Weekly Chillicothe crisis. (Chillicothe, Livingston Co., Mo.) 1878-19??, 1882-12-21

VII lnelr very SlueS aCncu; tears
streamed down Mrs. Whites fair face;
Grace gazed at theprescnts with look
half rueful and half funny, while the
Doctors vigorous "haw! haw! haw!"
could have been heard half mile had
it not been happily the season of shut
doors and windows, while Sylvia her
self perceiving the six pocketbooks
which had preceded her baskctful, ap-
preciated the situation and laughed all
the harder because she was not tired
with previous fit of mirth, and Grand
ma sat shaking and chuckling in her
chair, out of breath to be sure, but her
face rosy and her eyes shining more
than ever Suddenly loud knock at
the front door interrupted their laugh
ter. Tom ran to admit the intruder;
it was the eXpressman with box from
New York directed il Uncle Toms
hand to Mrs. j. G. Grant.
Something better than pocket
books this time, mother!h said the Doc
tor, as Tom ran for the screw-driver;
but alas! the very first bundle that
rolled out and fell heavily TO the floor,
proved when picked up to be indeed
another pockct-boOk, cornered and
clasped with silver, and Graudma's in
tials on the clasp; beautiful as the gift
was it was thrust aside with certain
impatiencc, for the next package, la
belled from Rosamond, - but opened
only to display the very counterpart of
Amelia's gift and n paper box with
Kate's script outside held the recurrent
pocket-book again in black velvet and
gilt corners, while little carved white
wood box, the work of Halls patient
fingers, showed within its lid purse of
silvered links which had cost all his
years savings.
This was the last touch. Hitherto
their curiosity, us one thing was dis
played after another, had kept them in
a sort of bubbling quiet, but this final
development was too much; they
laughed so loud and so long that old
Hannah, hurrying from the kitchen and
opening the door to see what was the
matter, looked thundcTstruck as she
beheld the whcle family shaking, chok-
ing, rolling about or holding on to each
otherin roars of sidc-splitting laughter,
while fourteen purses and pocket-boOks
made the breakfast table took like n
fancy fair.
Il thought heard cracking of
thorns, as scriptor says she growlcd.
"Be You a-going to set upafancy store,
Mis- Whitc?"
Bring in breakfast, Hannah said
the Doctor, recovering himself Its n
melancholy truth that we cant eat
pocket-books!"
For the satisfaction of the curious |
must explain that the next May, when
y certain old clock on the landing of
the garret stairs was taken down to be
put in order and made into n household
god after the modern rage for such
things, right under it lay Grandma'S
pocket book intact.
"Well, now | remember!n said the
astOnishcd old lady, who never did re-
member where she had hidden any
thing till somebody else found ii.
81 was goin' up to the chest to get
out those things of husbands for Sally
Slack, and thought | wouldn't leave
my pOcket-bOOk in my room, 'twOuld be
putting temptation in her way, which
isn't really right if a person is ever so
honest; we're all frail as You may say
when our time comes, and | didn't have
my cloak on to put it in the pocket, and
my under pocket was full, so | just
slipped it under the clock case as
went up, feeling certain sure should
remember it because | neverput it there
before"
But the family voted that no harm
had been done after all, for next Christ
mas the Rutledgc girls each had II love
ly silk party dress from the double fund;
Gracie's cloak was mated by the pret-
tiest hat and muif; Tom had his wild
desire for bicycle fulfilled; Harry
owned n real gold watch which was far
better than dog; and Jacks ten gold
eagles took him in the spring to Mag
ara and down the st. Lawrence, jour
ney never to be forgotten. Kate and
Rosamond had their scalskin caps with
mufls, gloves and velvet skirts to CORE
spond with and supplement their last
years jackets; and Hal not only had
his precious books, but u bookcase for
them, and the pocket-books were re-
distributed among their givers; SO that
in the end good and not evil came of
Grandma's losing her Christmas pock-
et-book!-RoSe Terry Cooke, IN Vide
AsOake.