The Shasta courier., 1867-10-12
SHASTA COU RlER
PROLL; A MYSTERY.
Or How A Coward Became hero by
Mistake.


In the last will and testament of Mr.. John
Smith, of Allsop terrace, Halifax the instru-
ment NAV be consulted by the incredulous
at the usual expense of a shilling and pa
tience), will be found a paragraph to the
following effect:
Also, l give and bequeath to Proll
whatsoever or whomsoever that may prove to
be. his or her heirs or legal representatives,
the sum of three thousand pounds three per
cent. consolidated bank annuities, desiring
that nv executors, hereinafter named, shall
make every reasonable effort for the discov-
ery of the aforesaid Proll,' his or her, etc.
which efforts shall comprise an advertise
ment. thrice repeated in leading London
journal as we'll as the local papers of Liver
pool and Birmingham. And in default of
such efforts proving successful within year
and a day. then my said executors shall
expend the sum aforesaid in the purchase of
some suffcing tokens for the reward of any
remarkable deeds of personal prowess, which
shall be and occur within three years OF my
decease."
The singular wording of this bequest Gre
ated much local interest at tie time, and
attracted an unusal amount OF attention to
the character and history of a harmless little
man who might have otherwise slipped out OF
this bustling world as noisely as he had
dwelt in it.
Mr. John Smith was the only son of a
Halifax apothecary, who left HIM at his death,
which did not occur until the boy" was
past forty, the possesSor OF an income OF h'e
hundred pounds a year. John had been
destined lin his cradle) for his fathers pro
fession but nature, in the form OF II pecu
liarly timid and susceptible temperament
raised such objections that the project had
to be abandoned, and trout fishing in sum
mer. and snpe shooting in winter, formed
the leading occupations of the young mans
life. until these sports were interrupted, for
a season, by the decease Of his respected sire,
and the consequent duty of looking into his
own affairs. This discharged, Mr. John re-
turned to the snipc and trout with undimlI-
ished ardor.
The change in his habits was, indeed, so
slight as to be hardly perceptible. Even the
two old servants, husband and wife, who had.
from time immemorial to him, formed the
domestic establishment, and whom he (John)
bad, from kindly motives, dismissed, super
annuated, with IL handsome allowance, In
sisting that Master John was not getting on
nicely without them, came quietly back
dismissed, without the sligest ceremony, the
provisional maid and resumed their accus-
toned duties with all the vigor of youth
John Smith had been described, by gen
tleman who lived in his immediate neighbor
hood. as an under educated but well man
nered little man, with a pug nose, watery
eyes and funny, little tlickering smile,
which seemed to have been caught from the
ripple of the brook over which 1t had been
his delight to hang since boyhood Take
John Smith altogether, body and mind, he
was. perhaps, the very last individual in the
world to whom anything romantic or myste-
rioLs was likely to attach. And yet John
Smith had romance and mystery and
like queer little parenthesis IN the social
ANIMALS of the world) here we chronicle the
same, taking no the history about two years
subsequent to the commencement Of Johns
orphanhood.
Although Mr.. Smith had never been in the
habit of giving regular dinner parties, it was
frequent custom with him to invite two or
three of his chief gossps to partake of a
brace of Wandle trout, most of which, weight
condition, disposition and all, were (whie
yet in their native eement) so well known
to that experienced fisherman. that it must
have been like diminishing the circle of his
personal acquaintance to dine upon them
These, with neck of mutton and any pretty
little, tiny kickshaw, such as Justice Shal
low with commendable judgement delegated
to his cook, formed light and pleasant ban
auet which left the intellect clear, and TEN
per sweet, for the rubber of threepenny whist
that wound up the evening.
1t was on one of these festive occasions
that attention was drawn to the first of a
series of remarkable objects, which seemed
altogether out of keeping with the modest
adornements of the Smith mansion. 1t was
a massive silver chalice, of most beautiful
workmanship, displaying three compartments
on which were represented scenes from the
tauromachia," or classic bull fights 1t
stood upon blue velvet. covered pedestal,
beneath glass case, which, while it permit
ted full inspection of the mastery devices
on its cleaning sides, protected the exqui-
site object from dust or soil.
Halo, Jack, that's fine thing !" re-
marked friend number one, suddenly awak
ening, as it seemed, to the merits of the
= thing" to which he had been sitting oppo-
site for half an hour. :. / must put on my
specs for this. Magnificent by iiingo Look
at it, Gripper. Toro-mhat? Was this your
fathers, Jack?
Mr.. Smith colored and hesitated
Well, no. My father he didn't seem to
| say, Gripper, just you try that brown sher-
ry. Join US, Peters, will you ?'
1t were to be guilty of the vulgarity
of appraising mans property at his own
table," said Mr.. Slade, the curate, f" | should
be disposed to affirm that the individual who
became possessed of that chalce at anything
under three hundred and fifty pounds was a
lucky fellow"
Where upon earth did he get it ?" said
friend number three to friend number four.
4 didn't give our host credit for tastes of
this kind"
Aha There's mystery, l take it.
about that chalice," remarked the migrate.
full Gripper, who, even while swallowing the
brown sherry intended to silence him, had
noticed the embarrassment of the little host.
'' i must examine more minutely y and he
stretched out his hand towards the cup.
| Smith caught him neryously by the sleeve.