The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1883-05-24

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troubled, tender look 1.-THE little grand
mother, who sat placidly in the retire.
nent of her deafness.
"Sophie," said her mother the next
day, '.your father wants you to begin
tonight to clear out the old desk.
We've got to let it go, Sophie"
Sophie set her teeth together; and,
after supper, she and her father set
down to their task.
"Where shall 1 begin fatherp"
81 don't know as it makes much of
any difference" he said.
'Here are bundles of letters. They
are old-eighteen hundred and fifty
something"
'.Give fem to me-" said her father.
They're your mothers letters before
we were married. Here, Sally, take
'em. You've got mine somewhere.
Put EN- together. That was a long
time ago."
Here are some tax-bills, father. Did
you hear somebody knock, RobP Go
to the door,"
'.It's that Barriers f%eller," grinned
Rob. 80, Sophie! O-o-o-h, Sophie!"
Mother, stop that boy. He could be
heard across the street," cried Sophie,
flushed and distressed. She. went on
hurridly with her work, and had sue
ceeded in producing considerable con
fusion by lifetime young Barrows had
deposited his hat and oVercoat in the
little entry. The young man greeted
the family politely but at a first glance
you would have said it was the grand
mother whom he had come especially to
see. The little old lady was futtered
and pleased and warmed into talkative-
ness.
q member your. gran'f'ther well in
my young days, sir. You're a good
deal his build; remind me of him in the
back. He was pretty fond O. the gals,
too"
Sophie's heart nearly stopped beat
ing.
II wonder" the old lady continued,
in her high quaver-'.I wonder now, if
you're the young man Suffy was a-tellin'
me about, the other day. Suffy, what
are you doing there to your granff'ther's
desk2"
She's helping her father straighten
out his papers, +" said Mrs. Powers, COM
ing to poor Sophie's rescue. 81 hope
Mr.. Barrows will excuse her if she goes
on. Mr.. Powers is in something Of a
hurry"
"That was my husbands DESK" said
grandma, proudly; ''and when he died
he left it to Simon. "T'm for having
Sufy have it next; but they want to
give it to Robbie. Not till he's a good
deal better boy n he is now, though, I
tell 'em. But Suffy's a nice gal; and
she'll be gettin' married one of these
days, and that desk will look well in her
house. How well 1 member the pep
minis l used to- keep in that little cup
board. You see l could keep 'em under
lock and key, away from the children.
Many's the time gran'f'ther would
come home and say not a word, for he
never was any great of a talker; but go
straight to that little cupboard and tuck
away a good pile of gold. He never
was much of a hand for banks. He was
always buying and selling, without say
ing much to me. I member when he
sold the t~hree-cornered wood-lot to your
gran'f'ther. 1 had to sign the deed,
but not a cent of the money did I ever
see. 1 don't say your gran'f'ther didn't
pay him; but it was always sort of curl
GUS"
Young Barrows felt that this was not
precisely what he had come for. He all
a tonce manifested a keen interest in the
drawers and pigeon-holes of the old
desk and Cant 1 help you, Miss
Sophie?' seemed the mostnatural thing
he could say.
Eyes, I'll let you tie up these pa
pers," Sophie tried to answer in a calm,
b~usiness-like tone.
Then the young man was clumsy and
Sophie deliciously hard to please, where
upon he pretended he was very glad he
did not go to her school, and she de-
clared it was a great pity he didn't.
Guess you'd get more'n one lickin'
if you did, put in Rob.
Couldn't she give hiru some private
tuition, after business .iurs? Barrows
suggested. What branch did he wish
to pursue, pleasep Rob was much cast
down that he could rot catch the re-
ply; but it did not escape the boys
keen eye that Sophie was ''blushin' like
a house afire."
!: The old desk was fast taking on a
homeless, u~ninhabited look. One could
) fancy a tiny echo in the empty pigeon
holes, like that which haunts a deserted
: house. Sophie felt that she was sad; yet
who could be utterly miserable with that
whisper still in her ear?
And now we've come to the little
closet" said Sophie, somehow-impelled
to talk fast. 81 used to think that that
1 door, with its little brass knob and
hinges, was the ideal front door for a
dolls mansion. Then look at the rich
f Corinthian columns on each side. Aren't
they beautiesp There isn't much in It
t one eye of mothers spectacles, a last
3 years calendar, some rusty pens and
, here Rob is your whistle that mother
: hid. No sign of any gold. grandma
; The golden age is over in this family
and there was the echo of the old bitter.
ness in her laugh.
4 "There, the poor old thing is empty
r Good-by to It'll"
. But Barrows seemed in no hurry tx
t move way. He examined the work
t manship infinitely and was anxiou.
that Sophie should appreciate its fine
e points.
S Simon Powers sat with his head for
ward and looked absently at his thir
e hands, which lay idly in his lap. From
time to time he looked up at his wife.
e "What is it, dearp" she said low tx
e him.
Nothing; but it sort of puts heart il
s me to see you while they're pulling
over my things there, as if 1 was dea6
t and gone"
e That's what a wife's for, Simon
e Powers"
n The little grandmother softly dozet
a in her corner, starting up suddenly nov
e and then with a look that asked if an,
t one accused her of being asleep.
Rob sat at the table, with n eye OF
the first conjugation and the other OF
his sister. He gave Matte a kick I'm
d der the table occasionally that was in
n tended to convey volumes.
e you'd better ha' let me clean GU
9 that rubbish" he said, at last, address
ing himself to the company. 81 coul,
It have done it in just about one-tenth tn
time them two are fooling over it."
"Hullo-o-o!' cried Barrows, sudden
a ly. ''Corinthian column, you call that