Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1883-01-29

inalelen lauleS OF an uncnfOnlcleQ age
-alighted from their open box-wag-
on and stopped in for a drink of wa
ter.
There was a well, under the bow
cry apple blossoms at the back; and
there was the gourd-shell laying in
the grass beside the sweep; the
cleanly-scrubbed kitchen floor, with
its rag rugs at the doors the ancient
clock ticking away in it's corner; and
the old chest of drawers between the
two windows.
''Pa," said Miss Etheldreda Ell
dred, putting up her eyeglasses,
swhat a lovely piece of workman
ship!''
sQuite medieval" sighed Miss
Ermengrade. 'sWe must have this
old revolutionary relic in our draw
ing-room, pa"
The professor stared around him.
''There's nobody to ask the price
of, my DEAR" said he.
''That's just like pal" said Ethel
dreda. ''Don't you hear somebody
hammering somewhere There's a
carpenter-shop just down the lane.
Go and enquire-do p
Abel Jones was working diligently
away at step-ladder, when the pro-
fessor's bald head was thrust into his
shop.
"Eh!'' said Abel, looking very
handsome in his shirt sleeves and a
scarlet necktie.
Il wish you a good-morning, sir. ?"
said the professor, politely.
"Same to you, SIR said Abel.
Il WISH" said the professor, "to
inquire the price of that beautiful
old brass mounted chest of drawers
in the kitchen of the house yonder.
My daughters
"No price at all, sir" said Abel.
sit amt for SALE
"If a liberal remuneration, sir,
would be any inducement to you
'Not for sale" good-humoredly
repeated Abel "Nothing would
induce my mother-in-law to part
with it,
''An old family relic, eh?" remark
ed the professor.
Exactly" said Abel.
And he went on hammering, and
whistling the tune of "Robin Adair, -
while the professor made his way
back through the prickly hedge of
gooseberry bushes and lack currants.
Half an hour afterward Mary, the
first pretty cause of all Abel Jones'
romantic adventures, ran into the
shop. They had been married for
over three months now, but Abel S
smile of welcome was no less bright
than it had been in the days of the
honeymoon.
"Bless me, Polly !" said he." What
is the matter? You look half scared
to death l''
"And no wonder" said Mary.
"There have been burglars at the
house. Mothers chest of drawers is
gone p'
'.What y shouted Abel
"And these were left under one
of the volumes of Barnes Notes on
on the Gospel on the kitchen table -
breathlessly added Mary, displaying
five ten dollar bills in the palm of
her hand.
"Upon-my-word p said Abel,
''Its the old fellow with the bald
head, Polly, and the spectacles, you
may depend upon it. thought he
looked like furniture dealer"
Alas, poor Abel not to be able to
discriminate between a secondhand
storekeeper and the professor of as-
thetics and bellies lettres in Higley
university! But such is life
''But it's stealing !" cried Mary,
breathlessly.
"Well, not exactly" said Abel,
laughing. "The old thing in itself
wasn't worth ten dollars. If they
choose to value it at fifty, why it ain t
bad for us in the light of a pecuniary
transaction, eh, Polly?''
''But what will mother say?" plead
ed Mary.
'I've got another nearly finished. -
said Abel. 81 was meaning to sell
it to Mrs. Harrington, but I'll just
set it up in the old place, and moth
er will never care whether it's num-
Der one or two that is there
So that when Mrs. Bubble came
home from the sewing society Abel
was just setting up a new chest of
drawers, and Mary eagerly related to
her the tale of the burglary, for so
she still persisted in calling it.
"Well, l never!" said Mrs. Bub-
bile, ':ifty and twenty-five makes me
seventy-fve. I'm glad I didn't take
sthe death of Jonathan ="
'sThis means business" said Abel
to himself.
''And he sat diligently to work to
manufacture still other duplicates of
the ''chest o. draws staining them
dark, rich brown, and beating out
odd, shell-shaped decorations to COM
plete the illusion. And when the
curiosity hunters came up the solita-
ry road, embowered in elms, where il
required considerable engineering fol
one load of hay to pass another, Abe
cot xyb;e4l;,,n ~, b;c d~o, eto,, ,oolx