Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1927-06-03
THE
DRIED APPLE
CHEST
20 by d. J. WAlsh.)

X ter. She had taken the mate
l. rails from quaint wooden box
that sat before her upon the sit
ting-room table-sheets of faintly-tint-
ed paper, stick of blue wax, a quaint
pen that, dipped In glass of water,
rewarded one with q flow Of mauve
Ink. She wrote slowly In fine slant
Ing hand with little curlicues on her
g's and p's and rs. And she wrote
painfully, for never In all her life had
she anything more unpleasant to do
than writing this letter to her neph-
ew's widow, Lila Garfield.
Eliza was old and tiny with white
hair wound in a sleek little knot, a
mouth like a wilted pink and dark
eyes which had once held "come-
follow-me" look so irresistible that
she had scarcely been able to count
her beaus on the fingers of both hands.
But she, as so often happens, had
married the poor stick of the lot, Fer
gus Curry-because she loved him.
And that love had weathered the Vi
cissitudes Of difficult married expe-
rience which had terminated several
years before in Fergus death.
During the years of her widowhood
Eliza had managed" She had her
tiny white house and a little money
which she had made last until the
present moment. Now that it was
gone she must sell her house. Indeed,
the bargain was all but made with
possession to be given Immediately.
In a week, more or less, Eliza would
be leaving the house to which she had
come as Fergus bride, the house
where her three children had been
born and had died one after the 9TH
er, the house where Fergus had closed
his wild, bright eyes, the house where
she herself had hoped to die. Her
nephew's widow, Lila Garfield, offered
her home and she was going there
She was writing to say that just as
soon as she could get things In shape
she would come.
The spring sun came in at the win
dows hotly, and as Eliza wrote she
was conscious of faint odor all
through the house which came not
from her pot-pourri Jar, for that was
closed not from the geranium on the
sill, not from the strong cupful of
tea she had brewed for her lunch.
She shifted dellcately. Ali Now she
knew. 1t was the smell Of apples
dried apples, and 1t came from the old
chest-Of- drawers In the spare bed
room off the sitting room. The door
was standing aJar.
Leaving her letter she followed that
elusive lure. The old chest-of-draw-
ers lOomed enormous In the tiny room
which she never used because she had
had no company of late years. When
Lila came to see her, as she did once
II year, she stayed at the Jefferson
house. So, because the room seemed
there her best frOck, her best hat,
and In the chest Of drawers she kept
her sack Of dried apples.
She opened a drawer and took out
the sack and peeped into It. How
Fergus had loved dried-apple pie with
u bll VI DOlltu CluCE
She had always had her sack of dried
apples on that account. She did not
care much for them herself, either in
pie or sauce. There was quite sack
full. OF course she wouldn't need
them now that she was going away.
them. Maybe Carrie Rush could use
them. She had big family and any
thing eatable always came in handy
there.
And the INTERCHANGEABLE dried
apple chest she called 1t In her own
mind. She would have to sell It. Lila
had given her permission to bring a
few things, but nothing so cumbsr-
some as this chest. 1t was not so
easy to dispose Of that. She sighed
as she gazed at It, 1t was very old.
1t mad been in Fergus family, had be-
longed to his mother, she thought, or
perhaps his grandmother. II was all
handmade, dark red wood, cherry,
presumably. Well, she would leave
the chest-of- drawers and take the
dried apples over to Carrie Rush so
she could get them ready for supper
With q shawl around her and the
sack in her hand she went across
the street to the Rush house. Mrs.
Rush met her Hospitality.
whats thatf Dried apples2 Well,
| guess they will come In handy. I'll
make me a dried apple cake after
mothers recipe. Come In and sit
down a minute. want you to meet
my cOmpany-Mrs. Wallace"
She drew Eliza into the living room
where a small, keen-eyed woman sat
by the register
Eliza, glad of a little diversion sat
down, and the three women began to
talk.
81 feel dreadful about your going
away, Mrs. Curry" kindly Mrs. Rush
mourned. II don't know what shall
do without you. You've been the best
neighbor ever had; wish there was
some way 80 you could stay"
Eliza smiled her pale, patient smile.
$50 do /. But | shall be very coy
at my nlece's."
"Of course. She will be good to
you. No one could fail to be good to
you. What are you going to do with
your things? Take them with your"
81 can't. guess Mr.. Pratt, the old
furniture man, will take most every
thing--except, maybe, the drled-apple
chest"
"The drled-apple chest |" exclaimed
Mrs. Wallace.
Eliza explained