The Tupelo journal., 1914-01-16
To My Mind They Were Just Tables

her money has gone. If you have ne
more gratitude than that you needn't
speak to me any more" And she
fiounced out of the room.
It's queer how women think. Here
was /, bent only on securing to Dor
othy and myself our rightful inherit
ance of Grandma's money, and she
was up in the air.
Things ran on as usual for a while,
and then the crisis came. 1t came
from Boston, in the shape of a deliv-
cry man carrying two tables, for
which Grandma had paid a thousand
dollars apiece.
"They are real Louis Quatorze, Har-
ry, and the only specimens remaining
from the workshop of Monsieur Ge-
nappe," said Grandma, beamfng upon
me and upon them.
AS soon as they had been unpack-
ed and placed in Grandma's reception
To my mind they were just tables.
However, l am just by nature. / gave
Grandma the benefit of the doubt. !
knew a man who was a connoisseur
in furniture, and I paid him a fee and
brought him to the house in the guise
of a friend. When he looked at the
tables he stuffed his handkerchief to
his mouth and ran out of the room.
l found him outside, having a fit.
20, gee!" he dubbed, holding his
sides. Two Thousand dollars for
those? Why, .nan. they're nothing
but STAINED oak. The stain isn't even
dry-Iook there!"
He showed me his handkerchief.
He had moistened it with turpentine
and rubbed off a brown streak of
stain, which, of course, he could not
have done with Louis Quatorze furni-
ture.
That was the last straw. The next
day / went round to a lawyer and ar
ranged to have proceedings taken to
restrain Grandma from spending any
more money on rubbish. But before
anything could come of it Grandma
died-very suddenly, of apoplexy.
| was a little bit sorry then, be-
cause | knew Dorothy suspected what
| had done. However, her grandmoth-
er's death had settled the whole
matter. When the will was read the
furniture went to Dorothy, and the
money-there was only two thousand
to a Home for Animals. l didn't
get a penny!
| wasn't going to fight the animals
home for two thousand, because
knew it would cost that much to
break the will. The fact is, l was SO
Disguised with Grandma's duplicity
that | hadn't any neart left for any
thing. And as for Dorothy-she had
been ~snubbing me- numerically all
along, because she thought she was
going to get that ten thousand, and
all she got was enough rubbish to
fill a couple of junk carts.
l told her just what l thought Of
her. She had had me on a string,
and now the tables were turned. and
while / admitted / might ask her to
marry me some day, l felt that under
the circumstances she had only
brought her own fate upon herself.
The little wretch looked at me and
burst out laughing.
1T may interest you to know that
Jim and l have been engaged for a
month-with Grandma's full sanction"
she said.
l knew that was untrue, but | con-
graduated her on having got a bar
gain, and left her. And l wasn't sor-
ry, because / had known for a long
time that Dorothy would never make
a wife for me, though I'm not the
sort Of man to go back on my word.
They got married OOH after, while
l was on my vacation. The boss had
given me a month, and as DON as
had left he had the disgusting eff
,frontery to write to me not to come
back, as he had filed my place.
didn't care much, because / knew my
brother, who is rich, would help me
out in need-which he did. So l put
in the summer fishing and having a
good time. l got back oon after, just
when they had returned from their
honeymoon.
The first man l me vas Jim Bates.
He buttonholed me in the street.
Congratulate me, old man." he
said.
What about?" / asked, thinking
he was going to say his marriage.
But he didn't.
why, about that furniture" he an
swered. Haven't you heard?"
i've heard all ! want to hear" I
answered.
Then / guess you haven't" he an
swered. You remember those two
tables? Do you know what they were!
Louis Quatorze. teakwood inlaid with
lapis lasr. and we've just sold them
for f~ thousand apiece !