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

Jones, as poor as poverty ltseiI
Mary, never could have believed it
of you p
Pretty Mary Bubbles brown eyes
sparkled, half with exultation, half
with vague fear.
''It was out in Squire Larkins' gar
den, MOTHER said she. esquire
Larkins was there. and Miss Jennie
Wynward and Mr.. Hall. Abel was
shingling the ice-house roof, and he
SAID it must be now or never, be-
cause he couldn't endure the sus-
pense. And the squire is justice
of the peace, and I've got a certifi-
cate, all legal and right-see, mother!
And as for being poor, why Abel has
his trade, and no one can deny that
he is an Industrious, temperate young
man; please, MOTHER" flinging both
arms around the old lady's neck, "if
you forgive me for disobeying you
this once, never will do it again !''
So Mrs. Bubble-although to use
her own words s'she never could get
over the modification of having a
daughter married by justice of
peace" finally forgave bright-eyed
Mary and consented that Abel Jones
should set up his shop at the foot of
the farm lane, there to commence the
conflict of life.
Though I'm quite sure,' said
Mrs. Bubble, ''that he never will
earn his living and l did hope, Mary,
you would have married some one
who could at least have cleared the
mortgage off the old place.
But Abel and Mary were happy.
Where Youth and Love are sitting in
life's sunshine, old Cresus is one too
many. Let him 90 his way; who
cares for him?
''We shall get along;'' said Abel.
''Of course we shall get along, p"
said Mary.
Thus matters stood when Mrs.
Squire Larkins, with a young friend
in flounced white muslin, stopped at
the Bubble farmhouse to drink a
glass of milk and eat some of Mrs.
Bubbles cherry short-cake.
"I hope the bride is WE'LL" said Mrs.
Larkins, laughing.
"ToPable, thank you," said Mrs.
Bubble. ''She's gone up to Deacon
Faradays to get their receipt for
making soft soap. AbePs we'll, too,
thankee. He's in the shop, now, at
work. His hammer is sort o. COM
pany for me, when / set here alone.
don't deny as he's a decent young
man enough, if he wasn't as poor as
jobs turkey But with Mary's face,
and her term at boarding school,
she'd ought done better"
"What a beautiful old chest of
drawers" cried Miss Wynward, &C.
statically. "What lovely brass orn-
aments And what picturesque claw
legs!''
"Oh, yes,'' said Mrs. Larkins.
cit is over hundred years old.
Everybody has heard of Mrs. Bub-
ble's antique chest of drawers p
'sOh, ma'am, it amt the same, -
said Mrs. Bubble. 1t amt the old
one at all, / sold the old one month
ago."
"Sold itr' echoed Mrs. Squire
Larkins.
81 didn't want to sell it, said
Mrs. Bubble, looking imploringly
over the edge of her spectacles. "It
was given to me, ma'am, when my
fathers estate was settled up, and
the old furnitoor was divided. NV
brother Johns wife she wanted sThe
Death of Jonathan, in a gilt frame,
with cord and tassels; so she says,
says she:
"Sophiar, you can take the chist
of draws
''And / knew / was bein' cheated
then; but, la! what's the use of
trouble among ones relations? So
says 1:
g Have it your own way, Abigail
Ann
$50 she took home sthe Death of
Jonathan and / took the chist of
draws. And Abel he fixed it up
dreadful nice with a little sand pa
per and varnish, and it was handy to
keep old letters and samples of
patchwork and paper patterns in.
But when that fine young lady from
the city as is boarding at Doctor
Holloway's, offered me twenty-five
dollars for it, it seemed wicked sin
to refuse so MUCH money, so l sold
it. Johns wife, she couldn't hardly
believe her ears when she heard me
tell of it. And she says, says she:
'Sophiar, don't you suppose you
could sell The Death of Jonathan
for the same money!
Il knew just how she felt, and
wasn't bit sorry for her, for she
was always graspin' thing. But aft
er it had gone away in Doctor Hollo
ways wagon began to miss it, ano
/ fairly sat down and cried. Ant
Abel, he says:
| Cheer up, mother, says he.
will make you another just like it 7
| ssAnd so he did. And there it is,
added Mrs. Bubble, with homes
pride, land you'd never know but i
was the same old chist O. draws