Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1870-09-09

repair, Under the direction of the authori-
les who held the property in trust.
And now came a most extraordinary
revelation. j got 1t long before it became
public, from O young man whose acquaint-
anbe made in the Office of the public
administrator.
The workmen, in pulling down the
| shattered parts, unearthed some suspi.
cious looking packages, and In d few min.
| utes, Che whole OF Mr.. Ephraim's lost
pr6perty--bo stocks, money and secu.
| flties LAY in the hands of the master.
workman, who fortunately was an honest
man. Ephraim had used as hiding place
a wooden pannel under window, where
stood a heavy desk, in room TO which he
was wont to retreat at times from the
office and lock himself up. He had been
too suddenly hurried into eternity to re-
veal his boarding place to any one.
OF bourse this was serious matter, and
as there was good picking for lawyers and
public functionaries, Mr.. John Barrett
and wife were communicated with at
valparaiso immediately. The return mail
brought an answer expressing great Joy
! at the finding of the property, but regret
ting that the dangerous illness of Mrs,
Barrett would prevent her immediate re-
| turn to Philadelphia. AS soon as her
health permitted she would set out.
Within q month came second letter from
Barrett, announcing the death of his wife,
| a viii made by her in his own favor, and
his intention of being in Philadelphia
almost as soon as this intelligence, with
| all legal documents to dispose of the
| matter
I And sure enough, within two weeks l
| heard of his arrival ] called at his ho-
tel, sent up my card, and received the
| answer that Mr., Barrett was too i'll to see
| anybody. My pride started at this
| Could 1t be the rich man cutting off his
old acquaintances9 / contented myself
| with sending up second card with my
address, in order that if he wanted to see
| me he might be able to do so, and then
went my way. From my friend in the
public Office l heard that John Barrett
had put in all his proofs and complied
| with all the legal forms, after which, hav
ing taken possession of the PROPERTY,
| amounting in all TO about three hundred
thousand dollars, he had left the city, in
what direction, nobody knew. He never
saw fit to call on me, and did not meet
him, s..
Twelve years now pass over US, and /
come to the seventh incident in my story
| which more nearly concerns myself than
| all the rest put together. You know that
| whatever share of this worlds goods
now possess have won within the last
five years II Ia other words, FIVE years ago
was poor, and of course in no position
to fall in love or marry; and yet, absurd
as Is for a man of thiIty.three to talk of
being romsntically in love, was 80 for
the first time in my life, and the object of
my passion was Katie Earnshaw, of whom
| shall say nothing except that she was as
| good as she was pretty. Katie was on my
side, but am sorry to say l had all the
| elder branches of her family arrayed
against me. They believed in my little
lady marrying somebody with mints of
money, and the father especially had Just
the man picked out for her that he
thought would suit. This man, Waring
de Lille, claimed to be of French extrac,
ton, horn in New Orleans. He was tall,
dark, bronzed by exposure to a tropical
sun, wore q heavy moustache, dressed ex-
quisitely, and was about forty years of
age. He had been but few months in
Philadelphia when met him, but Ger.
tainly in his conversation, which was
slightly tinged with foreign idiom and
accent, showed more knowledge of the
city than that time warranted. he was
rich (Earnshaw senior was not man to
be deceived on such a point), and Katie
told me, as coming from him, that De
Lille had large investments in New York,
almost enough to constitute him a mil
lionsire. What chance could l have
against such rival? OF course my at
tentions werl repudiated by pa and ma,
and as warmly encouraged by Katie, until
felt that we stood on the brink of an
open rupture, and perhaps a runaway af-
fair, providing Katie would consent to so
summary mode of settling the matter.
l could do nothing toward check
ing the fellows cool perslstency but
glare at him when we met, and
then it was rarely / could catch
his eye to make him feel that l was des-
perately in earnest. 1t always wandered
away but when l did catch it there was
something that made my blood crawl as
though were looking into that of VAN.
pyre. 1t was recognized fact that De
Lille was suitor for Katie Earnshaws g
hand, with the consent Of all parties but
herself. How long she might be able to
do battle against him, backed as he was
by her father and mother, was a matter
of great doubt.
In this state affairs stood when one day,
as l was walking slowly down Walnut
street, Illuminating on the situation, lady
came from building used for lawyers of.
ltices, and approached me. She was on the
shady side OF thirty five, rather handsome,
but with q complexion which indicated
that much of her life had been spent in
fSouthern lands. AS she came near she
gazsd inquiringly in my face, started
slightly, colored and stood still. There
was something in her look which mem.
ory recalled, but only in vague way.
"Warrenerf" she said.
"My name, madam"
You do not remember me"
az am sorry to say do not"
81 am Lydia Pennypacker," ....
Lydia Pennypackerp almoS
shouted, seizing both her hands in mine
"Why, thought you were dead?"
"Not yet" she said, laughing, "thougf
they have tried hard to kill me. 1t is tC
prove myself alive that have just beer
among these gentlemen of the law"
u Then the whole story came fresh to my
mind after the lapse of twelve years, anC
said:
"But your husband produced evidencC
that you died at Valparaiso"
"Not my husband, but an imposter
never was in Valparaiso in my life"
was struck dumb.
"Doyou mean to say that John Barrett
was not your husbandr"
al never saw John Barrett from thu
, day before l left my fathers house. My
husband was Alexander Graham. w,
u were married in this city the day lef
home, and went with him TO Rio ia
neiro, and from there into the back coun
: try, where he became engineer on larg
sugar estate, and where we lived until hi
death one year ago"
. Good Heavens what revelation!
, could not speak. could do nothing bu
, tuck the little womsn's arm under IN,
: own, and march her off to my office, tina
/ / might gather my breath and know a.
about it.
III have come back to Philadelphia,
She said, "after fifteen years, a stranger
/ having during that time scarcely met a.
! American, let alone native of this city
: and rarely caught sight of newspaper
E came back TO see once more the spot
. was born in, and to forgive those VIII
! | IrS. cut s,,fo oolI nd