Morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven [Conn.]) 1848-1894, 1890-05-27
WIDOW O,CONNOR's FORTUNE.
A lucky Old Bureau Which Planned
cut About Twenty Thousand Dol

WIDOW O,CONNOR'S FORTUNE.
Eucky Old Bureau which Panned
cut about Twenty Thousand Doll
lars.
From the Washington ID. C.) Gazette.l
1t was chilly November day in the year
-, early in the nos, when Father Tom
O'Flaherty knocked at the door of the little
wooden house in southeast Washington,
where Hved the widow of Jimmie O'Connor.
The good priest had married the couple
years ago in county Kerry, on the other side,
had christened their children, and said the
last rites over poor Jimmie when he was
killed in an ugly railroad accident year or
two before the time speak Of. can how is
ID with ye, Mrs. O'Connor" asked the good
man, as he patted little Norah on the head
and watched Jimmie, a sturdy child OF three
or four, who was tying bit of greenish pa
per with long string to the tail on the
nap near the stove. "Tm doing very we'll,
thanks be to God," answered the comely
| Irish woman, testing her smoothing iron to
| see If it was hot enough. "I'ye plenty of
washing, and the ladies ye recommended me
| to are very kind, and are giving me all their
| cat, suddenly disturbed, had retaliated by
giving Jimmie scratch with her strong
claws for his insult to her dignity and tail.
"Ah. there, me little man, it's nothing"
/ said Father Tom. 'tBut what's that you've
got tied to your string, Jimmiea" "Faith it's
only some old papers the childher were find
ing in one of the drawers of the old chist I
! bought at the auction last week" Was there
ever an old Irish woman who could call bu-
| reau anything but chist of drawersa'
'And Its see what 1t is there, Jimmie" said
the priest, taking the lad upon his knee.
''Where did you buy this chist of drawersa'
he suddenly asked. ''Oh, I just bought it at
an auction" the woman answered. II naded
something more to kape the ohildher's
clothes in, and I bid it in chape." care
there any more Of these papers in the draw
ers, Mrs. o'Connora' Father Tom carelessly
asked minute or two afterwards. "Yis,
there is" said little Norah, 'afor me and
Jimmis took out lot of them to-day"
'sLet me see them, Norah, DEAR" said the
priest. So the child brought them, and
there were thirteen. s'Let me keep these
papers day or two, Mrs. O'Connor," the
priest said as he carefully folded them up;
1.-THE engravings are good. and "a & IKE TO
! look at them more carefully" "Tm sure
you're welcome to them," Mrs. O'Connor
! answered. sThe childher'll only be tearing
! them, and ye might as well have them" So
| after learning where the bureau had been
bought Father Tom took his leave. "Do you
happen to know where the bureau you sold
Mrs. O'Connor last week came from?" asked
1 q priest as he entered oae OF the oheepeI
auction houses devoted mainly to the sale OF
furniture In southeast Washington. "No.
DON'T" answered the proprietor shortly
"We don't guarantee anything; people mus
take things as they come. 1 won't under
take to make anything right If We did
there'd be no profit in the business" "Bu
don't you know where you got its' "No,
don'tl" was the proprietor's answer. "W,
bought it of en- old niger one day, ant
that's all know about it." The man wa
disposed to bs insolent and Father Tom lef
without asking any more questions. eyes
they are $50 bonds" said the assistant sec
retary of the treasury, 'and only two Of tn
coupons have been paid. Coupons and all
they are worth about twenty thousand. dol
lars" "Yes, ye'll be a comparatively rici
woman, Mrs. O'Connor," concluded th'
priest, as he explained TO the excited woman
what the sgreen pictures the children hat
been playing with really were. "Isuppose,
he proceeded, "that some one hid them ava.
in that little drawer and covered them u
with that other old rubbish and then died
| Anyhow the money is legally yours, and
will invest it for you and the little ones
Let us thank him who work in 80 man
| strange ways"