor. with it's rag |
rugs at the doors /; and the ancient clock |
ticking away in its corner; and the old |
chest of drawers between the two win. |
dows.
"Pa," cried Miss Etheldreda Eldred,
putting up her eyeglasses, what q
lovely piece of workmanship ~
"Quite medievalv" sighed Miss En-
1--WE must have this old |
Revolutionary relic in our drawing |
room, pal"
The professor stared around him.
'"There's nobody to ask the price Of,
my DEAR" ssid he..
"That's just like pal" said Etheldreda.
Don't you hear somebody hammering
somewhere? There's carpenter.shop
doW
Abel Jones was working diligently
away at stepladder, when the profess
sor.s paid mead was thrust into his shop.
En- Z, said Abel, looking very hand.
necktie. -~'