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DOROTHY BUTTER-FINGERS
By George Munson
(Copyright by W. G. Chapman.)
Aunt Jerusha-.was dead and she
had left everything'to Dorothy. Aunt
Jerusha had been mother and father
in one to Dorothy until she married
Charlie Enfield, the young lawyer.
There was nothing against the
young man's character, but Aunt Je
rusha had no use for lawyers. A
lawyer had once treated her badly.
Since the day of the young people's
marriage, six months before, and
then a misfortune had happened.
Dorothy had called impulsively at
her aunt's house to beg forgiveness
and Aunt Jerusha had been quite
conciliatory and had made tea in the
fine old Worcester teapot that had
come down in the family for genera
tions. Then Dorothy dropped the
sugar bowl, and that ended every
thing. Aunt Jerusha had several peculi
arities. One was her dislike for law
yers, whom she called rogues. An
other was her love for her china,
which she valued, she said, more
than any human being on earth ex
cept her parrot, recently deceased.
A stormy scene ensued, and Dorothy
left the house indignantly. When
Aunt Jerusha died she left Dorothy
everything, including the tea service,
teapot, milk pitcher, mended sugar
bowl and five saucers and six cups.
Dorothy had broken one saucer in
childhood, and she had never heard
the last of it
They moved into the cottage. The
legacy was much smaller than it
should have been. Three-quarters of
Aunt Jerusha's wealth had disap
peared somewhere. However, they
were not a mercenary young couple
and cared very little about this.
"To my beloved niece Dorothy,"
the will had run, "I leave my china
tea service in the hope that one or
two of the pieces will escape destruc
tion, at her hands, and that her hus-,
band, Charles, will prove himself an
honest man, as well as a lawyer, if
the occasion arises."
The young couple were too happy
to pay much thought to Aunt Jeru
sha's eccentricities. They lived three
months in the cottage before calam
ity broke over their heads. That hap
pened one afternoon when one of
Dorothy's friends was calling.
"Yes, aunt left me the dearest lit
tle tea set," she said. "We must
f'
"We've Got to Evacuate."
have tea in it this afternoon. Look
at this quaint little teapot "
Crash! The teapot was a heap of
broken china upon the floor.
In the midst of her distress Dor
othy seemed to hear her Aunt Jeru
sha's mocking laugh.
"Oh, dear," exclaimed the girl,
wringing her hands. "I knew that
would happen some day."
"Perhaps it 'can be mended," her
friend suggested. "Why, look, Dor
othy! What's that?"
"That" proved to be a piece of pa
per, neatly folded, which had made
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