Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1866-02-09

LIiIeiy iedtsuicu-tnoTouSHi cOHNlnc-
ed, Mrs. Clytton forgavc the mans
familiarity and laughed with him, forget
ting her dignity. She dismissed the sub
jcct from her mind from that moment.
Vincent entered on description of some
of the treasures of the chest. and she
listened until her pretty mouth watered.
Two whole hours that evening was she
chatting by the side of Mr.. Valencia.
The ship did arrive in port. and safely,
in spite of the proguostics of the sailors ,
and the passengers parted at Southampton,
only to meet again early in December, for
Mr.. Valentia had given cordial invita-
ton to the Tayor and his family tn meet
him i'll his patcrnal home in Norfolk-his. :.
now-and spend a long Christmas with
him. And they arrived early in Deccmr
ber. nothing 10th, finding home replete
with every convenience, luxury, and a
warm welcome from Mr.. Nalentia, who in
his turn had been warmly welcomed by
old friends around. twas an old-f;,sllion-
ed house, full of winding passages, in
which Mrs. Clytton and Auta Gore lost
themselves perpetually.
ut is u perfect hone!" cried the Major,
in rapture of admiration. You have
gwen it everything. Mr.. Valenta, that can
insure happiness and comfort
Not quite perfect yet" dissentcd Mr..
Nalentia. at wants one thing more, Ma
jor which | suppose shall have to get it
"a mistress"
shall you add that inquired the
Major his eye resting, perhaps unconscious
ly, on his daughter.
Il hope So The happiness denied to
me in my first wife may he mine in a
second. What do you think Miss Auta ?
Auta Gore colored so wildly at the un-
expected question, that she was glad to
escape in very self consciousness and
Mrs. Clytton, full of contcmptuous pity.
said Auta was growing more absurdly shy
every day.
The days went on for all parties in a
sort of Elysium. Major and Mrs. Gore
had never heen so luyurinusly off in their
lives; Geraldine was indulgiug hlissful
visions, their whole basis, gold and Auta
in the many depths of tirst-lovc dream.
whose idol was George Nalenta. Her
heart had gone out to him in those days
when they were on the broad sea, when
he talked to her in low tones. umsuspcctcd
by anybody, aud gazcd into the depths Of
her blue eyes.
And the ebony chest! 1t was in Mr..
| Valentia's private rooms in the west win.
Of the house, its contents (as we under
stood) as vet undisturbcd. Geraldine
| Clytton's desire TO see those rrccaus jew
els, 50 shortly. she hoped. to be hers, was
growing almost irreprcssible, fevering hel
spirit with its excitement. Why could he
not show them to her! The question be-
gan to torment her more than was good
for her equanimity. and it gave rise to
| thoughts not justitiable.
But let us hope that accident alone led
to the step she finally took. On Christmas
Eve they were sitting out of doors, when
Mr.. Valencia. in taking something out of
his pocket, let fall key, with a small
silver chain attached to it. lie did no:
perceive the loss, and Mrs. Clytton STEALTH
ly secured it 1t was one of the millcst
days ever known at that season, the sun
shining, the air halmy asin spring, the
viOlets and prinroses raising their modest
heads. Nothing of the unusual beauty
saw Geraldine Clytton, that key, lying
unsuspected in her hand, was obscuriug
her vision physically and mentally In
stinct had told her it was the KEY of the
chest, nud she resolved to take Il sly peep
for herself. the BluebearI's 5 wife.
She had to wait for the opportunity, and
some delay there must necessarily be: vet
her nind was in that tcvcrishly excited
state that brooks it not. At the dinner
table that evening an excuse was made
ior Mrs. Clytton; she was lying on the
bed sick with violent headache, and
must ON no account be disturbed. Hall
an hour of impatient waiting yet, that
they might be fairly settled into the din
ner. and then she stole away Oh her cX-
petition. She hated to lose her dinner:
but what was dinner, even though taken
by the side of George Nalrntia, compared
to the qualification of that irrcprcssi
bic longing-the sight of those sorinur
gems.
The moonlight was streaming in at the
corridor windows as she made her way to
the opposite wing of the house. shielding
with her hand the candle she had brought.
Her heart WIS beating, her veins wcr,
tllrobbing; not at the dshon0r of the act
she was about to commit; not at the dread
of detection, but with the morbid eager
ness for the sight she had SO long and
ardently coveted. OF detection there wa,
little fear at that hour. Mr. Na!ent;a wa,
heading his own table, and Vincent was
safe behind his masters chair. Openin.
the green bazc door that Shu; in the
wing. and closing it softly after her, she
turned into the second room on the left
There it was, the lang, beautiful cbon,
chest; it stood against the wall. opposit,
the large window, in the moonbcams
which slittered on its mountings of silver
There was TO time to so to work lelber
ately for interruption. involving the aw
full agony Of detection and shame was no
possible, though unlikely and she hastil,
put the key into the lock. Even rs sh,
did so tremor shot through her who,,
frame for, III that moment, she knew nn
how or why, the whispers of the tw,
sailors, that memQrabIe, stormy uiaht ol
board the "South STAR flashed into he
mind. What if the chest should contain
rot Jewels, but! As she turned til,
key the lii shot back with spring, start
ling her well to death. Surely 50 larg,
and long "A lid never so shot back before
But Geraldine Clytton was not enc t,
yield needlessly to superstition, and sin
took good look at The chest. 1t wa
ahNut three parts filled. and evidently ha,
been unpacRed, perhaps set in ordcr,sinc,
its arrival at its present resting -place.-
Numbers of small parcels. csYerrI re
spectivcly with paper, with cotton wool
with card hoard boxes, as the case nigh
be, completely lined the chest all round
to the width Of some iuphps these wer,
no doubt, the jewels; bu, Mrs. Clytton'