Waterbury evening Democrat., 1892-07-15
waser7 on, why DOM somebody

jump the fence ana take the snort cut
She's all alone in the house, poor
thingl'
At Salt Inlet they had neither steam
fire-engines nor patent extinguishers-
BY the time the volunteer company lad
dragged the rickety old engine and
hose-cart out of their shed, and hoisted
them up the hill, the ancient house
where Sarepta Smith. had been born
was in ruins; and the old woman her
self, carried in big chair over to the
Warden house, was lamenting herself
that she, too, had not gone also.
Seems like couldn't live nowhere
else" said she. And I'm an old wom-
ana very old woman"
Bess Warden gave u p her own room
to Miss Sarepta- Every one did what
he could to make her comfortable, but
the only sign she evinced of pleasure
was when Charley Cleve brought in the
old gray goose, stiflly mounted on an
imitation of messy ground. Her dim
eyes lighted up.
II am glad you saved that, Charles"
said she.
IT found it amo- a! heap of other
things" said Charley. "And thought
you'd like to have it Sec, here are
your spectacles too, and the old Bible,
with the leaves all right, and the cover
only little charredr'
Miss Sarepta looked feebly from one
relic to another.
"Im glad" said she, every glad. 1t
was thoughtful of you, Charles. I'm
sorry called you them names take
| 'em all back"
''Ohl never mind the Names" said
| Charley. SAT all events, you can't lay
this fire to me."'
NO" said Sarepta, 'ft was the mice
playin' on theIcloset shelf where 1 kept
the matches. I'd laid up to set trap,
but forgot. And 1 should ha' been
burned in my bed if it hadn't been for
you, Charles. allays dreaded death
by firer'
Old Miss Sarepta lay very quietly for
day or two, with the, gray goose fold
ing it's wings at her bed head, and the
Bible and spectacles on a stand beside
her pillow
'Charles shall have the gray goose"
said she, one evening. eth help fur
nish his house. And it'll show don't
| bear no malice ton account of his shoot
in it. And the specks and the Bible
Bess must keep An old Bible brings
every one luckr'
She died before day break. If there
was any willard Miss Sarepta was
always believed to be a well-to-do,
business-like woman-it was destroyed
in the flames. The old place-three-
| and-forty acres-went to a cousin
nearer of kin than Charley Cleve.
my unlucky planet again. said
Charley, with grimace. "Wen, never
mind, Bess; it's only waiting little
longer. We've got Bible and pair
of spectacles, after all"
And stuffed gray goose" said
| Bess.
'Oh! hang the gcose!' said Charley.
Its neither useful nor ornamental
Let's shy it out into the orchard;" and
he seized it by one leg.
''Oh! stop, Charley" cried thrifty
Bess Lets save the feathers for n
pillow"
They're full of arsenic and such
stuff"
"All the better for keeping out
MOTHS" retorted Bess. IN pack
them into n bag, and Oh! Charley,
what is this?"
A piece of the old gray goose's cpl
dermis had come off with the first
handful of feathers. Underneath it
was something like dull-green paper
packed in layers.
"Hello!" said Charley. why
they're bills! They're money! Look
here! Am l dreaming?"
It was true. The old gray goose was
stuffed full of new, crisp greenbacks.
Sarepta Smiths eccentricities had not
ceased with her death. There had
been method in her words when she
gave Charley Cleve this memorial OF
his own blunder, as peace offering.
Give hundred dollars!' said he. 81
say, Bess, isn't it almost enough to get
married upon? Well do it very quiet
ly, you know
Don't talk nonsense, Charley"
But look in the old Bible, Bess.
Who knows what may be hidden
there?"
Nothing was hidden there. Appar-
emily Miss Sarepta had confined her
savings bank idea to the old gray
goose.
Charley Cleve considered deeply.
Five hundred dollars won't go very
far in the city," said he; land in the Trust
company, where I'm clerlxing it, fell
low may grub away for twenty years
without any chance of promotion. I'll
cut city life, Bess, if you say so, and
|
on little fruit farm out here at Salt
Inlet"
Bess' face lighted up.
"Close to my old homer she cried
''Oh, Charley, do say SOP"
And ten years after their wedding
day, when the great railway vein haG
throbbed through their land, and the
little fruit farm was cut up into vii
Ila1a lots the thriving vounp farme,
looked at his wife with smile.
ut all comes of the old gray goose
. Bess," said he.
''The unlucky planet was a lucky
!. one after ALL" laughed Bess.-Clar;
, Green, in N. Y. Ledger.
"A man who was preparing serie!
| of recipes for a cookery book, engaged
/ the services of a celebrated chef a
critic and reviser of his work. On
/ h. 70 tho chat 1.eain