Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1899-12-14

and's got to back on the next train, so
Well have to hurry. You take him
into the dining room, while 1 go and
get it. We have to be very careful of
it, you see, because we think SO much
of it, she explained to the stranger,
as she departed towards the attic.
Amelia led the way silently to the
dining room. The parlor was cold.
Elmira had evidently reasoned that
out, and then, too, the dining room
was the best place to show china, of
course. But just what was the china !?
Thus she ruminated as she passed
through the long hall and ushered the
man into the old-fashioned dining
room.
''You are very fortunate in having
so much beautiful old furniture, !"
their guest remarked. "In so many
families it gets scattered, but you
seem to have a mine of it here, and
the china, if it is the china"
He stopped. Elmira was fumbling
at the door knob. She entered proudly
and walked across to the table, where
she deposited her burden. There
were a pitcher, some cups and plat
ter, with dull-red pattern running
over them.
SIT isp' he cried, exultantly.
"Of course" Elmira assented care
lessly. 81 knew it as soon as the
paper told about it and wanting to
find the other pieces. There are
more upstairs, but this is all could
bring at once"
There was some more conversation
and search in the family Bible, and
the man departed.
Elmira saw him to the door, then
she slammed it hard and fairly ran
back to where her sister was waiting,
and dropped into the old rocker and
began to rock violently to and fro.
"We are somebody" she announced
triumphantly. 1--WE are big some
bodies, Amelia. We can be Daugh-
ters of the Revolution, and Colonial
Danes, and Descendants of the May
flower, and" she was fairly
out of breath.
"I'd cool off little if I were you,"
her sister suggested. "Kind of slow
up, can't you, Elmira, and tell me all
about it. You know couldn't go!'
"Of course not, you poor dear.
Elmira leaned forward and kissed her
tenderly. ''But you're a Josslyn Just
the same, Amelia, and you've the
looks more'n any one there. 1 always
said you had, You know.
There was lot there, and at first
/ felt kind O. queer. And you had to
tell all you knew about your ancestors
to man, and he had lot of papers,
and seemed to know everybody, and
he said | was very straight descended
-th@t means you, of course, too, only
you weren't there-and he was talking
about me, and he introduced me to a
woman, and said something that sI
didn't hear, but it made her extra
nice to me, and she took me around
and introduced me to most every
body, and they was as fine looking
set of folks as [ ever see, even if do
say it, and they're relations.
They've been having dreadful
time Strengthening out some records
and trying to trace some pattern that
was on some china that came over in
the Mayfower and was used in Eng
land before that. A lot of the sons
had had whole sets made like it and
it hau got all scattered round, and
when they came to describe it, it
came across me all of sudden O. that
box of crockery up in the attic, that
grandfather gave us and we didn't
ever use cause twas SO old and
cracked. So | up and told 'em about
it,
Fright out afore everybody"
Amelia gasped.
"Of course! Wasn't 7 as much a
Josslyn as any of 'em, even if my last
name isn't Josslyn? My middle name
is anyway, and a PERSONS middle
name Is just as much their own as
their last.
"Well, they were dreadfully inter
ested, and L told 'em lots OF things
they didn't seem to know, and guess
they was glad came.
"That man didn't seem to more'n
half believe we had the china, SO I
just brought him out to see for him
self. [ guess the Josslyns amt i'm
posters. He could see for himself. "
She turned her head proudly.
"And that man is worth So, 000,-
000," she confided to her sister i'm
pressively. "Three million dollars,
and he's a big swell, and he hasn t
but one pieco of the china with the