Republican news item. [volume] (Laport, Pa.) 1896-19??, 1899-05-04
TOO CAUTIOUS.
BY S. T.


am very sorry, Miss Matte. / have
represented matters to the heir, but he
fails to see them in proper light"
SO the ladies packed their trunks
and gathered in the little parlor to
spend their last evening, preparatory
to an early start in the morning. And
while they sat, t,mournfully conversing,
strange event occurred. A shock
headed boy rang the bell and handed
in a note, which ran in this wise:
''Miss Martha Joyce: I do not
know that the disease of which my
uncle died was contagious, but have
horror of illness in any shape or
form. I therefore beg of you, before
You leave his house, to burn the bed
stead and bedding lie used, that 1 may
not find it when take possession.
Yours, very truly,
''WLLIAM OLDFIELD."
"Wellp' cried Bessie, ''if impudence
can reach sublimer height than that
l am mistaken"
'Burn the bedstead! that splendid
black walnut bedstead that matches
the chamber suit!" said Miss Matte.
1t really seems pity!'
'Let him do it himself" said May;
''we are not his servants"
''Ill tell you what / will do. dears, "
said gentle Aunt Matte; 81 have had
everything washed but the tickings;
I'll just empty the mattresses and have
those washed, too. But 1 really can
not reconcile it to my conscience to
burn up things that are perfectly
harmless.
"Oh Aunt Matte, give the bedding
to old Peggy! She will be delighted.
The blankets are soft and fine and the
sheets all clean. The young sinner
only wants them out of his way"
So old Peggy, an aged woman, pen
sioner to all the charitable folks in
Topham, was sent for and told of this
stroke of good fortune.
"We will go with ,ou," Bessie said,
land help yon carry them"
The four women ascended one flight
of stairs to the room where William
Oldfeld died. Everything was in
order there and over the mattresses
was spread white Marseilles quilt
that Eessie put with the rest of the
bedding, while Aunt Matte and May
dragged the mattresses to the floor.
They are all stuffed with hair,
Peggy" Aunt Matte said. 81 or
dered them myself
Eyes, marm," said the old woman,
feeling them carefully and nodding
her head; 'Pm thinking I'll sell the
hair. Husk stuifing will do for my
old bones, and l can buy some -four
and coal, likely. with the price of the
hair
Just as you please" said Aunt
Matte, tying the mattresses securely
with a stout cord. ''Now, girls, are
you ready? Hannah will help Peggy
with this bundle, and we will carry
the sheets, blankets and spreads.
So when William Oldfeld took pos
session the next day he found the
bedstead bare and note from Bessie
tied to it, respectfully declining to
make bonfire of the furniture and
stating the fact that the bedding had
been given away for charitable use.
eff he doesn't like it he is welcome
to dislike it," that young lady said,
graciously, as she signed the dainty
epistle in her finest handwriting.
The heir said a bad word, locked
up the room and occupied another
apartment, where there had been no
COMPOUNDED Sickness" as he said,
and there reigned in the house where
Aunt Matte had kept dainty neatness
the confusion of young bachelors
hon a1olJ <ha l;corlo, foIl.u,.,,.. f,o
quent late suppers, when the city
friends of young Oldfeld came down
to make night of it and help him
spend the old mans money"
Quiet Topham was scandalized and
sighed over the days when the dissi-
pated nephew was far-away disgrace
for mild gossip, but there seemed to
be no help for the trouble.
The funeral had been over nearly
three months, and Miss Matte had
collected goodly number of little
folks once more around her, when one
morning, while Bessie was busy in the
little kitchen baking pies and May was
running sewing machine in the sit
ting room, there came hobbling up to
the door old Peggy.
"Come in, Peggy" Bessie said,
cheerily. "You are just in time for
an apple pie baked for you"
''Bless your kind heart and sweet
face" said the old woman. "You are
never SO poor yourself But you re-
member those who are worse off. But
it's Miss Matte 1 want to see''
''You are just in time, then. There's
the noon bell ringing, and here comes
Aunt Matte and May to help about
dinner"
"Miss hattie" said old Peggy,
'did you ever lose paper when you
were at the old house?'
"a paperi" screamed Bessie and