Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1899-04-12
THE DAGUERREO-
TYPE CASE.
<sTT.s an insult" said John Stone

thing, just because they were there
when your aunt died; and then because
they knew you were entitled to some
thing. in fact. just as much as they,
from her estate, have sent you this col
lection of odds and ends
Hush. John: never mind. It's not
worth talking about, and we might as
well make the best of it. Beggars can't
be choOsers, you KNOW" sagely re-
marked his wife.
The cause Of this Outburst was an
ob.Ong gr,en pastebOard box, which
had just arrived. and whose contents,
so Eleanor Stone said. were not worth
the express paid OH it. An accompany
ing note. addressed to Mrs. Stone in
explanation of the box. was as follows:
Dear Eleanor: I send you herewith
what mother. May and l have picked
out as your share of Aunt Marcia's be-
lorg ngs. They weren't as much as an
ticipated. and we divided the rest
among ourselves. as we had the care of
her in her last Illness. Your affectionate te
cousin. EFFIE GORDON"
Eleanor Stone took the note and flung
it in the stove. $50 much for my
cousins affection. It's too bad. / know
Aunt Marcia must have had some mon
ey, and as for the bother Of her last ILL.,
ness, ii was self-sought, which makes
me doubly sure she left something, for
the Gordons are not the kind to put
themselves out for nothing. If we only
had just little of her money to tide
us over until you get well and put us on
our feet again"
Aunt Marcia was Miss Marcia Per
kins. a maiden great aunt of Eleanor
Stone, who had lived somewhat as q
recluse and who had recently died.
Eleanor turned the box upside down,
gazing regretfully at the little heap on
the table. There was an Old-fashioned
bone hairpin, two bits of lace, sur
mounted with lavender bows, such as
old ladies wear for caps, two or three
cheesecloth busters, fve handkerchiefs.
a hair-ring. and an old-fashioned
daguerreOtype in rusty black and gilt
case. showing the faded countenance of
a genteel-looking youth Of past date.
There" said Mrs. Stone, derisively,
''is my share of my late lamented aunts
estate, and here am l, who expected a
hundred or two, anyway, as hard up
as anybody could be, with John sick
and unable to work, while Aunt Susan,
Effie and May Gordon, who know moth
ing Of hard times, are probably basking
in the sunshine Of her dollars"
At this point, being of philosophical
turn of mind. she gathered up her in
heritance. put 1t away in the closet, and
l., Ar,1 h.,
lay grumbling on the sofa, a victim In
the clutches of rheumatism.
Several weeks later Eleanor was
brooding over the financial situation,
when the bell rang. and an elderly man
stood at the door. He introduced him
self as Mr.. Clavers." and said that
being the Gordons' family lawyer, and
happening to be in town that day, he
had come at their request to ask little
favor.
Would Mrs. Stone care to part with
Gordons had sent her in box Of things
that were Miss Perkins,"
Eleanor's curiosity and suspicious
were aroused by the sudden desire for
this worthless relic of former days. Mr..
Clavers explained that the ladies had
taken a fancy for 1t, as an antique
merely They would be quite willing to
purchase 1t, and If a SO bill would be
any object
No answered Eleanor, spurred on
to refusal by sudden conviction. Il
didn't get many of my aunt's things,
but what 1 did 1 shall keep" where
upon she arose and politely but unmis-
takably bowed the astonished old gen.
tleman out.
Then she hurried to the closet, and,
rummaglng around, soon found the
box, and in it the daguerreotype case.
This she opened and began to scratch it
all over with her thumbnail and to I'm
GER it's surface carefully. hoping, all the
while. that she had not let $40 bill 60
for nothing.
1t might really be a whim of Aunt
Susan's. after all. to want the old thing,
vet somehow 1t seemed to Eleanor that
she had once heard Aunt Marcia speak
Of a daguerreOtype case with secret
spring and false back which was a
much priced possession. the gift Of
dear friend.
Suddenly she gave a gasp and John
looked up from his couch In time to
see something white fiutter to the floor.
Forgetting his rheumatism, he sprang
from the sofa and stood, reading over
Eleanor's shoulder a bit Of writing on
scrap of paper that meant much to
those two.
II, Marcia Perkins. hereby give to the
person who. after my death, becomes
the owner Of the daguerreotype Of Jo-
seph ThurstOn, in the case Of which
this paper Will be placed by me. the
sum of 81. 500"
That was as far as they went. "OT
said Eleanor.
Hum" said John. and there was .
silence for as many as three seconds.
GO on" said John.
ITS nothing more about us. It's only
that he," waving the placidly pictured
young man. was her lover. he was
drowned at sea. and her house and 9th
ar belongings are to be sold and the
money is to go to the Seamen's Or
phans' fund.
so Effie and the others will have to
give up what they have already taken
possession Of. and instead OF every.
Thing will have nothing"
Good enough" concluded John. in q
satisfied tone, provided this paper is
perfectly legal. Thought they could
slight you entirely. but instead they
made mess of it themselves by giving
YOU cast-off. insigni6cant-lookin8
triuket. which happened to be the most
valuable thing your aunt left after all
IF everything is only turned over to
US without any trouble" concluded hia