The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1897-10-22

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Uncle Abner's iayorite niece, and thcn
she has 40 little 20 make her happy.
anyway, in comparison 10 what The
other relatives have"
That the other two occupants of the
carriage we're not Indifferent as 90 who
should have the ownership OF the bed.
stead appearances plainly indicated
The pink aud white faces Of Julia and
Carrie Rediern, which had remained
almost expressionless during the ride.
now showed signs Of great emotion.
Mamma has always supposed she
would be the one 10 inherit Uncle ABB
ner's bedstead, spoke up the oldest
Of the two girls, "and when we had
our lovely spare room done over last
/ spring she sent 20 Buffalo aud had
some old-fashioned wall paper made
20 order, that il would harmonic with
the bedstead when 1t came TO be hers. 4"
eyes, and then we entertain the
Boutwell, girls" continued the second
daughter, "and I'm sure they would
wish 20 see their grandfather bed
stead in our house"
They had reached the village. and
the carriage stopped before Mrs. Bout
wells house. The executor had
thought II best, as there were a num-
Der OF heirs aud several legatees-
many of whom were from out of town
to adopt the old-time custom of
reading the will directly after the fu-
neral. Accordingly, all assembled for
that purpose. Mrs. Boutwell, had not
a large property, but she had cut It
up pretty well, going down even into
\ the third generation with her legacies.
/ And what was quite remarkable about
it oil was, with the numerous requests,
there was no fault found with any por-
ton as assigned in the will. An ex-
. pressed themselves satisfied.
But before Executor Hanf0rd left
/ the house he learned Of the storm
brewing over who should be the pos
SCISSOR of the tester bedstead.
'Im not surprised" he remarked
to the younger executor, as he drew
his fingers through his long gray hair,
for in all my years of experience in
settling estates, I've known Of more
family quawels over q few old house
hold things than over the division Of
the property many times over; and
the very worst feud of all commenced
over an old brass kettle"
The contention, thus begun in the
Coles family created rancor, bitter
ness and suspicion, so that when the
/ inventory came to be made and the
things assigned, nothing could be
divided satisfactorily.
Aunt Hester and Mrs. Ganson re-
newed hostilities over feather bed.
you've got the bed Desire meant
for me to have" Aunt Hester COM
planned, bitterly. Eve heard sister
say time and time again that mine was
to be the one with the goose quill in
each corner, and yourn's got EN- in
and mine hasn't. That one they've
given you is made of live geese feath-
ers, and the one l have is nothin' in
the world but hen feathers"
Abner's wife and Augusta Ganson
quarreled like two children over which
one should come to own a little china
lamb that had stood on Aunt Desires
what-not.
And Mrs. Redfern, finding two Gus
tard cups missing from the set of
china assigned her, accused one of the
other heirs of being the thief, and
even threatened to,make serious trou-
bic if said cups We're not returned
And so one strife after another fol-
, lowed along until it was hard to find a
more bitter family, one toward an.
, other, than the Coles family.
: Meantime Thanksgiving came and
went, and no one even thought of q
q family dinner.
The executors found the disposition
D of the household effects of Mrs. Desire
Boutwell, a long and tedious proceed
S ing, but finally, after much wrangHng
division of all the articles had beer
= made All but the tester bedstead-
t the settlement of that remained as fal
$ off as on the day Of the funeral. No
c one of the claimants showed any sigI
t of surrendering There the bed stood
q up in the spare room, the only article
- of furniture left in the house.
What to do in the matter the execu
j. tors were at a complete loss to decide
r But one day the affair settled itself
r The several heirs to Mrs Desire Bout
i wells estate had been summoned t
d Lawyer Hanford's office. While tn
= business was going on little dried-u
c old lady, in rusty black silk, cam
Il into the Office. Some of the heir
e recognized her as their Uncle Abner'
!. sister, who had moved West a humble
:, of years before, and who had wounde
l. the Boutwell, pride considerably b
% marrying a poor tradesman.
IT you'll see by reading this" sh
e said, handing the lawyer a letter
d Abner Boutwell's handwriting, "tho
. my brother gave me long time ago
i tester bedstead that he had in hi