The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1883-02-08

o. at a step ladder when the professors bal
10 head was thrust into his shop.
a "Ehl' said Abel. looking very handsom
10 his shirisleeyas aud a scarlet necLiie
r ~ wish You good morning. sir. sal
p the professor politely.
Same TO you. sir, said Abel.
d II wish, said the professor TO inquir
Is the price Of that beautiful old bras
mounted chest Of drawers 10 the kitchen
c Of the house yonder Ny daughters ~
mo price at all, sir Mid Abel III
J amt for sale.
) III a liberal rcmuneratiOu. sir, would b,
any inducement TO you-
"Not for sale. replied Abel. good hu.
9 moredly Nothing would induce my
: mo,her-in-law to part with IT.
"An old family relic, Ell? remarked the
{, professor
Exactly, said Abel,
Aud he went on hammcring and whist
Ting the tune OF Robin Adair, while the
professor made his way back through the
prickly hedge Of gooseberry bushes and
black currants.
Half an hour afterward Mary. the first
pretty cause Of all Abel Jones romantic
adventures, ran into the shop. They had
been married over three months now, but
Abel's smile Of welcome was no less bright
than it had been in the days OF the honey.
moon.
BLESS me, Polly~ said he. "What is
the matter? You lock half scared to
deathl''
"And no wonder. said Mary. There
have been burglars at the house. Moth
er's chest OF drawers is gone.
"What?" shouted Abel.
''And these were left under one of the
volumes OF Barnes notes on the kitchen
tablet breethlessly added Mary, display.
ing five ten-dollar bills 10 the palm OF her
hand.
upon -my-word," said Abel "It's
the old fellow with the bald head, Polly, |
and the spectacles. You may depend up.
or it. thought he looked like furni.
ture dealer
Alas, poor Abel not to be able to dis
criminate between second. hand store
keeper and the professor of aesthetics and
bellies lettres in Higley university! But
such is lifel
"But it's stealing" said Mary breath
lessly.
"Well, not exactly, said Abel. 'sThe
old thing in itself isn't worth ten dollars.
If they choose to value it at fifty, why it
amt bad Tor us in the light off pecuniary
transaction, eks Polly?"
"But what Eal mother say?' pleaded
Mary.
"l've got another nesdy finished, said
Abel. II was meaning 20 SAL it to Mrs.
old place, aud mother never will care
whether it is number one OF two that is
there.
50 when Mrs. Bnbble came home from
the sewing society Abel was just setting
up new chest of drawers, and Mary ca.
gerly related to her the tale of the burgla
ry, as she still persisted in calling it.
"Well, never, said Mrs. Bubble. "fif.
ty and twenty-five makes me seventy-five.
I'm glad now that didn't take the Death
of Jonathan
"Ths means business" said Abel to
himself.
And he set to work diligently TO manu-.
facture still other duplicates Of the chest
of drawers, staining them dark, rich
brown, and beating out odd, shell.shaped
decorations to complete the illusion. And
when the curiosity seekers came up the
solitary road, embo@red in elms. where
it required considerable engineering for
one load of hay to mss another, Abel sat (
whistling on his dor step ready to drive
bargain. II
'Any old furniture or antiques to sell?' /,
the hunter would bbndly inquire.
"Nct stckp' said Abel Aud after o
moments blank sileice on the part OF the
pioneers OF the estletic, he would add,
''unless YOU would like to look at this
chest of drawers Tvs tinkered up. cant {
say up and down, you know, as it's old,
but there il is. YOU can look for your-
selves. There aint no date on it. l don't
care whether | sell it or not Nor yet l
don't put no priceoa it. amt none OF
your bargain driyers. Ifyou like it, pay
what You think is right II yon don't,
why there is no h,rm done"
So that NJ less than seven editions OF
the chest OF draw,rs we're sold before the
season was over They became the fash
ion. Every one Who bought one had
vague hope Of hwing something little
different from biz neighb ore. And some
OF them have never yet ceased looking for
hidden treasures old papers and outlawed
wills among the pigeon holes and com.
partmente.
When the seison ended and the city
boarjers went back to their brick and
mortar wilderness, Abel brought his moth
er.in-law pletioric pocketbook.
Three hunied and sixty five dollars.
mother, said b., enough to pay oil the
last installmen, Of the mortgage on the old
farm. We couldn't have had more than
that il we had kent houseiul Of boarders
as Polly wanted do Bnt 1 don't want
Polly to be al thl beck and call OF dozen
fine ladies, and work her roses of, not
while / am ableto work for her"
And the repot Of Abel Jones good luck
spread far aud vide through all the coun-
try side Mrs Hopper, the Abigail Ann
OF Mrs. Bubbles legendary "reminiscences,