The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1890-10-15
The TeakWood Cabinet,
BY AMY RANDOLPH.

my house turned into storage place fol
Uncle Zadoc's old rattlc-traps. So or
dered it seat to the secondhand dealer:
establishment this morning. He allowed
me five dollars for it! And, really
added the lady, with laugh, ~ think
I should have been tempted, if better
terms could not have been made, to pay
the dealer five dollars for removing il
from the premises"
Mr.. Minden looked up from behind
the closely printed columns Of the daily
paper.
''And if your Uncle zadock inquiries
after it:' said he. "Bccause it will
hardly DO to offend the old gentleman. u
"Oh, we'll tell him it all fell to pieces, u
said Mrs. Minden, calmly. "Tcn to
one, he'll never think Of it again."
And Hrs. Minden replaced the old
teakwooi cabinet with modern chif-
fonier, inlaid with China tiles and gilt
tering with brass ornaments, and con-
graduated herself on getting rid of Uncle
Zadoc Johnson's "old trash"
"Oh, mamma" cried Beatrice Field,
coming in one day from carrying home
roll OF embroidered satin to the shop
for which she worked, 81 saw such a
lovely Old Indian cabinet in Leckwood's s
secondhand store as 1 passed by! It
was marked Fifteen dollars Mamma,
it would brighten up our dim little par
lor like bit of the Oricnt!"
Mrs Field, thin little woman, sighed
as she saw the sparkle in Beatricc's
eyes.
"But, Bee,n said she, "fftecn dollars!
How are we, with our narrow means,
ever to compass fifteen dollars2"
''Ah, but you don't understand, man.
ma" cried triumphant Bee. slIary
lockwood says may have it for ten If
will help her make her dress for the
military ball! So if you don't think it
too extravagant, mamma, dear"
d. 'Have your own way, my child"
said the little widow, with sigh. "You
are the support of the family; it would
be hard, indeed, to deny you little in
OulGencc now ana tlcn.
So the teakwood cabinet was set up in
Mrs. Fields humble little parlor, where
it became the delight of Bees heart.
81 could fancy all sorts of delightful
mysteries out of the Arabian Nights,
when sit here and look at its carved
corners and odd, twisted DOORS" said
she. "I'm sure there's a secret drawer
in it somewhere, although I never have
been able to find it. 1t shall be our
household idol, mamma, and I'm quite,
quite sure that it will bring us good
luck"
81 fear that nothing ever will do that, :"
So poor little Mrs. Field, sighing.
End, although the remark sounded ex-
treme, yet there had been a concatena-
ton of circumstances in Mrs. Fields life
to justify it. When Beatrice was yet an
infant, her husband, sca-captain, sailing
between the ports of Bombay and New
York, by way OF the London docks, was
jost at sea. The guardian of her little
fortune proved unworthy of the trust, and
decamped, leaving her penniless; and
3ince then existence had been one con-
tinual struggle, until Beatrice, growing
up, had developed an unusual taste for
the fine artistic needlework which was
Just then coming into fashion, and had
virtually taken the support Of the family
into her own hands.
-.--. And in her delight at this new acouisi-
ton, Beatrice told its history to old Cap
tain Burton, sick lodger on the floor
above, to whom she sometimes carried
iced coffee, white grapes, little odds and
ends of luxury.
'For he is so poor" reasoned sener-
Gus little Bee. land he has no friends!"
One day, however, when Bee tripped
lightly up with plate of cream puffs
which she herself had manufactured, she
saw brown-skinned, wrinkled little old
man sitting at Captain Burton's bedside.
''Eh?" said he. "Ah! So you are
the little guardian angel, arc you2"
!: u am Beatrice Field, said our heroine,
coloring up. sand did not know that
Captain Burton had company, Or
"Oh, I'm not company, " chuckled the
little brown man. "I'm only Zsdoc
johnson. I'm Ben Burton's second cousin.
and I've been looking for him these six
months. Now, by the merest chance in
the world I've found him. And 1 have
to thank You, Miss Beatrice, for the
disinterested kindness you have shown
him."
1T wasn't l." said Bee. cat least, it
wasn't all me-mamma-"
"Take me down to your mamma at
once" said Mr. Johnson. "I've heavy
debt of gratitude to pay her. I've only
one cousin, Ben Burton, and he might
have died if it hadn't been for you two
kind ladies"
He pulled out his purse OF the way
down stairs.
eff there's any of this debt that money
can pay" he said; but Beatrice made
deprecatory movement.
"Please don't talk of money!" said
she. There is nothing we have done
which Captain Burton would not have
done for us, had our positions been re,
versed. And"
eHallo." calculated Mr.. Zadoc John
son, as Beatrice opened the door of the
little family sitting-room at that mo.
ment. "Hal-lo! Where on earth die
you get that cabinet OF teakwood2'
I'VE bought it at the second hand
store" said Beatrice. "Isn't it bcauti