Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1899-05-24

horror OF illness III any shape OF
form. therefore beg of you, before
you leave his house, to burn the bed
stead and bedding lie used, that I may
not find it when I take possession.
Yours, very truly,
"WI1L1AM OLDFIELD.
"Wellr' cried Bessie, eff impudence
can reach sublimer height than that
I am mistaken.
"Burn the bedstead that splendid
black walnut bedstead that matches
the chamber suit" said Miss Matte.
cit really seems a pity"
;'Let him do it himself said May;
''we are not his servants
"I'll tell you what I will do. dears,"
said gentle Aunt Matte; ''I have had
everything washed but the tickiugs;
Til 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 aud fue 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 i'll
Topham, was sent for and told of this
stroke of good fortune.
"We will go with you, Bessie said,
''and help You carry them"
The four women ascended one flight
of stairs to the room where William
Ollfeld diet. Everything was in
order there, and over the mattresses
was spread white Marseilles quilt
that Bessie put with the rest of the
bedding, while Aunt Matte and May
dragged the mattresses. to the floor.
"Ihey 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; 'I'm thinking I'll sell the
hair. Husk stufing will do for my
old bones, and I can buy some flour
and coal, likely, with the price of the
hair.
''Just as you please, said Aunt
Matte, tying the mattresses securely
with 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 Oldtield 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.
IF 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 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
household, the disorder following fire.
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 q 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 O sewing machine in the sit
ting room, there came hobbling up to
the door old Peggy.
"Come in, Peggy" Bessie said,
cheerily. 'sYou are just in time for
an apple pie baked for you"
"Bless your kind heart and sweet
face, 2" said the old woman. "You are
never so poor yourself bus you re-
member those who are worse off. But
it's Miss Matte 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. "
''NIiss Matte" said old Peggy,
'did You ever lose paper when you
were at the old house?"
ga paper" screamed Bessie and
May in chorus. "Oh, Peggy, did you
find one?'
Eyes, dears. 1 can't read myself.
but here it is.
And from the folds of her shawl
Peggy drew forth large folded docu-
ment, indorsed in round legal hand
on the back:
sLast will and testament of William
Oldfeld"
Aunt Matte sat down and cried
softly. Bessie danced around like an
insane Indian, aud May, seizing hat,
darted off to Lawyer O'Byrne.
'How did you find it?" Bessie cried
Mt last. when she was exhausted with
her solitary dance.
"Well, dears," said the old woman,
'I've been waiting till the warm days
to empty the mattresses, for they were
wonderfully comfortable for my old
bones in the winter, and SO today I
ripped them open, as Mick Calloran
said he'd give fair price for the hair
and fill them up again with husk.
And pushed in one of them, near the
middle, in little slit cut with a
knife, found the paper. And it's
thankful I am this day that's it's good
news ] bring, if your face tells the
truth, honey"