Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1841-02-19

ed lifetime back again would give up my
hopes of the Great Carbunclc! Having
found il, shall bear il to a certain cavern that
wOt of, and there grasping it in my arms,
lie down and die, and keep il buried with
me for ever"
40, wretch, regardless Of the interests of sci.
ence I" cred Doctor Cacaphodel, with phloso-
phic indignation. "'rhou art not worthy 20 be-
hold, even from afar off, the lustre of this most
precious gem that ever was concocted in the
laboratory of Nature. Mine is the sole purpose
!or which wise man may desire the possession
of the Great Carbuncle. Immediately on OBJ.
tanning it--for have presentinent good peo-
pie, that the prize is reserved to crown my sci.
entific reputaton--l shall return to Europe, and
employ my remaining years in reducing it to its
first elements. A portion of the stone will
grind to impalpabe powder: other parts shall
be dissolved in acids, or whatever solvents will
act upon SO admirable composition; and the
remainder design to melt in the crucble, or
set on fire with the blow-pipe BY these va
rions methods, shall gain an accurate analysis,
and finally bestow the result Of my abors upon
the world in folio volume"
"Excelent!" quoth the man with the spec.
taclcs. "Nor need you hesitate, learned sir, ON
account Of the necessary destruction ofthe gem !;
since the perusal OF your folio may teach every
mothers son of us to concoct Great Carbuncle
Of his own"
"But, verify" said Master Ichabod pigsnort,
"for mine own part, object to the making of
these counter(ets, as being calculated to reduce
The marketable value Of the true gem. I tell
ye frankly, sirs, have an interest in keeping
up the price. Here have quilted my regular
traffic, leaving my warehouse in the care Of
my clerks, and putting my credit to great haz-
ard, and furthermore, have put myself in peril Of
death captivity BY the accused heather savage
land all this without daring to ask the prayers
of the congregation, because the quest for the
Grca, Caibuncle is deemed little better than a
traffic with The evil Que. Now think we that
would have done this grieyous wrong to my soul,
| body, reputation and estate, without reasonable
chance of profit 7"
"Not I,pious Master pigsnort," said the man
with the spectacles. al never laid such a great
| folly TO thy charge"
"rruly hope not" said the merchant SNOW
as touching this Great Carbuncle, am free to
own that have never had glimpse of it but
be it only the hundredrh part so bright as people
tell, it will surely outvalue the Great Moguls
best diamond, which he holds at an incacuab,e
sum. Wherefore, am minded to put the Great
Carbuncle on shIpboard, and voyage with it to
England, France, Spain, Italy, or into Heathen-
dom, if Providence should send me thither, and,
in word, dispose Of the gem TO the best bidder
among the protentates of the earth, that he may
place it among his crown jewels. II any of ye
have wiser plan, let him expound it,"
"That have J. thou sordid man, exclaimed
the poet "Dcst thou desire nothing brighter
than god. that thou wouldst transmute all this
ETHEREAL lus're into such dross, as thou walow.
est in already! For thyself, hiding the level
,l,al, I ,1,a ,;r 4,
chamber, in one the darksome alleys of London
There night and day, will gaze upon tiny
soul shall drink its radancc--lt shall he dIfilsed
throughout my intellectual powers, and CLEAN
brightly in every line line Of poesy that ndte
Thus long ages after am gone, the splendor OF
the Great Carbuncle will blaze around my
name :"
swell said master Poet !" cried he of the
spectacles. Glide it under thy cloak, SAYS
thou7 Why, it will CLEAN through the holes
and make thee look like jack o'lanlcrn!"
"To think !" calculated the Lord de We're
rather to himself, than his companions, the
best Of whom he held utterly unworthy of hi.
intercourse ITO think that fellow in tat.
tered cloak should talk of conveying the
Great Carbunclc to a garnet in Grub street
Have not resolved within myself, that the
whole earth contains no filter ornamcn, fol-
the great hall Of my ancestral castle There
shall it flame for ages, making MONDAY o
mid ight elittcrng on the suits of arrnor, the
banners, and cscutcheons, tina, hang aronno
the wall, and keeping bright the memory O
heroes. Wherefore have all other adven.
.nrcrs sought the prize in vain, but that
might win it, and make it symbol of the
glories of our lofty line And never, on the
dladcm Of the White Mountains, did tn,
Great Carbuncle hold place hafso honor
ed, as Is reserved for il in the hall of the d,
Veres !"
at is noble thought" said the Cynic
with an obsequious sheer. "Yct might
presume to say SO, the gem would make
rare sepuchral lamp, and would display tn,
elcrics of your lordship's progcnltors NOR
truly in the ancestral vault, than in the cast
hall"
NAY forsooth, observed Matthew, the youn
rustic, who sat hand in hand with his bride
"the gentleman has hcthoughl himself pro
Gtablc use for this bright stone. Hanna
here and are seeking i, for like purpose.
.How, fellow" exclaimed his lordship
in surprise. "What castle hall hast thou L
hang ii in e
: "No CASTLE" replied Matthew, "but a
cat cottage as any within sight of TIN
Crystal Hills. We must know, friends, tina
; Hannah and |, being welded the last week
have taken up the search Of the Great Car
bunclc, because we shall need its light in tn
} long winter evening; and it will he such
pretty thingto show,le neighborS, when the,
visit us. twill shine through the house, S
that We may pick up a pin in any corner
! and will set all the windows a-glowing, as
there were great fire Of pine knots in tn
chimney. And then how pleasant, when W
awake in the night, to be able to see on
} another's faces!"
There was general smile among the adj
venturers, at the simplicity of the young cou
Plies project, in regard to this wonderou
and invaluable stone, with which the great
est monarch on earth might have been prou
to adorn his palace. Especially the ma
, with spectaccs, who had sncered at all tn
company in turn, now twisted his visage int
; such an expression of ill-nalured mirlh, tina