Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1885-07-30

way, and Phnbe turned il aft as Joke I;
but her mother who was in the room
was very cross afterward
why will you be such q fool, Phoebe?
That young man will never ask you
againl'
II hope he never Will, motherm
THAT should have such headstrong
girl! l am sure You are not bit like
me, Phoebe / was always willing to
take advice"
"Oh, don't motherr cried Phebe
in panied tone.
Then, why are you so set on your
own way? Any one can see that you
are throwing away good chance for q
foolish notion Tn sure I'm not ambi.
tons to be connected with the Rose fam
lily. We were never rich, but We were
always respectable"
Phoebe had headache from crying
on her pillow the night bafore, and she
did not feel as if she wanted to hear any
more said against dear John, SO she rose
rather hurriedly from her seat The
act displaced the escritoire, and before
she could catch it, il had slipped with
a crash from the table to tho floor.
As she stopped to pick it up, amid
her mothers voluable scolding, she
found that thin panel had been dis
placed from the bottom of the box, and
in the cavity lay thick letter, which
was sealed with wax, but bore no super
scription. She held it wonderingly in
her hand. After a while she laid II
down. Something, she could hardly
tell what, prevented her opening it.
She felt, thoughtfully, that il was not
hers. She replaced it in the box.
But the escritoire had to be mendcd,
and after few days, she carried 1T TO o
cabinet maker.
Handsome, quaint old thing, isn't
it?" said Mr.. Glew. There's nice
workmanship for YOU Tisn't much like
the cheap desks made nowadays. And
that reminds me that saw an adver-
tisement, yesterday, for an old escritoire
which had somehow got out of the
owners hands. Bless me, here it is
nowl"
wANTRp-To recover an OLD mahogany on,
critoire, lined with red satin. IL was stolen
| from the owner, and for private reasons is very
valuable. Whoever returns it to Lydia A Gold.
a
| ~ compensation.
Phoebe trembIed very much as she
went out of the cabinet makers rooms
She felt as if something was going tc
happen.
And something did happen.
After thinking two days over the mat.
ter, she carried the escritoire to 50 Au
burn street. IL was very handsome
house, all inlaid woods and stained
glass and dome like ceilings.
Phoebe had never been in such hand.
some house before, and she had mover
seen such pretty little old lady as the
one in white satin ribbons who came
down to meet hof
She took the box from her eagerly,
and seemed very much pleased with it.
II would know it among a thous-
and !" she said. at was my dear sis,
ter's.".
When she had opened the secret panel
and taken out the thick letter, she was
| pleased still more
any sister Marthas seal There can
he no mistake. How very fortunate
amp
The little lady seemed talking to her.
self. Then she turned to Phoebe:
my dear, tell me about yourself
Who are you"
In telling of herself il was very easy
to tell of dear John. Indeed, Phoebe
could not help it when she explained
| how she came to have the escritoire
And when she felt the little old lady
softly take her hand, she told great
| deal more than she had meant to confds
to any one-for she was more discour'
aged than she had even acknowledged,
and her mother was trying.
well, well, well !" said the little old
lady, kindly. ave will sec about this
little romance--we will see about it,"
ooh, there is nothing that can he
donep returned Phoebe, sadly ali
VIII take so much money to buy Johns
home back The only bright side to it,
as he says, is that I'm so young.
With that the tiny old lady in tho
satin ribbons smiled shrewdly, though
there seemed tear in her faded blue
| eyes.
my dear" she said, kissing Phoebe,
| you VIII hear from me.
"If you refer to reward" said
Phoebe, with great gulp at what she
was going to say, John gave me tho
escritoire, and it is so very hard for ms
to part with it, t-that--some time
perhaps you may not want it, and then
-"
at shall be wi1ied to you, my child,
said the old lady kindly. "Will you lei
me give you this for being the dearest
little girl l have seen for long time p
And che slipped a lovely ruby ring
upon PhDbe's finger.
SO Phoebe came away from the great
house, with its purple windows. white
statuary, and cleaning panels; and
wrote John all about it that evening
never expecting to see that tiny woman
who lived there again.
! But she proved fairy godmother
for the next day came 10 Phoebe checl
for 81 900.
"For the letter in the escritoire is the
will of my sister, bequeathing to me
many, many thousands" wrote Lydia
Golding; "and it is only just that yor
have share in my good fortune. Buy
back Johns home and be happy"
Aud when this was done, and the
wedding actually took place in less
than q month, no one was louder thar
PhGbe's mother in praising John Rose
"She had always said that he was al
exemplary young man."
Phnbe's path was not quite all roses
but when pretty little John was born
the first boy after three girls, there
came TO her word that Miss Lydia
Golding had died, and had 5equeathed
to her the escritoire and her last bless
ing. And this was not all, for Phoebe;
name was put down in the viii for {
sum that assured her that never on,
she loved would want for the comforts
of life.