News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1888-11-29

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valise with sigh of relief.
"Im thankful to find some one that
glad to see me, " said he. GIVE though
a good many times, of late, that it woul
have been better if 1 had died in Aus
tralia. 1 came back here to end n
days among my relations. And the ol
house is sold, and the folks are move
away-those of them that aren't lying il
the churchyard-and it's only here an
there that very old person remember
that there ever was such person Il
Benjamin Blight. You're the last car,
IN the game, Niece Kitty. Nobody els
wants ma. Your Cousin Calvin said i
wasn't convenient to receive me into hi
family, but knew of q Home for Indi
gent Old People that he could get n
into If I'd join the Baptist Church Ant
Hiram Blight-old Hiram's grandson
you know-he told me up and down, h
couldn't saddle himself with relations
whom he had never seen or heard of.
might be an impostor, for all he knew
and if wasn't, it was quite inexcusabl
or one to be penniless at the age o
lightly four. And Zoe-that's Hiram
grandson's sister-a grand lady OF
Fiftieth street-says that she is yer,
sorry that she cannot help me in any
way. All, welladay, Kitty, it's a quee
feeling, when man crosses three thou
sand miles of ocean to spend Thanksgiv
ing with his kindred, AMI finds nobody
glad to see him."
"Come inside and sit down." sale
Simon Sepple, heartily. "We're no
rich, like Calvin Blight, or aristocratic
like Zoe; but we'll make you kindly
welcome to such as we have. Kitty,
he whispered to his wife, "you haG
better buy a little roasting piece of porl
and few apples for sauce. Your poor
old uncle looks as if he needed some
thing to brace him up. Don't be afraid,
child. I'll make him comfortable while
you are gone"
So these simple hearted people took in
the old man, who-eXcept on the sub
lects of fifty years ago-was really moth
ing more than an additional child 10
care for.
Those people are crazy" growled
old Mr.. Bullion, the landlord "Cant t
pay their own debts six weeks behind
in their rent, and yet they must needs
assume the feeding of another mouth
and the clothing of another back
Would you let the old man starve "
bluntly demanded Sepple and Mr..
Bullion could only mutter something
about the principle of political economy
and the improvidence of working peo-
pie
Mrs. Sepple was sitting by the window
of their small dining room one day, do
ing an odd job of dressmaking for a
whereby she hoped to earn
enough to buy an uupretentious Thanks
giving turkey, for Uncle BLght's mind
iweIt with curious persistency ON the
dea of the festival which had been moth
nS but u dream to him for many
exiled years.
''If it's only a small. turkey" said
she, with pint of cranberries, and the
cheapest pie that we can buy at the
the children. I'll ge5 along with my
alpaca dress for the present, and my
bonnet isn't so very shabby if / keep the
veil well-pinned over it. Uncle Blight
and the children Will be so pleased if
they can have genuine Thanksgiving!
And Mr.. Sepple had smiled sadly and
said:
''You are always thinking of other
people, Kitty"
She was stitching busily away at the
founces of Mrs. Meeker's garnet merino
dress, and Uncle Blight at the other
window was amusing the children.
He loved them, and they were fond of
him; and Mrs. Sepple, quick to seize
upon any salient point of gratitude, de-
cared that the children were no trouble
at all since Uncle Blight came.
He had been an actor once, in that
far-off country where his life was spent,
and in the old brown valise there We're
remnants of stage fnery that filed the
hearts of the little folks with glee.
And when he could be induced to re-
hearse the 'funny parts, as little
Molly called them, Mrs. Sepple de-
clared ''that it was every bit as good as
play" and nearly died with laughing.
Suddenly, Molly broke away from
the rest and darted into the shop, dressed
in a quaint robe of imitation ermine,
with brass mounted tiara on her head.
'Look, papa-look !" she cried. 81
am just like the picture of Empress
j Josephine in the big History i"
Mr.. Sepple was busy, examining a de-
fcient link in Colonel Changers watch
chain through his glass.
"Run back to your mother, child, he
said, without looking at the small mas
querader.
But Colonel Granger took a step for
ward.
"Stop said he. cam 1 dreaming
or is that the Astoria have been look
ing for all my life %
Sepple laughed, without laying down
the magnifer.
"Its only set of stage jewelry that
Uncle Blight bought at the auction sale
of deceased actress in Sydney" said
he. 'He used to be on the stage him.
self. 1t does for the children to play
with"
"Did you ever see it1" said Granger.
sharply.
'No; I've no time for such antics.
I've heard them talk about the blue
glass stories, but"
Little Molly burst into wall.
"He has taken away my crown ~ said
she. 81 amt the Empress Josephine any
more"
Colonel Granger pushed the tinsel
tiara across the counter.
''Look at that central stone," said he
in voice that quivered with suppressed
emotion. "Do you call that glass"
Sepple uttered an exclamation of
The side-iewels in the brass
crown were of coarse, colored crystal,
the central one blazed with the blue, six
rayed light of genuine gem!
''What does this means" 4" he said.
''As sure as you and stand here, Colo
mel Granger, this is a Star Sapphire r'
81 knew L should find it, said Gran
ger, in a tone of quiet conviction
'What do You think of the theory of
chances now, old fellow2"
Uncle Blight was questioned as to the
history of the "Asteria, but he could
rive them no definite information. His
mind was weak, and interrogatories be-
yjldered him. He had bought the stage
ewelry, he said, at the auction of one
Madame Jurati, an old actress who died
few months before he left Sydney. He
,ad done so simply because Madame
-urati had once acted on the boards with
limself. and he desired to possess O me-
nento of her. That was all he knew.
{ had been a rainy day, and there were
aw bidders, else he could not have AT
0rded even the few shillings that he had
aid for the outfit.
"And 1 have given it to little Molly,
g said. "Molly reads to the old man
nd keeps him company. Molly shall
ear the crown"
SO the Star Sapphire drifted back
cross the ocean to its original owner,
O one knew through what clouds OF
list and tradition. And Colon Ell Gran