Clearwater Republican. [volume] (Orofino, Idaho) 1912-1922, 1915-03-19
CHAPTER l.
The Tea Table.

The Tea Table.
Angeline's slender, why form and
small, glossy gray head bent over the
squat brown teapot as she shook out
The last bit of leaf from the canister.
The canister was no longer hers, mel
Their the teapot, nor even the battered
old pewter spoon with which she
tapped the bottom of the tin to dis
lodge the last flicker of tea-leaf dust.
The three had been sold at auction
that day in response to the auction
GERS inquiry What am l bid for the
lott"
Nothing in the familiar old kitchen
was hers, Angelina reflected, except
Abraham, her aged husband, who was
taking his last gentle ride in the old
rocking chair-the old armchair with
painted roses blooming as brilliantly
ACROSS its back as they had bloomed
when the chair was first purchased
forty years ago. Those roses had
come to be source of perpetual won
der to the old wife, an ever-present ex-
ample.
Neither time nor stress could wilt
them a single leaf. When Abe took
the first mortgage on the house In
order to invest in an indefinitely locat-
"a Mexican gold mine. the melodeon
dropped one of its keys, but the roses
nodded on with the same old sunny
hope; when Abe had to take the sec
ond mortgage and Tenafiy Gold be-
came forbidden topic of converse
uon, the minute hand fell OF the par
Tor clock. but the flowers on the back
Of the old chair blossomed on none
the less serenely.
The soil grew more and more bar
rem as the years went by; but still the
roses had kept fresh and young, SO
Why, argued Angy, should not she? II
old age and the pinch Of poverty had
failed to conquer their valiant spirit,
why should she listen to the croak-
ing tale? II they bloomed on with the
same crimson fiaunt OF color, though
the rockers beneath them had grown
warped and the body Of the chair
oreaked and groaned every time one
ventured to sit in it, why should she
not ignore the stiffness which the
years seemed to bring to her joints.
the complaints which her body threat.
sned every now and again to utter.
and fare on herself, hardy perennial
bravely facing LIES winter-time?
Even this dreaded day had not tax.
en- one fraction of q shade from the
glory of the roses. as Angelina could
see In the bud at one side of Abra
hams head and the full-blown flower
below his right ear: SO why should
she droop because the sale of heI
household goods had been somewhat
disappointing? Somewhat? When
the childless old couple, still sailing
under the banner of charity-forbid
ding pride. became practically reduced
to their last copper, just AZ Abe'i
Joints were "loosenin' up after q 1--WE
years siege of rheumatism. and de
cided to sell all their worldly posses
sions, apart from their patched and
threadbare wardrobes and few mea
ger keepsakes, they had depended
upon raising at least two hundred dol
lars, one-half of which was to secur,
Abe q berth in the Old Mems home q
Indian Village, and the other half I,
make Angeline comfortable for life,
. little lonely, in the Old Ladies' hom,
In their own native hamlet of Shore
Vile. Both institutions had been gen
erously endowed by the same estate
and we're separated by distance o
but five miles.
might as waal be five hunderd, witt
my rheumatic an yer weak heart,
Abraham had growled when Angy frs
proposed the plan as the only digni
ned solution to their problem Of living
But" the little wife had rejoined
'1tIl be mite O. comfort a-knowin'
body's 80 near. even eff yer can't 81
tew EN-"
Now, another solution must be foun
to the problem; for the auction wa
over, and instead of two hundred dol
lars they had succeeded In raising bu
one hundred dollars and two cents.
THAT air tew cents was fer tn
dour-sifter." inwardly mourned AngJ
IAN it's with double an tribble, fe
its been q good friend ter me fer Mig
on ter eight year."
"Tew cents on the second HUNDRED,
said Abe for the tenth time. .I'v
counted 1t over an over. One hur
derd dollars an tew pesky pennie,
An l never hear a man tell 30 man
lies In my life as that air auctioneel
Yew'd a. thought he was sellin gu
the empery o. Rooshy. Hy-guy,
sounded splendid. Fust OF i though
he'd raise US more n we expecte,
An mebbe he would have tew. Angy
q bit ruefully. "ef yew d a let m
advertise a little sooner. don
s,pose half Shoreville knows yit this
we was gwine ter have auction sale
He watched the color rising In he
cheeks with curious mixture Of prtd
In her pride and regret at its cons
Quonces. TITS no use a-talkin', mot