Indiana American. [volume] (Brookville, Ind.) 1833-1861, 1856-04-11
an Tutsrsstina Storu.
Prom tho National MagazIne.
UNCLE JERRY'S GHOST.


Smiths dream. rs the reader may
suppose. tended somewhat TO confirm
me in the truth Of the revelations
had received Taken In connection
with those Of my wife and my littl,
daughter. / confess Il troubled me-
The fpenfy thousand dollars especially
seemed to indicate the truthfuness on
the part Of the raps had heard. The
journey by electric telegraph was al
so. to say the least, wonderful coin
cidence. And yet l had doubts
Something more than all this was ne.
cessary to dispei my skepticism. For.
tunately, or unfortunately il the read
er prefer. while reading the morning
paper my eye fell upon the advertise,
ment Of Madam Caraboni, the seventh
daughter Of seventh daughter. She
professed to be able to rend the future
10 tell whom the applicant would mar
ry, and even TO show the face Of the
intended wife or husband. or course,
beng married. | cared rolhing about
her skill IN this line. Sho added, also,
that she had power to foretell all mat
ters relative to deaths aud pecuniary
speculations. assuring The reader that
many persons had made fortunes by
attending to her representations.
Now, said /. am l such fool as to
put any faith Ia the skill Of this mis-
erable impostor? TO think Of visiting
such a.hag Twill not do 1t. And
yet | might call upon her just in the
edge Of the evening. She promises
the most profound secresy. Who will
DO the wiser for my visit? On an or
dinary occasion. OF course / would not
go q step out Of my way to gain al
the knowledge that Madam Carabonl
pretends 70 possess. But now. with
my mind distracted between faith and
unbelief. on subject that so nearly
concerns my own interests and those
Of my family. ought | not to avail my.
self OF everything in my power to
produce conviction one way or the 9th
er? But l will mot dwell upon the
logic or the sophistry that danced
through my brain all that day, and
prevented mo from attending prop
erly to my business. Nor need I at.
tempt to describe how contempiibly
mean felt when, having paid my dol.
lar. was shown into the room Of this
pretended revealer Of secrets. | was
satisfied before / went that she was nm
impostor. and all that she told me con.
irmed that opinion. The reader shall
judge.
After a few minutes Of apparent
conversation with a large black tom.
cat, which sat upon high chair by her
side. and while shutting and cutting q
greasy pack OF cards, she muttcred In
what was intended for broken French,
but which / shall not attempt to lmi.
tate:
"Yes. yes, n widowerl Wife dead;
lei me see. three. four years. or else
three years and four months. Want
ing another partner. Rich? Yes
nine Of diamonds-yery rich"
s'lIow much is she WORTH" | asked
much amused at the absurdity Of the
revelation.
"Iiow much? Letme see. Clubs,
houses; seven Of spades, Jack, too,
ten thousand, twenty thousand dol
lars u
"Is that all s.s--only twenty thou
sand?"
"Let me see; let me see." she re.
Piled. More? Yes. Maybe more,
Maybe twice as much. Soon. too
Hearts. hearts, hearts. In q few
weeks. Less than a month. Happy,
happy mani"
There was much more gibberish o
the same sort; but ! have told all that
Is material. and went home profoundly
impressed with the idea that / had
been humbugged.
At our tea table l found that mos'
troublesome fellow. Sykes, or. as be
styles himself. T. Jefferson Sykes.
supposed, Of course. that he had come
to borrow money. or to ask my assis
lance in getting him out Of some
scrape. or TO give him q note Of recon
mendation to some vacant office, one
or other Of these objects being the usu
al inducement for fayoring us with his
presence at the tea-table. Sykes j,
one Of that class Of men with which
suppose everybody is familiar. Ny
wills calls him hanger on. She never
liked him. nor did |. for that matter
but he stuck to me like leech.
had frequently said things which
ought to have offended him. but with,
out etieeting that object, and he per,
sisted in regarding me as the bes
friend he had in the world.
"Well." said l, "Sykes, what
wrong now?"
20, nothing wrong now: all right
right as a trivet. | thought / woult
just drop In and see il ! could do any
thing for you in my liae."
"Your line?" said I. laughing, "ant
what may that be?"
With great complacency Sykes ex
planned himself. Without any assu
rance from me, and, indeed. withou
my knowledge. he had obtained a sit
ualion likely to afford him q compe
tent support. He was an agent for
newly-started Life Insurance Compa
ny, and received per centage on III
business which he brought into tn
Concern. l am thus particular In thi
part Of my narrative, not only becaus
Sykes has an important part In It. bu
because one Of the most vilIainou
schemes that ever haunted any man
brain now began 10 torture me. Thi
was to effect an iasurance onf life 0
my Uncle Jerry. And why notl i
there anything wrong in II? Some
thing seemed to answer the questio
in the Affirmative. Jerryi Is dead an
you know il. The Company is igno
rant Of that fact. or. OF course, the
would not insure for you on any terms
But then do not know that my uncl
ia dead. / do not believc he is ID