My Grandmother's Jar

"V]ii niy Gramlfather Byse (lied, frraaidm-othor taiiif to live at our house. Siic was niy mothcr's inothr, BOWl tfiB only -nujnyUKT my bKftten atnd sisters and I ever had. l'atJuT's inotiHT dicd tong before any of us witc boen. were very glad t have Graadmotlier I!,v' i ome iml livt.1 with ns. Her busbond hWto a dlstant state, and nnother liad gone at once to brtaV frrandmuthor to mr hOUSe. I rein'mler witli wlial (■.-lucriK'ss w obOdren made ready to meet motlier and grandmotber on tlu'ir return. AVc llyed in tJie country, and iathcr bad said tliat all oí us might go to towin witt liim, as it was u the fall of tlhe year, and ttoee as nol imicli to do at home. Iitere wwe six i ns, besldea (athor, to climb into the big farm wagon, aaid rlde fivo milos to tlie railroad station. We saw mot hor come out of the eer lirst, and bt-liind her was a little old lady, dreeoed in black. In her arme slir carrted a black stane jar. lts montii wem corered with a clean WliitO clcitli, lied down smooth and tight with imin.v rinuids of cord. ■WJiai can e(ne hare in that Jar?" asktd my broHher Jeö of me, beloce grandmotber had reached us, with her quaint "How de do " and her kiss on each of our mout lis. "It can't le mlnce-meat," said Jelf, with a hall iHijieful look, tor Jeff was inordinntdy fond of minee plea, nnd motber had otten said,- "Wait umtil grandana comea to eee l imiki' yon Minif minee pies 1hat are miiuo ]irs." lint no mtnee ptes erar cumeíwji of that jar. Crandmotdier had insistcd on its beins put on tiir sea I beatde b r, and Bhe kept her eyes n it all tbe way home. it's 1 1 1 ;i of money," ald Bister KJate ; al ig time aïut tliat, we ïiiidr.'n were very res])"ctmi to tbe jar. umder the Impresd that Evate's sunnlse had been oqrrect. Gnundmottier had tho jar carrled iiji to lier room, and put on B hifth s'iflt' in her closet. We l.ii(l mottoer say mee that gittadmotber was very pooi, and i ii.it damaged KateB tlwory ol the jar belng HUed witih mooey. We aaked mouter ame day 11 t&e knew what was in fche mysterloua jar. "Oli, mot nmrli erf anything," she said vit!i greal ImdUlereace. "It is au oW fainily pellc, and I BUppose gramdnM waata to ktH'ji it. I renieiniH'i- aeelog it wiien I was a litO girl." But this anewer lid mu satisíy six eurtooi boys aod jri''lC.raiidiiiotli." ■! Kyst' livcil at our house two ytais, and tlien went to si, iy a witli niy aunt in I radO, and tile jar wcnl wltïl hei1, packed carefully in tur eenter of her leathcr tlck, toe CraiidinotJicr Iiyso had a borroT of "new-tajJed" iliinji i" the way oC liair mattercoooo, and wonld i. on feetSwre miy. Wben eiie caine home brom Colorado, we children all assembled to meet her al the station, and wc saw that ar COmtog out of the car door aAnoei before ■ saw grandma hcreelf. ■Tiioin keerteaa Mnrray boya lorgOi lo pack t in witli my foathcr!„.il.'' slic said : "and I had m idee of teavlog a good likc iliat, so I jest brnog i". afcmg in Uw car wlth me." Jeff willepered to me and said lic would as sumí t.ravrl witli a JTOUng ]iiií as willi a jar likc that . l'.ui wc all wotild have been glad in see ou joily old Kraadinotiier, even ttnongh she travelled with a whole pofctery. The Murrey boys, who had forgotten to pack grandmottier'8 Jar, were our Cöueln, and a. few weeks later of t!ietn wrote Ihis to me: irWtha1 lo ïiin suppose gramdniothcr keeps in t h rit old Hack jar ? Brothci-Sain and I tii.il to tlnd out, bat we couldn't. Vira kiiow ffraadmotber don't Uke laqulsltive people, and 90 pavti.ular alMint her thlugB. Saín trled to cllmb ip to a high shell to peep into tbe ar onee, and feu down and nearly broke lus head. If yon aml .lel'f iind out wliat is in Uve jar. yon let ns know."' I tliat we wooldi luit dea palred m" ever Ketting a peep Into the jar. for mot,lur had long BgO (orbiddoTi us to po into grandma'e room, ïniless sh" invitad us Uii'r.-. Once ben atoe had called us all in, to gliow ur sorne old pictureH o[ graelfatixer ; she had given us all gweet anice and cardanuin st'ds, I aaked, in my moet insinimting tone, - "Grandmo+her, wliat is in tliat funny old blark jar np there ?" My brotüier anl sisters all prteked up tflielr ears, but grutdma siinply pavo B HK'i-ry littl laujrh. and naid,- Pnape and Biiails. And little dojï's tails." HrandnvotJier was fond of travelinR, and the next sprini; Bttë went to New Jersey to spend six month.s wlth a son who lived tliero. And tlhO jar 'went witi lier. It ra me home wltfa her In tho fall, and was restored to lts place on the closet ahelf 1n her room. . 'The next Maiivh grandmother went up to Miimwsota to gpend t.h Btimmer witli lier .voiuurest. dMghtec. "Yon Ix'.vs pack Umi jar e.ireïully, BOW," slic said. a.s Bhe eaine slowl.v diiwii taira wiWi ttoe ctumay thing ia bf anus. nul Be4 it down carehilly M-atiu-r bed. "I wouMn'1 have that jar Ivrokcn for a good deal. Tbey dooi't mnko such jars nou atlays, am! tliis one'fl n 1 1 1 ui " ]',nt a1 that som.' One callcd urainlmottker, and the aentenca was nevec eaded. Jeff áud I tri.'d to gt a peep iuto taie jar tlia! time, Irat 1liri- v;is a stooie lid undcr ttve wliiif cloth, and we rfarrd mu roniovc ttke cl:)tli. My brottoera and sisters cam out end ■ all stood arouud tüu. jar. W "befted" its weifrht, we smelled f lt, we roillod it ov'r, wc sliook it amd tlnimiMHl its ildea. Jeff had a creativc inind. and was aiways Buggeettng tlilngs that the rest of ue aiever woukJ have tlmnglit of. ThlM linit: be appaöed aa all by sayhiü:.- ■Vou don't s!])ii(!sc grandmotber has gome and liad jrrandíath.T erei.i.ilcd un llir Bjy, and has liim in this jar V -Jeif Barfcer !" crled Bister Kate, as abe totík hev nosc away [rom the top uí tbe jar. 'Don't yni ever say sncii awíul tiiin.iís again I" erted sister Mary; 'il inakes me sick tO think OÍ it." ■■Siich thin.us have been done," sai:l Jefí, sioutiy. "aod I wouidn't be a bit BurpTiaed U - " But Mary and Kate liad i!vd íruni the room, and JeJI throw liimself down on tJie featSier bed and laughed. one of our cousins in Minnesota wrote to me and askrd- - 1 ) , , yon knuw whal ni-auiimulhor has in tliat black jar?. Ma says sho has no idea what is in i:, and the r ins in New Jersey wrote and asked tis ii Kraradm had brouglji the Jar liere." Jeff nul I and cmr tv older sivTo alomg in put teena now, lint mr intoresi in that {ai lid UOt ■ in Une toast. "It's Jusi orne oí grandma's whims," gai 1 mo'.her mu' -vi'iiirr. ,'You know gxcmdma la oM and ohildiah, oe moet liniplr oí her agp$ are apt to be. I am uxe I dcm't care how many oíd Jara she has." Fot íive yeara we dlBcuesed Uta probable coártente ol th.it jar, Whlch cante and went with iMiicluiiitlicr in all her Jonmeylngl to and íro. 8he liad elgti chlldrea, all marrled, and living in dlllerent BtatCB, and shc vlaited all her chlldren in thoqe Hve years, and tHv jar went with her. Her Ihix wan dclaycd ior two inonths ojice on a western railroad line, and shc rute to my mother,- ■My IK3X is ïiot her.' yrt . and 1 ani havint; In sleep m ooe of tliem nasty hair-mattei-esses, which Ido despise, and I feol lost without tlittt jar. I do hope ïiothtng wlll happen to it." Alter that wc feit mon conildent Uian ever that the jar co-ntaiued hiüden treasures, and most of our thirtylive eiiusins were oï this Dpiiüon. They had all geen the jar- the uulBlde oí it only. SomO of u, greal boye anl glrla in our teens. had lain awaUe niühts wuniieiiim wliat eonhl 1h in that jar. bat I aat glad to remember, unw that wc are all men and winnen, that we bad too iniirh veneration tor íínmdmotluT, and too niuch re.-p.et for onrselves, to pry int o lier secret, il secret it was, Uy opening the rail. Even the Morra? eouain who "neerly broke bis head" tailing irom grandm.-i's closet Bbel!, tndlgnaatly denled that be bad my Idea oJ opening the jar. He said he slmply tobended to ■■sluike and siiicll oí it ," and clt tliat hls tumble was a jnst puni.-liment loc even tbli teek f peepeet to grandiuoUmt. At the end of live years, grandiiioUht was Vigltlng n Kansas. My brotben and sisters and 1 vcre sittinii amiind t lic lire one evenlng In November, taikinü; ainmt tbe jar and wiahing i and grandma were lxith in our lmine agaln. V.'e were iov aU linm in tiae wmvlctlop that the jar (Diilained valnaliles that nüirlit be inirs siiine day ii we were gOOd eiioiiiih Ki desei-ve ilicni. Our cousins all shared ihis bellet. We had heard Ot BtrangeT t liiiiMT. and - i-m init.-i t iirr and grandmotber had lxitdi Been aoted tor tlielr eccentrlclties. WbBe we were sit t hm around the fire, fatiKT oaine bome trom town Wttfa a letter for me. It was iroin my Kansas cousIiik. ÏJie letter was tong and "newey," and added to it was tiliis aggravating and ezcltlng pontscript : "Grandmotlier's black jar ïcll down and broke all to pleces to-day. We cousins airo all to ahore lts contenta equally, just M we tivouffht. I am writing in a big lrnrry, sa good-by." Wo were so excited tliat we could not sleep tluat night, and we were fairly hirious witüi Cousin lien for eiiidiiiíí liis letter so abruptly. l'-ven fathcr and motlier were iut'rested now, and I Bat down and wrote to Ban ti write ■iiniiicdiately pt once," mul teil us wh.-it the jar contained. JTeil and I feared that there wae a conspiracy on foot to rob 08 of our rigbttal Bhere of the Jar'a contente, and there wen other eovuslns who laj awake tbat night thinking Ihe s f t.liinu-, Ben liad sent postal carda letten witfi postecrlptg to all the olJicr ciiusins. t'llin.!;' tlu'in what he dad toCd u.s, and nc more. A wiKilc vree dragged away. and tben Jefl and 1 wrwbe a sauey letter to Ben. Jefl I hoaght I had lK-tter Intímate th.u It wooiM be lmpioeelble t dcïraud us. and snggested tliat 1 say aomethlDS ahenit "seCTlPIng legal adv" iï i'n did nat write at once, and i -11 u what tliat Jar cu'iitainrcl. Ben wrote. A postal oame tbree days alter I had malled the secood letter. Over the postal was scrawled in bloe ink : "Tbere wasn'f a sotttary Uilng In tliat jar. It was her oíd hrb jar lor hOT ramoniilr. pcmiyroyal, evorï.-isiinu-. and sneh. Poor soul] How do you wtsfli yonrs sent ?" stau-iy hoiiaehold legend waa ruüii'd. Tbinga are beautlfnl to memory oiüy by fine assori.u ion. and bo J was oompeUed ! drop tlu' Jal' (Ult '" poetlc ianiiiy mysteries.- Youth'a Compí ilion.