Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1897-10-21

l
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 all was, with the numerous beauests,
there was no fault found with any por-
ton as assigned in the will. All ex-
pressed themselves satisfied.
| But before Executor Hanford left
the house he learned of the storm
brewing over who should be the pos
SCISSOR of the tester bedstead.
I'm 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 quarrels over 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 a feather bed.
you've got the bed Desire meant
for me to have," Aunt Hester COM
planned, bitterly. 'I've heard sister
say time and time again that mine was
to be the one with the goose quill in
each corner, and yourns got 'em in
and mine hasn't. That one they've
given you is made of live geese feath-
ers, and the one 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 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-
BILE if said cups were not returned.
And so one strife after another fol-
lowed along until it was hard to find o
more bitter family, one toward an
other, than the Coles family.
Meantime Thanksgiving came and
went, and no one even thought of q
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,
q 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 long time ago q
tester bedstead that he had in his
house"
At the mention of this coveted ar
ticle of furniture many of the heirs
gave start.
''It 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. 1t was owned by a
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?"
eyes; it hasn't much of history, to
be sure, but L thought as 1 was down
here on visit l 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 of. "
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.
"It's just as well after all that I did
not get the bedstead," size said, loft
lily, 'for now my husband will buy me
the beautiful rosewood one that be has
talked about"
''Such possessions do not make much
difference to me ons way or another, u