Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1889-04-13
THE FAMILY JEWELS.
Playing for High Stakes and Win
ming an Old Maid

ming an Old Maid
It was clear, still evening in October.
There had been a frost the night before,
and Miss Myra Gaynor had left her house
work to take care OF itself since noon,
while she had gone nutting on Bald Mount
ian.
"Chestnuts bring a good price in the
market" said she, land between the boys
and the squirrels, there amt much cnance,
unless you get an early start"
Miss Gaynor was sharp-faced, elderly
woman, whose mouth and chin were in close
neighborhood, and who was the byword Of
The whole town for her parsimony. With
her lived her nephew Gabriel, gaunt, ''old-
youngn man of thirty, and Judge Dynevor
had been heard to declare that if Miss Myra
ard her nephew Gabriel were, by some
n1atutinal mistake, to assume each others
clothes some day, no one would be able to
tell them apart.
The Gaynor kitchen was painfully neat,
but there was not one superfiuous article
of furniture to be seen. The tea-kettle
was small, and sang an Insignificant song
over the handful of Goals in the stove
even the cat sat before mousehole in the
corner with green eyes OF famished eager
ness.
in good laying order,' said Miss Myra,
s.there amt nothing to spare for the cat. If
she don't want to starve, let her catch
mice"
AS she put the last of the brown, shining
nut into the basket, and closed down the
lid with a sigh Of satisfaction, the door
opened, and in walked Gabriel.
"Ain't supper ready!" said he, looking
about rather hIankly.
"Wen, wasn't calculating to give We no
regular supper tonight, " said Aunt Myra
.'The kettles blin, and there's some rye
bread and hunk o. cold pork en- the buttery
shelf. We'd oughter get the wagon packed
I with garden truck tonight, so TO lose no
time tomorrow mornin'. If Deacon Eye
bright gets his chestnuts TO the grocery
stores before we getour'n there Ii be clean
loss of ten cents a DuShel"
THAT 'ud never do SAID Gabriel but,
Aunt Myra, was thinkin some o. goin' over
30 Fetherbee's tonight, arter we'd got the
wagon ready"
ssTo Fetherbee's! What for?" said Aunt
Mvra, raising her thin voice to sort OF
Bcreech Il hant no sort of ldee o. that gig
Gin, black eyed Mary Fetherbee, brung up
in family where they use white sugar in
their tea and think rag carpet amt genteel
enough for their parlor."
s.Sh-sh-shi' soothed Gabriel. You don't
understand, Aunt Myra. l was gettin' my
axe ground over to Smiths tonight, when
heerd suthln."
"Heerd lChdtf'
"Jesthold on aminnit till ] tell ye. George
Fetherbee was in the store, tallnn' sort O.
confidential to old Smith. But l could hear
real plain through big crack in the board
sidin'. for all the noise the grin'stone made,
for my ear was just agin the wall And
saws George: The jewels is comm next
month And says old Smith: Them jewels
is gon' to be an awful responsibility And
saws George: You betp says he. And
Smith he asks, up and down: is it settled
that they belong to you" And says George
Fetherbee, says he: That's about itn And
lust then little Sambo stopped grindin', SO
didn't hear no more"
Jewels. chg said Aunt Myra, whose
small, faded eyes had giowed into phos-
phorescent luster. What kind o Jewels,
now, | wonderl And how much be they
WORTH"
Well. YOU know" said Gabriel, there
was a lawsuit, years ago, in the Feather
bee family about a trunk O valOoables as
was sent from Uncle Theodorus Fetherbee,
out West, and got lost IN the Adams Elk
press robbery. Nobody knowed exactly
be diamonds and nuggets, and emeralds,
nd SIGH"
LAND o. Goshen % said Aunt Myra. ~
did hear somethin' about it at the time.
remember il now, but s'posed ii was cnly
lueirhborhood talk. i see it ALI You are
"a sensible fellow, Gabe, and I've susplcioned
all along that Mary Fetherbee was partial
to YOU, and don't think you can do bet
ter than to go right down there and pro-
pose to her. before any of the other fellows
cut I'M
Il thought you'd approve of it," said Mr..
Gaynor, complacently.
And" added Miss Myra, ''I'l pack the
wagon myself. There amt no sort of occa-
sion for YOU TO waste time foolin' with the
parsnips, and the pound sweets, and the
chestnuts Why, Mary Fetherbee Ii be a
full blown heiress, as sure as the world.
Jewelsl Well, do declared
Gabriel Gaynor tied on his best navy blue
silk cravat, bought cheap, because of flaw
In the stitching, ornamented his pale tow
colored hair with tallow, and set forth on
loves errapd.
Mary Fetherhee was village belle, with
her diuples, her red checks, and her black
eyes. and Gabriel was not altogether blind
10 these attractions, yet if she had been
Hecate herself he would have married her.
if the money part of the question had been
satisfactory.
Itwas not a long walk across the fields,
although by the high road It was good mile
and half between the Gaynor farm and
Mrs. Fetherbee white house. George Feth-
erbee himself sat on the doorstep, whiting
anew gate-pin.
Mary in, ehg'' said Gabriel, somewhat
ewkwardly
Yes she's in" sSId George, contemplate
ing his work by the light of the hall lamp
that swung within. But she's engaged"
"Engagedp
George chuckled
"1es, said he. Engaged talkn' Il
Squire Dolly's son Isaac. It's been sor'
OF understood thing between 'em this long
time And tonight he asked her, up and
down, If she'd marry him; and guess shf
didn't say no."
Gabriel took out his OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
end wiped the cold sweat of his forehead
So he was too latel
Just then Miss Joanna Fetherbee came
around the corner of the house like whirl
wind-a tall. sosre female. dead match