Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1886-09-27

ern times, are strangers. Many pegs
and nails were driven into them, from
which swung paper bags filled with
dried herbs, spearmint, boneset, pen
all diffusing pleasant odor
through the garret, which Miss Gym
thia thought more agreeable than the
huge bowls full of steaming hot herb
tea which Miss Sabra always made
her swallow, her feet in pail of hot
water meanwhile, whenever she took
cold. Two large wooden chests stood
far back under the caves, so large
that they could never have been
brought up the narrow stairs, but
must have been built where they
stood. In them were piles of old
papers, years upon years of Spring
field Republicans and Massachusetts
Ploughmans, Old Farmers Almanacs
for more than half century, and
there were carefully cherished pile
of "Journals of the House, con-
tanning the doings of the legislature
when Squire Marcy represented
the town."
Miss Cynthy gave pitiful look
into chest, and then sat down in
basket OF neatly-sewn carpet-rags
and hegah TO cry. "Oh, Sabra,
she sobbed, s'I've been used to see
ing these things all my life. Seems
as if it would break my heart to part
with them. I've a great mind to
bring IN BILL"
"Cynthy," said Miss Sabra, ''this
is foolishness. There's no use in
givin' way so. We can't help Our
Selves
"Well, said Miss Cynthy, ,extricat-
ing herself from the carpet-rags and
wiping her eyes, "what shall we do
frst?"
An old spinningwh which had
stood for years in its own nook, rest
ing after long service in spinning
yarn for blankets and stockings to
keep the Marcys warm, quivered
little, as with grief at the coming
change, and the cradle, wherein all
the little Marcys had been rocked,
rocked gently once more, in depre-
catory way, as the sisters turned to-
ward the closet, where one or two
trunks, more precious than the rest,
were kept.
81 thought we'd better look over
mothers things first" said Miss Sa-
bra, opening the shutters aud letting
IN a food of Autumn sunshine. A
faint odor of camphor and cedar and
pungent spices filed the closet. for
this was the storeroom for winter
clothing and wraps in summer The
sisters cloaks and wooden dresses
hung on the wall. Broad shelves,
piled with homemade blankets and
patch work quilts and comfortabIes,
filled one side of the little apartment,
and in bandhox in one corner, care
fully wrapped In linen and packed
away in red pepper and camphor,
were the sisters furs, the one spon-
taneous gift their father had ever Civ
en- them. For Miss Sabra's and Miss
Cynthy's apparel usually represented
sundry sacrifices of eggs and poultry
and fresh butter, exchanged at the
village store for something to wear,
But once when the old gentleman
had made an exceptionally good sale
of his fat cattle, he opened his heart
and purse-strings and presented his
daughters each with a set of gray
squirrel furs, more precious in their
eyes than sealskin or sable. swell,
Cynthy," said Miss sabra, ''this is
the trunk of mothers things. We'd
better open it to make sure there's
nothing else in it, and then we'll take
it downstairs and look the things
over. l guess they're all right, bu'
it's three years come October since
we went through them"
MISS Sabra knelt down before the
little hair trunk studded with brass
nails, fitted the key in the rusty lock
and with some difficulty turned it anc
raised the lid. The clothing, yellow
with age. lay neatly folded, witt
leaves of ''Sweet Mary" scattered
through it to give it pleasant odor
But upon the top lay folded paper
long and blue, with formidable al
of business about it,
"Why, sister," said Miss Cynthy
"what is that ?"
81 don't know" said Miss Sabrs
under her breath, 81 never put i
there. I'm most afraid to touch it.
But Cynthy, more impulsive thar
Sabra, had already seized and open
ed it, She whitened to her lips.
"Sabra," she whispered, sits i.
will!'
"Then," said Miss Sabra. ssw,
mustn't look al it. We must 60 ano
give it to Mr.. Denison right ava,
and let him read it first. If we g
right off, now, we can get there il
time to see him home to dinner"
So the sisters put on their sunbon
nets and went "cross lots' through
: the fields to Mr.. Denison's house
climbing fences and opening heav,
| gates, taking with them the mysteIi
Gus document which was of such ter
, rible moment to them. 1t was duly
delivered to Mr.. Denison and the sto
, ry of its discovery told. ssAnd what