The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1890-10-23
THE OLD CABINET.

THE OLD CABINET.
It Brought Good Fortune to Two
Lonely Hearts.
81 dare say it's great curiosity"
said Mrs. Minden, carelessly; .but
never did fancy these quaint old odds
and ends OF creation, and didn't bar
gain to have my house turned into .
rattle-traps. So | ordered it sent to the
secondhand dealers establishment this
morning. He allowed me five dollars
for it! And, really" added the lady,
with laugh, II think ! should have
been tempted, ii better terms could not
have been made, to pay the dealer i've
dollars for removing 1t 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 it will
hardly do to offend the old gentleman.
.'Oh! we'll tell him it all fell to
pieces" said Mrs. Minden, calmly.
"Ten to one he'll never think OF it
again.
And Mrs Minden replaced the old
teakwood cabinet with o modern chit.
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
a roll Of embroidered satin to the shop
lOrely old Indian cabinet in lockwood 5
secondhand store as l passed by! 1t
was marked Fifteen dollars Mamma,
it would brighten up our dim little par
Tor like bit OF the ORIENT"
Mrs Field, thin little woman,
sighed as she saw the sparkle in Beat
rice's eyes.
But Bee," said she, Fifteen dollars!
How are we, with our narrow means,
ever to compass fifteen dollars?"
'Ah! but you don't understand, man.
MAJ. cried triumphant Bee. MARY
lockwood says l may have it for ten.
1t l will help her make her dress for
the military ball! So. If you don't
think it 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. to deny you little in
diligence now and then"
So the teakwood cabinet was set up in
Mrs. Fields humble little parlor,
where it became the delight Of Bees
heart.
Il 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 secret drawer
in it somewhere, although l never
have been able to find it. It 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, yet there had been q concat-
enation Of circumstances in Mrs. Field s
life to justify it. When Beatrice was
yet an infant, her husband, . 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 decamped,
leaving her penniless; and since then
existence had been one OF continual
struggle, until Beatrice, growing up.
had developed an unusual taste for the
fine artistic needlework which was just
then coming into fashion. and had vir.
tually taken the support OF the family
into her own hands.
And in her delight at this new acq uis-
ition. Beatrice told its history to old
Captain Burton. a sick ledger on the
boor above, to 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 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 Bur-
tons bedside.
''Eh?" said he. ''Ah! So you are the
little guardian angel, are your"
Il am Beatrice Field" said our hero
inc, coioring up. ''And did not know
that Captain Burton had company, or"
.'Oh! I'm not company" chuckled the
little brown man. Pm only Zadoc
johnson. I'm Ben Buttons second
cousin, and I've been looking for him
these six months. Nom, by the merest
chance in the world, I've found him.
And have to thank you. Miss Beatrice,
for all the dislnterested kindness you
have shown him"
1T wasn't l." said Bee. AT least, it
wasn't all me-mamma-"
Take me down to your mamma at
once" said Mr.. johnson. 1--WE q heavy
debt Of gratitude to pay her. I've only
ono cousin, Ben Burton. and he
might have died if it hadn't been for
you two kind ladies'"
He pulled out his purse on the way
IF there's any Of this debt that money
can pay" he said; but Beatrice made
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 position been reversed.
And"
"Hallo!" CALCULATED Mr.. Zadoc John
son, as Beatrice opened the door of the
little family sitting-room at that mo-
ment "Hai-lo. Where on earth did you
get that old cabinet Of teakwood?'
I'VE bought it at the second hand
store," said Beatrice. Isn't it beauti-
full"
Its mine!" said Zadoc johnson.
How can it be yours" Indignantly
Bee, when l bought
It and paid for it, my very own self?"
This Is very strange" said Zadoc.
II think so. too" said Beatrice.
Ard then Mrs Field came ip. and the