The Wellington enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 1867-188?, 1883-02-28
WELLINGTON LoRAIN COUNTY, oHIo FEBRUARY 2s 1888.

away ct q stsp-ladder, when the Pro-
fessor's bald head was thrust inio his
shop .'t.r -s~r
"Ehe" said Abel, looking very hand
some. in his shirtsleeves and q scarlet
neektie. -r-r.-
81 wish you . very good morning, sirr'
said the Professor, politely.
'-Same to you, sirr' 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
danghters-"
No price at all, sir.' said Abel "It
amt for sale"
.'''n liberal remuneration, sir, would
be any inducement TO you"
mot for sale good-humoredly re-
peated Abel. s.Nothing would induce
my mother-in-law to part with it"
!" An old family relic, ehp" remarked
the Professor. easa. :
/" Exactly" said Abel. aEs. sH.s-5
And he went on ,hammering, and
! whistling the tune of :" Robin Adair,"
while the Professor made his way back
through the prickly hedge of goose
berGy-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 Abers smile of well
come was no less bright than it had been
in the days of the honeymoon.
." Bless me, Pollyr' said he. 'sWhat
is the matterP You look half scared 70
deathr'
Sand no wonder, (" said Mary. There
have been burglars at the house. Moth
er's chest of drawers is goner'
| g 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.
1 wordr' said Abel. It's
the old fellow with the bald head. Polly,
and the spectacles, you may depend upon
it. L thought he looked like an old
furniture dealer"
Alas, poor Abell not to be able to dis
criminate between asecond-hand store
keeper and the Professor of Esthetics
and Bellies Lettres in Higley University!
But such is life!
i" But it's stealingr' cried Mary,
breathlessly.
"Well, notexactly," said Abel, laugh
ing. Z" The old thing in itself wasn't
worth ten dollars. II 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. {" was meaning to sell il
| 10 Mrs. Harrington. But FL 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.
well. neverr' said Mrs. Bubble.
ssEifty and twenty-five -makes-seventy-
five. I'm glad didn't take the Death
of Jonathanr
! =. This means business" said Abel to
himself.
And he set diligently to work to man.
ufactme still other duplicates of the
..chist o. draws" staining them a
dark, rich brown, and beating out odd.
shell-shaped decorations to complete the
illusion. And when the curiosity-hunter
came mp the solitary road, embowered
in elms, where it required considerable
engineering for one load of hay to pass
another. Abel sat whistling on his door
step. ready to drive bargain.
ANY old furniture or antiques TO
sellP'' the hunter would blandly inquire.
mot 8 stickr' said Abel; and then,
after u inute's blank silence on the
part of the pioneers of the aesthetic, he
\ II vnla sl-a fr, lrn
at this ere chist o. draws as I've Just
tinkered up. 1 can't say, up and down,
YOU know, rs it's old; but then it is.
You can look for yourselves. There
amt no date on il. don't care whether
I sell it or not. Nor yet don't put nc
price on it. amt none of your bargain
drivers. If you like it, pay what you
think is right; If you don't, why there
amt no harm doner'
So that no less than seven editions oi
the chest of drawers were sold before
the season was over. They became the
fashion. Every person who bought one
had a vague hope of having something 8
little different from his neighbors. And
some of them have never yet ceased
looking for hidden treasures, old paperi
OF outlawed wills among the pigeon
holes and compartments.
And when the season ended and the
city boarders went back to their brick
and-mortar wildernesses, Abel bought
his mother-in-law plethorio pocket
book.
Three hundred and sixty-five dol.
lars, mother" said he. Enough to pay
off the last installment of the mortgage
on the old farm. We couldn't have made
more money than that if we'd kept 9
ilouseful of boarders, as Polly wanted tc
do. But don't mean Polly to be at the
beck and call of dozen fine ladies and
work her roses of. not while I'm able &c
work for her."
And the report of Abel Jones good
luck spread far and wide through all the
country. side. Mrs. Hopper, the "Abi'
gail Ann of Mrs. Bubbles Legendary
"reminiscences. heard the great news and
drove down from Plum Hill to inquire
into it.
IF it's true as you've found $780,
said she, dolefully, ''in that old chist o.
draws, it's the law as all the heir
should divide equally, Sophiar Bubble" "
"But it amt true" said Mrs. Bubble.
90" said Mrs. Hopper, II toll my
husband as it was all made-up storyr'
"Not that exactly, neither" said Airs.
Bubble, laughing.
And then she related the precise cir
oumstances of the case.
Mrs. Hopperdrew long breath.
II wish hadn't chose the Death oi
Jonathan said she. The cord
broke, last week. and it fell down and
smashed my best set of china 1 never
had no luck with it.
And served you right for your greed
and rapacityF said Abel Jones, sottc
voce. to Mary. who, in the next room
was helping him to varnish a set oi
hanging-shelves.
"Hush-siI-shr' whispered Mary.
While old Mrs. Bubble smiled, and re-