The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1885-06-04
sob, like the oroaking Of bird of prey;
broke from her lips:
. But a1aal haT rH,oankennI hS1 cora

sob, like the oroaking Of 4 bird of prey;
broke from hor lips:
But alas! her repentance hsd come
too late:
The autumn wore itself on, and when
dull, gray air they buried old Ebenezer
Buxford under the leafless willows in
the country graveyard.
Aunt Jemima packed up her belong
ings and went with her niece to 1 dis
tant state, wht:rS they Gould buy little
place, and try to earn their living by
means Of . market garden; and SO they
dwelt for two or three years.
Jemima Buxtord hal laid her plans
to keep her niece with her always. Ell
len was 80 bright and helpful, and full
OF odd ever-ready resources, but love
sprang into tho scale opposite old Je-
NINA, and love outweighed her. Ellen
promised to marry George Stapleton,
who had the largest farm and the most
substantial farmhouse in ill tho neigh
borhood.
$50 you are from Millowfiel.l? Queer
old place, that" said George one even
ing. as he sat on Miss Jemima's door
step, meditatively chewing straw. II
came through there once years ago,
when drove . pedlers cart.
You" echoed Ellen, "a pedler's
cart?"
Yes; that's the way I laid tho foun-
dalton: of my fortunes, such as they
are: I didn't always own a farm of
400 acres. And the oldest thing hap
pened to mo there"
Aunt Jemima put on her spectacles
and stared hard at Mr.. Stapleton,
while Ellen asked: "What was it ?"
well I stopped at strange little
out-of-the way house under q hill to
get q drink of water one morning, and
little old woman with her face tied
up with the toothache, and sun bon.
net tipped down over her nose, like
an old WITCH"
"Humph!" interjected Aunt JENNA.
Game out" pursued the uncon-
scious George, and wanted me to buy
lot of tobacco. Well, tobacco wasn't
exactly in my line, but the old woman
was very anxious to be rid of it. so I
closed the bargain at s.; cheap enough,
but at the same time as much as
could afford to pay. And I never
opened the packet until q month after
ward, when I was going up into the
lumber districts, where I expected to
find q good market for that sort of
thing. And here comes in the queer
part of my story. When I was max
ing up my pound packages of tobacco
into small parcels, suitable to my trade,
found in one of them, tied and pa.
! pered like the rest, q tin box with"
-Four hundred dollars in bills in
it," fairly screamed Aunt Jemima.
Yes, I know. I sold you that ar to.
bacco! And when you found you'd
got what was never intented for you
why didn't you bring it back"
"Gently, gently, Miss Bux ford, "
said George Stapleton. II did bring it
back the very next week, for although
the temptation to keep it was very
strong, yet it somehow lay heavy on my
conscience. And when I got back the
old house was shut up, not soul in
the neighborhood could tell mo where
the family had moved to-"
"And that's true" assented Aunt
Jemlma, who had never lived on tile
best OF terms with her neighbors.
well, SEEM the moneys to come
back to the family again-don't blush
so, Ellen. I hain't said no harm! But
I kind o wish l hadn't sold the Blue
Virginny. Not for the moneys sake
but my old brother Ebenezer -"
And Aunt Jemima got up and went
into the house, while Ellen lifted he,
soft eyes to her lovers face, saying
Il feel as if Uncle Ebenezer had put
the money in my hands for he always in
tented to be mine, George!
And l." said George Stapleton, "be
gin to believe in the old saying tina
truth isstranger than fiction!"