Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1894-11-29


most honest Of the secondhand furniture
dealers, Jack, will take out and dust
the drawers SO that whoever buys my
aunt's present will find it clean inside
as we'll as out. !"
II was thinking, my dear, Z" said Jack
as he put on his well worn oyercoat,
that perhaps poor Werner, the from
bone player, will have no place to go to
for his Thanksgiving, and il would be
nice if we could manage to entertain
him tomorrow.
just like you, you old darling!"
was the little woman's comment, and
she added: ''Why, Of course, we can
have poor Werner and will enjoy his
company. You might drop round and
see him after you have called on Mr..
Myers.
With a goodby kiss Jack Thornton
went on his way, his errands Of busi-
ness and sociability being important
enough to occupy his mind ina ~ cause
him to forget the gloom Of the ilumedi-
ate future. Alice was moi given to re-
pining. and yet as she began to take out
the drawers Of the old bureau she could
not refrain from few tears, not, you
must understand, at parting with that
piece Of furniture, but at the dire me-
cessity which prompted the act.
As she removed the first drawer her
thoughts went back to the old farm
house not many miles north Of Cincin-
natl, where she had passed her child
hood and received what share Of Aunt
James love was not given to her chick
en- farm, which occupied the first place
in her affections.
As the second drawer was taken out
and carefully busted the little woman
thought Of the first meeting with Jack.
He had come from the city in answer
TO Uncle Williams advertisement for
boarders for the summer. 1t was case
of love at first sight. Her guardians
had offered no objection to the match
Indeed Aunt Jane had seemed glad to
be relieved Of the charge of tho orphan
child.
Then, as she. pulled out the third
drawer, Alice recalled the memorable
event of the wedding, when Jack :
Odoon friends had come out to Elmville
and the orchestra had given concert
i'll the farmyard, TO tho delight Of the
entire neighborhood and the consterna-
tion Of Aunt James feathered commu-
nifty. The Odeon people all brought
presents, and Alice was richer that day
than she had ever expected to be.
The fourth drawer stuck, and after a
few hard pulls at the brass knobs the
busy housewife was about to give it up
until Jack returned when she sudden
" remembered that on that wedding
day she had been so wildly recalling
her aunt had at the dinner which was
given i'll tho barn made the one speech
OF her life, an effort which, by the way,
hid much amused and edited the Odeon
iolk.
You have received so many fine
presents from your husbands friends
and gold watch and chain from your
uncle that my gift must be something
Of use in housekeeping. The walnut bu-
reau that stands in the parlor shall be
my gift, and here is the key which
opens all tho drawers. SO saying, she
handed the bride small brass key and
resumed her seat, not little flnstered
with having made what she afterward
declared was the greatest speech of her
| life.
Where was this key? Surely in the
lower part Of the eight day clock. In O
minute Alice had recovered the brass
key and had unlocked the last drawer,
which size pulled out with no little eff.
fort. for it was heavy. while tho other
three had been light. Another curious
thing was that it was covered with d
thin panel Of polished walnut, which
bore tho inscription in Uncle Williams
handwriting: