Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-02-09
OLD FURNITURE TRADES
The Deacon's Wife Was Tempted to Dis
pose Of Old China.
A TransactiOn Involving an Old
Family ClOck-The Deacon
Was Happye

From the New York Times.
The last village entered and devastated
by the old furniture hunter was Hop
Meadow village, Conn. This was partly on
account of its accessibility-though that
would have been a spur to some hunters,
and partly to the very primitive manner
Of life of the surrounding region, which
yielded nothing worth gathering for the
adornment of city homes, and partly to Its
inco1 spicuosity-to apply long word to a
small matter-for it Is marked on no map
of the state, Is twenty-seven miles from a
railroad. and, in fact. gets mail but thrice
a week. when Aaron Damon, the tax col
lector, drives his blackboard ten miles over
the hills to Bountiful. which has daily
stage from Charter Oak, on the railway.
The first person to whom the tempter
appeared in Hop Meadow was a woman,
Sarah, the wife of Deacon Wallace. But
unlike her first mother, she kept her
mouth shut and did not even offer bite
Of the apple to her husband. In her heart
she planned magnificent surprise for him.
The tempter came in the person OF Aaron
Damon, and assailed her thus:
''Mornin', Mis- Wallace"
'Mornin'. Aaron. Amt got no bill against
us this mornin'. hev ye?" loosely.
''Haw. haw. haw! No. Mis- Wallace. Got
somethin' you'll like better, maybe. You
member my wife's half sister, she tibet
married a gentleman down t New York.
and he'd tibet ptndlin' little boy up here two
summers ago? An she come up an staid
week? An you give her baked apples
and milk here one evenin? Member Of
her?"
Eyes, indeedy. What's the word from
her? Hope that poor little boys gittin'
IT, fol
Ter worm himself along the fence and git
in to our orchard when they want no one
lookin'! Bright boy. Land! And his ma
well, co'se 1 remember of her. What's she
done?'
'She amt done nothin' yet, but she al
ways 'membered them baked apples an
milk, an how nice you an deac'n was that
night. She often speaks of it in letters
'Oh, that want nothin' great what we
DONE Mrs. Wallace twisted on one foot.
and her eyes shone with pleasure that her
good deeds had been remembered.
well, she amt forgot. and she wanted
up word about them old blue dishes of
yourn. She says If you'd like she'll send up
a whole set Of new white ones and swap, as
she says That's what she'd like to do for
ye."
Mrs Wallace's face shone with pleasure
Il guess she can have 'em and welcomer'
she cried. I've ben sick of the sight of
them dishes for forty year, and my mother
before me. You tell her she can have en-
I'd a most give 'em away-and she needn't
be particular about what sort of dishes she
sends for them, neither"
oh. she'll do the square thing. She's
that kind" Aaron called back, as he drove
away
Mrs. Wallace kept still about her luck.
She looked plumb full of Importance and
younger and happier than she had been
since her hair began to turn. And finally
the new dishes came and the old ones We're
@-II
supper with the white ware, and the dea-
con was brought into it's presence with
fond expectation of pleasure by his loving
wife.
cesSiye emotions communicated themselves
to her; thus, she was surprised. bewildered,
astounded and chagrined. What has hap
pened, Sarah, to your chiny?" he said
when he became able to say anything.
Sarah told of the exchange that had been
made, and as the deacons face fell the
corners of her mouth dropped. But not
through anticipation of unpleasant COM
ment; the deacon was gentleness itself in
his family: but she saw she had committed
some blunder, and she waited to hear it ex-
planned.
II must say I'm leetle dlsap'inted. sa-
rah.' he said. mot that it's any fault of
yours-you done the best you knew-an' I
wouldn't have knowed any better myself
But I don't think Aarons ben
quite squar weth We"
"Oh, yes, he has!" she interposed eff
anybody's to fault, it's his half sister-in
law She showed woman's readiness to
cr1minate her sex. and maintained stoutly
that Aaron had been honest. But what
is wrong?" she asked.
why. Aaron brought tn mail over fom
Bountiful today. an there was letter
rom my brother to Hartford. tellen' me he
wanted me to pick him up old clock An
he says"-here the deacon fumbled for the
letter. and finally produced 1t and read
hn1I fl,1
arms length "He says: All this old fur
niture and china is coming hack into
fashion. You had better keep all you have
and pick mp all you can; Don't let any
for next to nothing, for it's worth good
money" He stopred reading folded the
letter, and put 1t back in his pocket, all
the time looking at his wife over the top
shouldn't. be surprised If tibet half sister
in-law of Aaron's got thunderin' good
bargain off ye'
"Well I don't care" Sarah sobbed: "it's
apples an milk
Don't we say another word. Sarah" he
nsoled her. Say nothin' about the let
even."
The next day the deacon got into his
chaise and rode down the road through the
Meadow to the house Of Aaron Damon
Aaron was at home-a long, bony New
Highlander, sitting on the doorsll, doubled
up like a pocket knife. He opened out
when the deacon drove in and welcomed
him.
IT can't stop long" the deacon apollo
gized. Thought I ju't neighbor We a min
ute in passin' an say how tickled Sarah
Is with them white dishes They make tn
table look cleaner somehow, an, actilly
light up tn old Kitchen
"They be an Improvement, now. amt
they?" Aaron responded, promptly. 1t
seemed to the deacon to be an honest SEN
timent, and as such was well suited to his
purpose of getting even" II got the old
ones all packed an am gcin' over t. Bounti-
full weth 'em today. Beats me, though,
what they'll do weth those old blue things
down to New York"
"'Tain't likely they'll use 'em when they
got company" the deacon suggested slyly.
"Well. should guess not. deac'n," Aaron
laughed. "Mebbe she's gettin' savn'. and
wants .em for every day. ard will keep the
white for Sunday" he added, facetiously.
"Well, I dunno" said the deacon. "But
We see. Sarah's powerfully sot up over
them white ones She's ben wantin'
clock In the kitchen for ten year, and now
she says she don't see how she's sson' to
git along wethout one She says to ME
this mornin: Deacon, I really must have
things in better shape now Well. 1 mem
bered of that old long clock your father
how ~, hot