The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1890-10-31
THE OLD CABINET.
1t Brought Good Fortune to Two
Lonely Hearts

II dare say it's a great curiosity"
said Mrs. Minden, carelessly; but 1
never did fancy these quaint old odds
and ends Of creation, and didn't bar
gain to have my house turned into a
stOrage-place for Uncle Zadoc's old
rattle-traps- SO l ordered il sent to the
secondhand dealers establishment this
morning. He allowed me five dollars
for it! And, really" added tho lady,
with laugh, 81 think / should have
been tempted, IL better terms could not
have been made, to pay the dealer five
dollars for removing IL from the prem
ises."
Mr.. Minder looked up from behind
the closely-printed columns Of the daily
paper.
"And II your Uncle Zadoc inquiries
after it?" said he. Because il will
hardly do TO offend the old gentleman
"Oh! we'll tell him il all fell tC
pieces" said Mrs. Minden, calmly
Ten % one he'll never think Of i
aeainr'
And Mrs Minden replaced the oil,
teakwood cabinet with a modern cKff
J5Hisr, inla!d with china tiles, and gilt
tering with brass ornaments, and con
graduated herself on getting rid
Uncle Zadoc Johnson's ''old trash"
''Oh, mamma" cried Beatrice Field,
coming in one day from carrying home
roll Of embroidered satin 70 the shop
for which she worked, Il saw such a
t0re,y old Indian cabinet in LcckwoOd's
secondhand store as / passed by, Il
was marked Fifteen dollars Mamma
it would brighten up our dim little par
lor like bit Of the ORIENT"
Mrs. Field, a thin little woman,
sighed as she saw the sparkle in Beat
ricc's eyes.
"But, Bee, said she, Fifteen dollars
How are we, with our narrow means.
ever 20 compass fifteen dOllars?"
"Ah, but you don't understand, nam
mar cried triumphant Bee. MARY
| lockwood says I may have it for ten,
| if / viii help her make her dress for
the military ball! SO, If you don't
| think IL too extravagant, mamma,
/ dear"
Have your own way, my child, said
| the little widow, with = sigh. You
are the support Of the family; it would
! be hard, indeed, 70 deny you little in
/ dulgence now and then"
SO the teakwood cabinet was set up in
| Mrs. Fields humble little parlor,
| where it became the delight Of Bees
/ heart.
! II could fancy all sorts OF delightful
| mysteries out OF the Arabian Nights,
1 when I sit here and look at its carved
| corners and odd, twisted doors" said
| she. Pm sure there's a secret drawer
| in 1t somewhere, although 1 never
| have been able TO find 1t. 1t shall be
/ our household idol, mamma, and I'm
| quite, quite sure that it Will bring US
| good luck"
! II fear that nothing will ever do
| that" said poor little Mrs Field, sigh
! ing.
And, although the remark sounded
! extreme, vet there had been a concat-
/ enation Of circumstances in Mrs. Fields
/ life 20 Justify it When Beatrice was
| yet an infant, her husband, 4 sea cap
! tain, sailing between the ports of Bonn
| bay and New York, by way of the Lon
: don docks, was lost at sea The guar
| dian Of her little fortune proved un-
| worthy Of the trust, and decampcd
leaving her penniless; and since then
| existence had been one OF continual
| struggle, until Rcatrice, growing up,
| had developed an unusual taste for the
| fine artistic needleworl which was just
then coming into fashion, and had vir-
! tuaIly taken the support Of the family
| into her own hands.
And in her delight at this new acquis-
ition. Beatrice told its history TO old
Captain Burton, sick lodger on the
bOor above, 20 whom she sometimes car
ried iced coffee, white grapes, little
odds and ends OF luxury.
For he is so poor" reasoned gener-
Gus little Bee 'And he has no friendsr'
One day, however, when Bee tripped
lightly up with plate OF cream puffs
which she herself had manufactured,
she saw a brown-skinned, wrinl1led
little old man sitting at Captain Bur
! tons bedside.
''Eh?" said he. ''Ahi So you are the
little guardian angel, are you?"
Il am Beatrice Field" said our hero
inc, coloring up. And I did not know
that Captain Burton had company, or
"Oh! I'm not company" chucllled the
little brown man. Pm only Zadoc
Johnson I'm Ben Burton's second
cousin, and Pve been looking for him
these six months. Non, by the merest
chance in the world, I've found him.
And have 10 thank you. Miss Beatrice,
for all the disInterested kindness you
have shown him"
1T wasn't I, said Bee. ',At least, IT
wasn't al me-mamma-"
Take mo down TO your mamma AZ
once, said Mr.. Johnson .sIye a heavy
debt ofgratitude to pay her. I've only
one cousin, Ben Burton, and he
might have died IL it hadn't been for
you two kind ladies'"
He pulled out his purse on the way
downstairs.