Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1882-09-14
THE CHEST OF DRAWERS.

(" Marriedr' said Mrs. Bubble-.'mar-
riedl And without neither wedding-cake
nor new bonnet, nor so much as neigh
Dor called in to witness the ceremony?
And to Abel Jones, as is as poor as pow
erty itself. Mary, never could have
believed it of your
Pretty Mary Bubbles eyes sparkled,
half with exultation, half with vague fear.
:" 1t was out in Squire Larkin's
garden, MOTHER said she. Esquire
Larkins was there, and Miss Jennie
Wynward and Mr.. Hall. Abel was
shingling the ice-house roof, and he said
it must now or never. because he couldn't
endure the suspense. And the Squire
is a Justice of the Peace, and I've got q
certificate. alllegal and right-see, moth
er! And as for being poor, why, Abel
has his trade, and no one can deny that
he is an industrious, temperate young
man; and please, mother" flinging both
arms around the old lady's neck, a. if
you'll forgive me for disobeying you
this once l never, 11eUer will do it again.
So Mrs. Bubble-although to use her
own words, she never could get over the
modification of having daughter mar
ried by Justice of the Peace" finally
forgave bright-eyed Mary, and consent
ed that Abel Jones should set up his
shop at the foot of the farm lane, to COM
mence the conflict of life.
" Though I'm quite sure" said Mrs.
Bubble, ''that he never will earn his liv-
ing; and I did hope, Mary, you would
have married some one who could at
least have cleared the mortgage off the
old place"
But Abel and Mary were happy.
Where Youth and Love are sitting in
life's sunshine, old Cresus is one too
many. Let him go his way; who cares
for him?
1--WE shall get along" said Abel.
"Of course we shall get alongm said
Mary.
And thus matters stood, when Mrs.
Squire Larkins, with a young friend in
tlounced white muslin stopped at the
Bubble farmhouse to drink a glass Of
milk and eat some of Mrs. Bubble
cherry short-cake.
IL hope the bride is WE'LL" said Mrs
Larkins, laughing.
''ToP able, thank you," said Mrs Bub
BILE. ''She's gone up to Deacon Fara
days to get their recipe for maxim soft
soap. AbePs well, too, thankee. He!
in the shop, now, at work. His hamme,
is sort O. company for me, when Sc
here alone. don't deny as he's a de
cent young man enough, if he WASH
as poor as Jobs turkey! And witt
Mary's face, and her term at boarding
school, she'd ought to done better.
''What a beautiful old chest of draw
ersn' cried Miss Wynward, ecstatically
what lovely brass ornaments! AM
what picturesque claw legsn'
80, yes" said Mrs. Larkins. ''It i
over hundred years old. Everybod
has heard of Mrs. Bubbles antique ches
of drawersp''
80, ma am, it amt the same" sal
Mrs. Bubble. cit amt the old one q
ALL sold the old one month ago."
. "Sold itP" echoed Mrs. Squire La
kins.
II didn't want to sell it." said Mrs
Bubble, looking imploringly over tn
edge of her spectacle glasses. cit we
given to me, you know, ma am, whe
my fathers estate was settled up, an
the oldfurnitoor was divided. My brotht
Johns wife, she wanted The Death
Jonathan in a gilt frame, with cord an
tassels; so she says, says she:
'Sophiar, you can take the old Chi
o draws
''AndI knewI was bein' cheated thel
but, la! what's the use of trouble anon
ones relationsP So says 1:
"'Have it your own way, Abiga
Ann
.'And she took home The Death
Jonathan and took the chist o. draw
And Abel he fixed it up dreadful mic
with a little sand-paper and varnish, ar
it was handy to keep old letters, Al
samples of patchwork, and paper ps
in Rut yxrh hof fin l.
from the city, as is boarding at Doct
Holloway's, offered me twenty-five de-
lars for it, it seemed a wicked sin to +
fuse so much money; so l sold it. Al
Johns wife, She couldn't hardly belle
her ears when she heard tell of it. Al
she says, says she:
"'Sophiar, don't you s'pose you cou
sell The Death of Jonathan for the san
money!
''And L knew just how she felt, and
wasn't bit sorry for her, for she alwa
was graspin' thing. But after it HI
gone awayin Doctor Holloway's WACO
began to miss it, and fairly sat doV
and cried And Abel, he says:
"'Cheer up, mother says he. Il
make you another one Just like it!'
''And so he did. And there it is
added Mrs. Bubble, with honest prid
land you'd never know but it was t
same old ehist O draws. He's dar
ened it down and lied it up, and turn
out claw legs and beat out a set of {
brasses to cover the keyholes, until Y
never would know the difference. A
I'm just as we'll satisfied as I was I
fore"
So Mrs. Bubble put on her things a
went to the sewing society when NJ
Larkins and Miss Wynward were gol
so that there was no one in the big, Al
kitchen when Prof. Eldred and his t
daughters-maiden ladies of an I
chronicled age -aighted from their op
box wagon and stopped in for drink
water.
There was the well, under the DO
cry, apple-blossoms at the back; q
there was the gourd-shen, lying in I
grass beside the sweep; and the clear
scrubbed kitchen floor, with its rag II
at the doors; and the ancient clock, ii,
ing away in its corner; and the
chest of drawers, between the two W
dows. 4Et
Pa cried Miss Etheldreda Eldr,
putting up her eyeglasses, 'what
lovely piece of workmanship
quite medievalr' sighed Miss
mengarde. eve must have this
Revolutionary relic in our drawing-roo