Nebraska advertiser. [volume] (Brownville, Nemaha County, N.T. [Neb.]) 1856-1882, 1868-04-09

which is read in the church was cOnclud
ed. the sky had become completely over
cast with a mantle of watery.looking
clouds and rain was eminently imminent
to the great satisfaction of the old folk!
who stood around me. was in the act oi
delivering the beautiful exhOrtaIior
which tell US that Man that is born of a
woman hath but short time to live, and
is full of misery when the first drops Of
rain began to fall. A smile of pleasure
was on the elders face at this favorable
oman, while !, less imaginative or less
superstitOns, instinctiEely expanded my
umbrella. AS dad so, apiece of paper,
of dingy yellow hue, fiuttered slowly
from it and fell on the newly dug earth
at my feet, 1t was the Hundred Pound
Note.
David and Reuben both saw the paper
fall, and each rushed forward at the
same moment. They met on opposit sid es
of the grave. while at the same instant a
murmer of astonishment rose from the
assembled crowd.
For fully minute the brothers looked
each other full in the face; softening
shade of regret then passed over each
of their coCntenanGes.
Reuben was the first to speak. 'Dav-
i'd he said hOarsly, i called you thief
without reason
i was as bad answered David, hang
ing down his head.
Let US shake hands, muttered Reuben,
drawing his coat sleeve over bis eyes.
We couldn't choose better place than
fathers grave
David held ont his hand willingly.
God forgive me- he said. for the hard
thoughts | thought of you Reuben
'My friends l exclaimed, looking
around at the spectators, who stood re-
garding this touching scene with faces
of the most intense interesI-'my friends
it is we'll worth while that this solemn
service should be interrupted, since the
interruption has been the means of re-
conciling two brothers who have been at
variance. Letus now proceed. / proceed
ed accordingly with the exhOrtatiOn,
Reuben and David Clasping each other
by the hand till service was concluded.
A very brief explanation will suffice
to show the probable manner in which
the hundred pound note got into such an
unli kelly Kidding place. On entering
John Dymond's cottage that eveniful
aflef0o0n, ! Had placed ny uubreiiai
which was slightly wetsed by the COM
mencing rain, upright against The table,
and no doubt when / turned sharply
round on witnessing that binding fash
of lightning, my coat-tail whisked into
the folds of silk. There il lay snugly
enough, plastered as it were between
the ribs, white with equal naturalness il
fell on :he first expansion of the umbrella
after a period of dry weather. But ]
NAV as well confess at once that this
prosaiC explanation was entirely rejected
by the more marvel loving portion Of
my flock. They maintained that the
hundred pound note was of preternatural
origin, though on perceiving the good
effects which it had wrought. they nc
longer attributed its manufacture to a
malignant fiend, but to a benevolent fairy,
They were not staggered by the fact
that the Bank of England cheerfully
converted the dingy old scrap of paper
into hundred bright yellow sovereigns
for fairies are capable of deceiVing
anybody. Still, they would not have
been surprised if those same sovereigns
disappeared some fine day, leaving only
a few bits of dirt behind them. 1t is
only right to mention that, in accordance
with John DymOnd's last words, we ad-
verlised the discovery of the note, but nc
claimant appeared who was able to prove
his ownership.
The newly-born friendship between
the half.bTothers was not tested by any
heightened IN tercourse, for shortly after
he received his share of the hundred
pound note, Reuben sailed with his
family for America. where. l afterwards
understood, he got on better than any
body in Headingly had ever anticipated.
AS for David, Mr.. Worth wrs so melted
by the fifty dazzling arguments in favor
of marriage which the young man pro-
duced from a canvas bag, that within a
few weeks Joined his hand and Maria s
in holy matrimony.
Some years afterwards, on passing
through Headingly, l found that many
changes had taken place. The front
garden in which used to mediate had
been converted into busy yard, where
the firm of Worth & Dymond carried
on their wheel manufacture on greatly
extended scale. My pretty hand-maiden
Maria had become q buxom matron
with half a dozen children about her
knees, but she gave me heary welcome,
and making me set down in her trinity
furnished parlor to a glass Of wine.
showing me in frame over the mantle
piece a Photographic facsimile of the
famous Hundred Pound Note.