The Lambertville record., 1907-04-10

And now ladies and gentlemen, we
have this fine old piece of black wal
nut Must have cost at least $T5 fifty
years ago Just observe the hand cary
ing. will you? Every one of those
lunches of acorns is hand carved. Mir
ror real French heve See that initial
hand carved right into the wood on
top? That capital X stands for Kit
tredgv, and this here bureau is part of
the original black walnut. marble top
ped bedroom suit that old Grandpa Kit
trcdge bought in Boston fifty-two years
age. Amt that so. Mrs. Kittredge?"
Standing near the veranda steps was
Grandma Kittredge, slender. erect and
dignitied in her mourning. Her sweet
old face Was tear stained, but cour-
ageeus, as she watched her precious
furniture g under the hammer. piece
by piece, Ii was hard. nobody knew
how hard. but they were all kind 10
her, and even old Billy Masters, the
auctioneer. was making it just as easy
for her aS he could, and. standing next
to her, one arm around her waist and
the other hand holding hers in a close
clasp of loving comfort. was Kitty
Kitty, for whose sake the old home and
all ii held were being sold
With that soft, Young hand holding
hers the strength came back to her as
she remembered what it meant for Kit
tvs sake each time one of the old
dear things was sold, and now, even
when the first piece of her wedding
suit WAS put up, she smiled bravely,
closed her eyes to force back the tears
and answered.
That is so. Billy"
They had bought II on their wedding
trip-the black walnut set" as she
called it. Ii had been made to order in
Boston. and she remembered how
proud she had been of even the initial
on each hcadpiece, the initial that she
had taken for her own through life only
q few weeks before.
"fhere,s nothing too good for my
bride To take back home with her."
Tom kittredge had said proudly And
You shall lave the marble tops, too
Kitty. darling"
Marble tops! And today old Billy
was telling her neighbors TO bid up,
that even the marble tops We're worth
buying for gravestones, real, good,
flawless marble was getting SO scarce.
The tears forced their way through
her lashes this time, and Kitty Junior,
seeing them fall on the hand she held.
raised it to her lips and kissed them
away.
Don't cry, grandma" she whispered.
'Fll win it all back for you dearest.
| Don't you cry"
Then while Billy's voice sounded far
| off she closed her eyes TO shut out his
| figure standing on one of her dining
room chairs. shut out the scattered
crowd of old neighbors and strangers
that spread out over the lawn In front
of the big colonial Kittrcdge home
stead, and reasoned ii all out with
herself again-how 1t must he for Kit
tvs sake Kitty the Third, as they had
called her when Kitty the Second had
laughed and cried the first time her
baby daughter was laid in her arms by
Kitty the First. And today Kitty the
First was only poor old Grandma Kit
under the pines in the judges family
lot on the hillside next 10 the judge
himself and only little seventeen year
old kitty was left.
1t was right that the girl should have
the full benefit from the old place,
Grandma Kittredge told herself over
and over again. She, too, would be
sleeping up under the pines before
long, and then only little Kitty the
Third would be left, and what good
would all the old fashioned furniture
be 10 her? Dudley liked new things,
and they We're going to live In New
York after they We're married. She
had heard him telling Kitty how ar
tistlcally and effectively he would fur
nish up an apartment for her, "all in
mission style
Grandma Kittredge had wondered
vaguely what the mission style was,
but she said nothing. 1t was perfectly
natural for Kitty to want her own
things just as that other Kitty years
ago had wanted TO go up to Boston and
have the joy Of buying her own things
for the home wonderful. OF course
Kitty the Third couldn't understand
how she loved each piece of furniture.
She was too young. How could she
feel sad over the old bureau without
the memory of the little baby gar
ments that had been tucked away in
Its drawers years and years ago, Of
the dear old solid mirror that had re-
flected the face of that other bride
from Boston and beside her, bending
over her shoulder the laughing merry,
tender eyed Tom Kittredge? Fifty
two years ago it was, but how could
Kitty understand? But It was for the
best-surely it was all for the best
Grandma Kittredge kept telling her.
self, for the young people wanted to
go to New York to live, and she was to
go too. They We're very, very kind to
her. She could not stay In the old
house all alone, and. then, there was
no money TO keep 1t up with.
Money? she had hardly ever both
cred about the word until the judge
had died there had always been
plenty Of money. She had never even
asked how much or what was left
The judge was the judge-that was
enough. His father had owned the
big white colonial mansion upon the
hill before him, and even the new troll
ley line that cut across the front lawn
In the interests of modern improve
ments had not taken the beauty and
dignity away from the old place.
But after that last quiet ride in the
spring sunshine out to the pines on the
hillside they had told her gently and
carefully, so as not TO worry her too
much, that there was no money left
that the Judge had left nothing except
the old home and the land II stood on.
She had tried SO hard to reason 1t out
for herself 1t was not like Tom to let
things go along like that and never tell
her And they had always had plenty.
Kitty had gone to college with the
other girls. There had never word
been said Of money.
"Going, going. gone-to Miss Pod
more for FIVE" Billy's voice broke In
on her reverie. Better take that glass