Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1883-10-25
THE OLD OAK CHEST
BY HELEN FORREST GRAVES.


ty, this housekeeping business. She had
theorized good deal over Handy
Housekeepers," Comprehensive Cook
Books" and Home Guides" but she
never had any practical experience be
fore. And DOW, up in these wild woods,
the helm of domestic affairs was uneX-
pectedly placed in her hands, and hers
alone.
She liked the woods and the river;
the meadows all starred with daisies
and the long, low farm house, with its
red brick chimney stacks, its trellises
ali bending with the weight of vines
the old stone walled garden, where ri
pening currents hung like ruby fingers,
and the green gooseberries seemed to
absorb the very sweetness of the sun
shine into their translucent hearts.
To her mind it was deal nicer than
the city fiat, with the milkman yelling,
the hand organ droning, the everlasting
clouds OF dust. And to-day, when aunt
ThemiS wanted to go to hear her favor
ite elder hold forth at camp meeting,
Dotty volunteered to stay and get the
dinner for Reuben and Rankin, her two
tall cousins.
LA, childp' said Aunt Themis, you
don't know nOthin' about coekin'."
But, indeed do" asservated Dotty.
II can make chicken fricasee as we'll
as you, Aunt Themy. / watched the
way you did it last Saturday; and l
can. turn out irst-class cherry tart
well, said Aunt Themls,a "a little doubt
fully, anyhow there's plenty of good rye
bread and new milk, aud nobody needn't t
starve on that. And be sure Dotty, you
you keep the doors bUlted. aud don't let
trampS in, and blow the dinner horn at
twelve precisely, and don't forget that
brood of young turkeys in the barn
chamber; and on no account leave the
milk room door open, for that new cat
is the thieyingest creeter you ever did
see"
-'Oh, I'll take carer" said Dotty, with
reckless audacity of ignorance. Every
thing shall be quite quite right. You'll
SEQ, Aunt Themis."
And after the old lady had departed,
with many misgivings, Dotty drew Il
long breath of rapture, and executed an
impromptu dance in the middle of the
kitchen floor.
Only think!' she said, addressing the
cat in the corner-"the whole house all
to myself! Won't get superb dinner
for Reuben and Rankin? I'll make a
meringue tart, and ice cream, and va
nilla puffs, and chocolate cake, and I'll
try my hand at mock turtle soup, and
cream candy and black coffee! And
Row l will surprise theml Aud as for
boiling the doors, how utterly ridicu-
lous it would be to shut out the beauti-
full sunshine, and the butterflies, and the
swset-scented airi This house always
smells like blue mold when Aunt The
mis- is around; and of course nobody
could get in while am here!"
| So DOtty skinned the pans for cream
to make the ice-cream, and stirred up
| the vanilla puffs, ana grated chocolate
for the cake, and put the two fat, little,
white chickens into the pot for the fric
assoc; and then, feeling herself every
inch housekeeper, she frisked away up
stairs to make the beds.
But there was no question of beds
| when once she was up stairs, where a
! huge old chest of some dark-stained
wood stood open, near the landing.
"The old oak chestv' cried Dotty, who
was as full of romance as white-elover
| bloom is of sweetness. And to think
that Aunt Themis never let me look in
to it before"
There was nothing very particular,
after all, in it. Only stuffy-smelling
blankets, muth-eaten gown OF two,
the -buttOned military coat i'll
which Uncle 4 Amaniah-dead those ten
years-had been wont to rally on train
ing days"
"PshaHr said Dotty "There ought
| to have been forgotten will there, or a
skeleton at the very least. Its IA hum
bug, that old ches' p
just as this reflection passed through
her mind,a whiRing voice sounded at the
bottom of the little wooden stairway,
which wound up like cOrk-screw from
below.
ANY old clothes to exchange for
beautiful china vases, lady. Any cold
victuals for poor MANI"
| He was stalwart, black-browed fell
low with villainous, slit-like eyes, and
tattered velveteen suit; aud DUttyS
heart stood still with terror for a sec
ond.
Oh, if she had only Obeyed her Aunt
Themis and locked up those doOrsT'
NO." she said, shortly. Go awayT
Don't be hard on poor fellow, miss
whined the man.
And DOtty was quite certain that she
saw the spout of Aunt ThemiS' old solid
silver cream jug protruding from
his ragged velveteen pocket. At the
same moment he began ascending the
stairs with insOlent deliberatioH.
In all instant all the doubts, the breads,
the possibilities, the horrors of the stu
alton, glanced across DOtty's mind.
Reuben and Rankin were in the dis
tant meadow cutting grass the tin horn,
by means of which she usually summon
ed them, was hanging up down stairs
at the back of the kitchen door.
Not neighbor lived within sight or
call. And here she was at this stealthy-
faced brute's mercy. Would he gag her?
Would he murder her? What was to
:ecome of Aunt Themis' gold beads and
Reuben'S new breast pin, besides all the
nice old silver which had descended to
them from Grandmother Buffet?
NO" said DOtty to herself; "fOr my
self do not care. But the silver shall
be protected!'
With quick glimpse of inspiration,
she advanced toward the shambling fell
low with the sinister face.
There are some old garments in that
big chest" said she. You may look at
them: perhaps they will be what you
want"
The eyes of the sinister man, who had
by this time reached the top Of the stairs.
glistened. He promptly advanced, and
bending over the side of the monster
chest, peered into its depths.
Most anything'll work in my trade
said he. 81 amt no ways pa'tickler, be-
calse-"
Now was Dotty's time. AS he bent
over. with at least two-third of his DO
dy in the old chest, she sprang alertly
forward, and bundled the other third
into the stuffy recesSes.
He dropped like huge overgrown kit
ten into the tlannel blankets. In an in
stant, Dotty had the lid shut down, and
had turned the kew