Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1896-12-24

! BU- = ner mllu eyes uKeu
on the flakes
which were flutter-
ing like tiny white
butterflies against the window panes
Out in the distance beyond the square
wooden turret of Traxall church, she
could see the crooked white stone under
which lay her old husband with leaf
less rOse-vines tangled above his cof-
in-lld. After all, what was there to
wait for?
"Don'ttalks so, Aunt Chrystenah," said
Mrs. John Jones, who had come down
from New York to see her aunt, and
also, II the truth must be told, to try
to borrow a little money from her
for Aunt Chrystenah had laid up some
thing, and her niece had an exceeding
great longing to be able this Christ
mas day. to give little present to her
patient, Woodworking young husband.
mo, Janey," said the old lady, I'm
obliged to you for the invite, all the
same as II went. But I'm too stiff In
the boPes and hard In the hearing to
take much comfort away from home
nowadays. You'll have to keep your
Christmas without me, guess, this
year. And as for lending you money,
I've but one answer to make, and that
is-now
ooh, Aunt Chrystenahw
II mean to leave you all I've got"
explained Aunt Chrystenah, zone O.
these days. But not till I'm done with
1t myself. If l begin lending 1t to
you In driblets, there won't be nothin'
left Of it, It's all put away, safe and
sound, and it'll be yours some day"
Janey thanked Aunt Chrystenah,
with slckening at her heart, neverthe-
less. She fully appreciated the old
lady's kind intentions; but, oh, If she
could only have known how far-far
more acceptable a little Of that money
would be now!
II would pay you back in very
short time, Aunt Chrystenah," said she,
eff"
mo, you wouldn't" said the old
woman, because you won't have the
chance, and that settles the matter.
And now, If you've a mind to go up
stairs in the garnet and get that old
shepherds plaid shawl l used to wear in
the days when I was able to go to
meeting, you're welcome to 1t for
Christmas present. It can be dyed,
and will make real nice shawl"
THANK you, Aunt Chrystenah," said
the young wife, rather spiritlessly.
She went slowly up the garnet stairs
into the great hollow, echoing space,
Swallowed by dark beams, with the two
odd little semi-circular windows at
either end, where she had been used
to play as child.
Directly at the head of the stairs
stood a great wooden chest painted
blue which had belonged to some sea-
faring member of the Jenkins family.
She opened 1t with something akin to
awe-in her childhood's days it had
been a penal offense to NEEDLE with
the "big blue chest"-and searched
among Its lavender resented treasures
for the plaid shawl. AS she turned over
the various articles something chinked
under her hand, and, to her amazement,
1t proved to be an old gray yarn stock
ing, full Of twenty-dollar gold pieces,
laid carefully among homespun blank
cts and thriftily preserved articles Of
long-past wear.
"Janey, Japey! you amt a-lookin' in
the blue chist, be your" 1t was Aunt
Chrystenah's voice calling from the foot
of the stairway. TITS In that chist O.
draws clear out under the caves, close
to the old spinning-wheel and swifts."
Eyes, Aunt Chrystenah."
Janey Jones started away like a
guilty creature, and presently she came
downstairs with the old shepherds
plaid shawl over her arm.
TITS very nice, Aunt Chrystenah, ="
said she, land thank you very much
for It"
The first thing that Mrs. Jones did
when she came back to the gloomy city
dat that represented home to her, was
TO 60 around to the jewelers. on Third
avenue and purchase the seal ring with
the onyx setting which she had so COW
eted for John. She loved John so
dearly she longed to see him decked
out like other clerks In the bank with
something which should prove that
he, too, was not utterly forgotten at
Christmas. And, after all, she was
only borrowing from Aunt Chrystenah
taking what would one day be her
own. What harm could there be in
that?
And yet Mrs. Jones had reckoned
without her conscience, and that grim
sentinel uprose in her heart when she
least expected It. And as Christmas
approached, with the shop-windows
garlanded with holly and red berries,
and the bouse-roofs giistened with
snow, Mrs Tones was miserable
woman