Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-07-29
THE MAGIC CARPET
By William Dudley Policy
Their Great.Auns Money Was Constantly in Their Plans.

IF stark tragedy ever showed on the
faces of five persons 1t rested on
the individual and collective fea-
i lures of the Bushnell family as
Lawyer Richards finished reading
Che will
"1s-thst-all?" Pa Bushnell gasped
family.
That's all" said Lawyer Richards.
He tossed the document on his hlotter.
She left us what9" cried Ma Bush
nell, She had heard perfectly the first
time. but the woman'S stunned brain
demanded repetition.
Her Chinese rug" the lawyer an
swered gently. To your husband.
Gideon
But what do / gct?" walled Clara,
twenty-five. She had spent the time
during the reading of her eccentric
ETeat-aunt'S last testament in powder
ing her face Now she was sitting very
straight. with her face very chalky. Or
1T might have been the powder.
You and your brother and your
younger sister each set twenty dollar
sold piece A similar gold piece goes
to your mother
But what can you buy today
cueried Annahelle. face equally blank.
with twenty dollsrs?"
Well" remarked Joe Bushnell. aged
twenty vocation automobile mechanic,
"that'S that The oil girl tipped Ma
and the rest Of us twenty bucks, Just
sos we'd know her memory hadn't
slipped. Guess III be gettin' back on
the Job"
No one cared whether or not Joe got
back on the Job. After twenty or more
years waiting for some one to die
some one rich as CroesuS. whoever
CroeSuS vast was like Joe TO think of
his greasy employment. instead Of the
catastrophe that had Dashed them. SO
20 speak. on the domestic nose.
And who gets the bulk of her
money!" Ma Bushnell wished TO have
repeated
THE sum of $4,000 goes to endow
local Blue Cross Foundation"
Whats that, for PHYS Sake?"
"A humane society. During the
World War. the Blue Cross did for the
animals In the conflict what the Red
Cross did for the soldiers"
I see Animals get it: sI5o,ooo for
sick cats. while her own flesh and blood
the only relatives she had-are
chucked scrap of old carpet"
Its very beautiful rug, Mrs. Bush
nell" After all. the attorney was not
contemptuous of these people. He
recognized the blow he had perforce de-
iivered them.
How much is ii WORTH"
Having bought a few Orientals N.Y.
self. now and then. I'd say, at a rough
guess between two and three
thousand dollars"
But whatn ne ever do with piece
@ carpet worth two or three thousand
tust to walk on?"
Several hours must elapse before Ma
Bushnell realized the crisis they had
reached: that there wasn't TO be any
new house in Woodlawn suburb; that
they weren't going to graduate from the
Bushnell f1ivver TO limousine: that
Annabelle wasn't going to finishing
school or Clara to Paris No closets
hung with gowns for herself and the
eirls-rsgardless OF the fact that Ma
Bushnell had never owned gown" in
her life and wouldn't know how TO wear
one if she did! No drawers packed
with silk stuffsl No maids. no buffers.
no dog" She was too close to the
catastrophe. there in the attorneys
luxurious Office. TO comprehend these
losses. But give her till eight O'Clock
that evening. and Pa Bushnell would be
n for it. The dead woman was his
aunt. Which contributed as much TO
little Gids color. perhaps. as the Wills
revelations. There was already much
EASHsp Al AAnIlS SQUARE Oh tr0U0l9 Drew
Ing al the BuShneil's
I'm sure / can't say" LAWYER Rich
ards declared. answering the woman's
question. Miss Catherine had UNIQUE
tdeas. not 70 mention q certain pioue
N her relationships Yet any spinster
n her sixties who rolls up a modest
fortune in present-dsy business can't
Be classed as fool"
But whst1l We DO with it,"
Walk m it. Ma" This from Anna
belle. Wine Our feet on It. Grind
EN- in-and make believe it was her
face I"
Annshellel" cried the father blackiv
"Weil?" Her hot young glance locked
with the parents. and the little mans
fell first.
Remember. it's your fathers only
Aint vcu're referring tot!
SSure!" famed Ma Bushnell I'VE
ant likely 70 forget t. Every Christ
mas for the last five years I've sent
her silk stoclcings-never missed
Christmas. when she commenced 10
make profits. Three dollars pair
they cost me. wfsht had EN- back"