Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1897-09-18

divided satisfactorily.
Aunt Hester and Mrs. Ganson re-
newed hostilities over a feather bed.
"You've got the bed Desire meant
for me to have" Aunt Hester com
planned, bitterly. "I've heard siste,
say time and time again that mine was
to be the one with the goose quill in
each corner, and yourn's got 'em in
and mine hasn't. That one they've
given you is made of live geese feath.
ers, and the one I 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 little china
lamb that had stood on Aunt Desire s
what-not.
And Mrs. Redfern, finding two Gus
tard cups missing from the set of
china assigned her, accused one of the
other heirs Or being tho -t,.iof, an,,
even threatened to make serious trou-
ble if said cups were not returned
And so one strife after another fol-
lowed along until it was hard to find
more bitter family, one toward an
other, than the Coles family.
Meantime Thanksgiving came and
went, and no one even thought of a
family dinner.
The executors found the disposition
Of the household effects of Mrs. Desire
Boutwell, long and tedious proceed
ing, but finally, after much wrangling,
division of all the articles had been
made. All but the tester bedstead-
the settlement of that remained as far
off as on the day of the funeral. Not
one of the claimants showed any sign
of surrendering. There the bed stood
up in the spare room, the only article
of furniture left in the house.
What to do in the matter the execu-
tors were at complete loss to decide.
But one day the affair settled itself.
The several heirs to Mrs Desire Bout
wells estate had been summoned to
Lawyer Hanford's office. While the
business was going on little dried-up
old lady, in rusty black silk, came
into the Office. Some of the heirs
recognized her as their Uncle Abner's
sister, who had moved West number
of years before, and who had wounded
the Boutwell, pride considerably by
marrying poor tradesman.
"You'll see by reading this" she
said, handing the lawyer letter in
Abner Boutwell's handwriting, "that
my brother gave me a long time ago
tester bedstead that he had in his
house."
At the mention of this coveted ar-
ticle of furniture many of the heirs
gave start.
cit never belonged in fathers fam
ily-Judge Boutwell's"- continued
by way of explanation, "but was one
my brother took on debt just before
he was married. It was owned by
man named Lon johnson. He and
my brother got into some trouble to-
gether over money matters-and the
bedstead came into Abner's hands.
Lion Johnson" echoed the lawyer.
"The man died up here in the poor
house not long ago. So the bedstead
belonged to his family?"
"Yes; it hasn't much of history, to
be sure, but thought as / was down
here Oh visit 1 had best take it home
with me, although it's altogether too
high for my bedroom, and I've got to
have those big high posts sawed off,"
This remark caused perceptible
shudder among some of the heirs here
assembled, but there was nothing to
be said.
Mrs. Redfern was the first to speak
after the old lady had gone out.
otis just as we after all that I did
not get the bedstead," she said, loft
lily, "for now my husband will buy me
the beautiful rosewood one that he has
talked about"
"Such possessions do not make much
difference to me one way or another"
observed Mrs. Ganson, signing heav-
lily.
eff the Boutwell, family would pay
me what they owed Abner when he
was in the grocery business. I could
own tester bedstead myself" spoke
up Abner's wife, sarcastically.
GAS for me-" piped Aunt Hester,
'I've come to think, after oil, it's Just
as we'll I didn't get the high-post bed
stead, for I see now it would have
turned everything around SO in the
parlor bedroom.
"Well, I am glad you are all so we'll
satisfied" observed Lawyer Hanford,
as he tied up his legal papers with
piece of red tape, "for now I consider
the only obstacle to the settling of the
estate of Mrs. Desire Boutwell, has
haan ram0vad >,