Martinsburg independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1875-1900, 1888-12-08


The autumn wore itself on. and when
the first Snow-fialxes futtered through
the dull. gray air they buried the old
sailor Ebcnezer Buxton uader the leaf
less willows in the country graveyard.
Aunt Jcmima packed up her belongings
and went with her niece Ellen Denni-
son to distant State. where they could
buy little place and try 10 earn theft
living by means of market garden;
and SO they dwelt for two or three years
Jemima Buxton had laid her plans TO
keep her niece with her always-Elleni
was so bright and helpful, and SO full
of odd and cver-ready resources: but love
sprang into the scale opposite old
Jemima, and love outweighed her. Ellen
promised to marry Olcott Lansing, who
had the largest farm and the most sub
stantial farm house in all the neighbor-
hood
So you are from Harmony. Queer
old place thatl' sand Olcott, one evening
as he sat on Miss Jemimas doorstep,
mcditntlvcly chewing straw. camc
through there once, years ago. when I
drove q peddler's cart"
You2" echoed Ellen, "a peddler's
cart?"
Yes: that's the way I laid the foun-
dations of my fortunes. such as they are
didn't always own a farm OF 400 acres
And the oldest thing happened to me
there
Aunt JemIma put on her spectaclcs,
and stared hard at Mr.. Lansing, while
Ellen asked:
What was it ?"
Well stopped at q strange little
out-oflthe-way house under q hill to get
q drink of water one morning, and little
old woman, with her face tied up with
the toothachc, and sun-bonnet tipped
down over her nose. like an old witch
Humph!" intcr,ected Aunt Jcmima.
"Came OUT pursued the unconscious
Olcott. and wanted me to buy q lot
of tobacco. Well. tobacco wasn't ex-
actly in my line. but the old woman
was very anxious to be rid OF 1t. so 1
closed the bargain at S5--cheap enough,
but at the same time as much as could
afford TO pay. And | never opened the
packet until month afterward. when
was going up into the Michigan lumber
districts. where | expected TO find good
market for that sort of thing. And here
comes in the queer part OF my story.
When was making up my pound pack
| ages of tobacco into small parcels suit
| able to my trade found in one of them,
tied and prepared like the rest. tin box
| with"
Four hundred dollars in itln fairly
screamed Aunt Jemima. Yes. know
Il SOlu Juu tIub UT iODuccOl xAuu WhCu
| you found you'd got what was never
intended for you why didn't you bring
| it back ?'
:" Gently, gently, Miss Buxton said
| Olcott Lansing. ~ did bring 1t
back the very next week. for its pos
session somehow lay heavy ON my con-
science. And when l got back the old
house was shut up, and not soul in
the ncighborhood could tell me where
| the family had moved to-"
And that's true assented Aunt
| Jcmimu, who had never lived on the
best of terms with her neighbors. Well,
seein' the Moneys to come back to tho
| family again--don't blush So Ellen;
hain't said no harm But kind o. wish
l hadn't sold the Blue Virginny. Not
| for the moneys salSc--but my poor old
| brother Ebcnezcr--"
J And Aunt Jcmima got up and went
| into the house, while Ellen lifted her
soft eyes to her lovers face, saying:
| Il feel as if Uncle Ebenezer had put
tho money into my hands for he always
| intended it TO be mine, Olcott."
| And l." said her lover" begin to
believe in the old saying that truth Is
stranger than fiction. -Belford's Maya
| zine.
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