Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1910-01-08

you had 1t as any one an little
leaver.'"
"Them's the very words she said to
my wife," put in Mr. Ezra Simmons, a
little old man with a feminine face
and voice. IAN Betty was a own
cousin of mine"
"An' Of miner said tall woman in
rusty black near the whatnot on which
the coveted china stood.
SO the strife continued until there
was no possibility of an amicable ad-
justment OF the claims Of the various
claimants. They finally left the house
and the china In possession of Miss
Selma Sharpe, a lady Of about fifty
years, who. although an own cousin
Of Mr.. Trip, had put forward no
claim to the china, declaring that she
had no wish to claim 1t.
"But there's one thing certain" said
Miss Sharpe as she closed the door be-
hind the last of the "heirs," there
shan't one of 'em step their foot into
this house again to touch the chany
or anything else until it's settled by
law who has right to 'em. I've rent
ed the house myself Of its owner, an
any Of them"
Miss Sharpe adhered to this resolu-
ton, politely but firmly refusing ad-
mittance to several Of the claimants
who called during the following week
ito talk 1t over" with her and possibly
to carry the china home in triumph.
Besides the china, there was nothing
among Mr.. and Mrs. Trips few poor
belongings that the relatives coveted,
all of the furniture Of any value hav-
ing been sold or given in payment of a
few bills that came in after the fu-
neral.
Accordingly Miss Sharpe was soon
left in undisturbed possession of what
was left, and the china, guarded by
the faithful dogs, still rested on the
old walnut whatnot three weeks after
the old couple to whom 1t had given
pleasure had been laid away in the lit
tie cemetery behind the Village church.
Mrs. Cephas King and Nancy John
son had been next door neighbors and
very warm friends up to the time the
dispute over the china arose, but now,
alas, they scornfully passed by with
out a word or smile of recognition
when they met, and the King children
were forbidden to have anything at all
to do with the Johnson children.
Mrs. Cyrus Masterson lived directly
across the street from Beulah Hovey,
and so frequent had been the friendly,
pleasant little calls the ladies had
made upon each other that a smoothly
worn path led from one house to the
Ill nINn hn
path was wholly disused, and Mrs.
Masterson carefully gathered up her
skirts when she met Mrs. Hovey on
the street lest they should suffer con-
tamination by coming into contact
with those Of her once beloved neigh
Dor.
Mrs. Ezra Simmons returned a GER
tain basque pattern she had borrowed
Of Selma Sharpe with a note stating
that "in consequence of the course you
have seen fit to pursoo in relations to
my husbands own dear dead cuzzen's
chiny tea things, which now rightfully
belongs to me, 1 return the inclosed
bask pattern an would thank you for
my cup cake reset an my polynay
pattern, not desiring that anything Of
yours should remain In my possession,
an visa versy, an that we do not
speak to each other from this date"
So 1t was that there were discord
and enmity where there had once been
peace and harmony. Not one Of the
contending claimants condescended to
speak to any of her rivals to the in
| heritance.
A month had passed and the bad
feeling was at its height when Mr.. and
Mrs. Ezra Simmons one evening con-
cluded to spend an hour with their
friends Mr.. and Mrs. Deacon Drewe.
The deacon and his wife were not at
home when Mr.. and Mrs. Simmons ar
rived, but Sally, the maidservant, said
that she was expecting them every mo-
ment and invited the callers to wait
until their return.
They had waited in the parlor a few
moments when the bell rang and Sally
was heard to tell other callers that her
master and mistress would be in very
soon and to invite them also to come
in and wait. Directly afterward Mr..
and Mrs. Cyrus Masterson were ush-
cred in. Seeing the Simmonses, the
newcomers haughtily withdrew to a
corner of the parlor and sat down in
silence.
A third ring of the bell and Mrs.
Beulah Hovey appeared at the parlor
door. She gave the previous occu-
pants Of the parlor stony stare and
then went to sit stifiy erect in the
center Of a sofa, where she seemed
engaged in studying intently the pat
tern of the paper on the wall.
Perfect silence ensued for moment
when the bell again rang and Nancy
Johnson's voice was heard at the door.
When Mr.. and Mrs. Drewe followed
all these callers into the parlor, strange
as it may seem, they had with them
Mrs. Cephas King, who was too cour-
ageous a woman to be in the least
daunted by what she beheld. She
calmly seated herself in comforta-
BILE rocking chair and composedly re-
turned Mrs. Nancy Johnson's stare.
While Mr.. and Mrs. Drewe were
vainly endeavoring to start general
conversation the village fire bell rang
for the first time in many months.
The fire company consisted Of those
who could he first I'm getting to small