Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1882-09-14

ter shop Just down the lane. OO anu
inquire-dop'
Abel Jones was working diligently |
away at a step-ladder, when the Pro-
fessor's bald head was thrust into his
shop; -
some, in his shirtsleeves and a scarlet
necktie.
'Iwish you very good morning, sir!'
said the Professor, politely.
''Same to you, sir!' said Abel.
81 wish" said the Professor, ''to in.
quire the price of that beautiful old
brass-mOunted chest of drawers in the
kitchen of the house yonder. My
mo price at all, sir" said Abel cit
amt for sale"
eff liberal remuneration, sir, would
be any inducement to you"
'Not for sale," good-humoredly re-
my mother-in-law to part with it,
81 An old family relic, eh?'' remarked
the Professor.
" Exactly" said Abel.
And he went on hammering, and
whistling the tune of - Robin Affair.""
while the Professor made his way back
through the prickly hedge of goose
berry-bushes and black currants.
Half an hour afterward, Mary, the
pretty first cause of all Abel Jones' ro-
mantle adventures, ran into the shop.
They had been married for over three
months now, but Abeps smile of well
come was no less bright than it had been
in the days of the honeymoon.
% Bless me, Pollyr' said he. ''What
is the matter? You look half scared TO
deathr'
'.And no wonder said Mary. 'There
have been burglars at the house. Moth
er's chest of drawers is gone?'
Whatr' shouted Abel.
"And these were left under one of the
volumes of Barnes Notes on the Cos
pei on the kitchen-tabler' breathlessly
added Mary, displaying five ten-dollar
bills in the palm of her hand.
wordr' said Abel. It's
the old fellow with the bald head. Polly,
and the spectacles, you may depend upon
it. I thought he looked like an old
furniture dealer"
Alas, poor Abel! not to be able to dis
eliminate between secondhand store
keeper and the Professor of aesthetics
and Bellies Lettres in Higley University!
But such is life!
But it's stealingr' cried Mary,
breathlesSly.
"Wen, not exactly" said Abel, laugh
ing. " The old thing 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, PollyP"
- But what will mother sayp" pleaded
Mary.
i've got another one nearly finished, :"
said Abel. a. was meaning to sell it
to Mrs. Harrington. But I'll just set it
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 so she still persisted in
calling it.
We'll, I neverr' said Mrs Bubble.
I" Fifty and twenty-five makes seventy.
five. I'm glad 1 didn't take the death
of Jonathanr
This means business" said Abel .tc
himself.
And he set diligently to work to man
ufacture still other duplicates of the
''chist o. draws staining them ;
dark, rich brown, and beating out odd
shell-shaped decorations to complete thu
Illusion. And when the curiosity hunte
came up the solitary road, emboweret
} in elms, where it required considerable
? engineering for one load of hay to pas
another, Abel sat whistling on his door
step, ready to drive a bargain.
''Any old furniture or antiques t.
sellP'' the hunter would blandly inquire
''Not stickr' said Abel; and then
= after a minutes blank silence on tn
part of the pioneers of the aesthetic, h
would add: UNLESS you'd like to loo
: at this ere chist o. draws as I've jus
S tinkered up. I can't say, up and down
l you know, as it's old; but then it is
l You can look for yourselves. Their
r amt no date on it. I dom care whethe
f 1 sell it or not. Nor yet l don't put n
1 price on it. ain'tnone of your bargai
drivers. If you like it, pay what 70
It think is right; if you don't, why the1
amt no harm donep'
|; So that ne less than seven editions
2 the chest of drawers were sold befoI
the season was over. They became I'll
il fashion. Every person who bought or
had vague hope of having something
u 1lIJiO OllI0IOuI lIOIn Ills ACl8 nUOES. AL
!. some of them have never yet cease
), looking for hidden treasures, old paper
d or outlawed wills among the pigeon
d holes and compartments.
r. And when the season ended and tt
V city boarders went back to their bricl
n and-mortar wildernesses, Abel bougl
/ his mother-in-law plethoric poke
3 book.
d Three hundred and sixty-fve DC
-e lars, mother" said he. Enough to pa
d off the last installment of the mortgae
on the old farm. We couldn't have MAJ
d more money than that if we'd kept
lie houseful of boarders, as Polly wanted
do. But don't mean Polly to be at Il
beck and call of dozen fine ladies al
Is work her roses off, not while I m able
ID work for her.
4, And the report of Abel Jones' goc
n luck spread far and wide through all t
country side. Mrs. Hopper, the ''Al
Il gail Ann of Mrs. Bubbles legenda
"reminiscences, heard the great news al
- drove down from Plum Hill to inqui
c, into it.
lie ''If it's true as you've found $500
< said she, dolefully, Sin that old chist
ID draws, it's the law as all the hei
Id should divide equally, Sophial Bubble
~ "But it amt true" said Mrs, Bubbl
i'd 49," said Mrs. Hopper, 81 told a
| a Ill 10 -