The Plymouth Democrat. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1869-1941, 1870-09-08
more importance. 1t occurred about

and passing through the hall, l picked up
q pocket-book. l did not recognize it,
and asI was going to my room, took it
with me, supposing that | should be able
to identify it by the contents. The first
thing that met my eye was q small sum OF
money. This afforded no Indication, and
l drew out the first paper my fingers
touched. Judge my surprise When l saw
the forged cheque, which | had thought
safely stored in Mr.. Ephraim's safel OF
course | took the book to be his, and
imagined that for some reason he had
transferred the document to it. l was
about 30 close it with the purpose of re-
turning it to him, when some feeling
which ! cannot define impelled me to
draw out the next paper. This, to my
dumb surprise, was a certificate OF mar
riage, dated almost a year back, testifylng
that John Barrett and Lydia Pennypacker
had, upon a day stated, been Joined to-
gether in the bonds of holy matrimony.
A tumult of thought rushed over me at
this discovery. Now ] could understand
the apparent uneasiness on ais part at my
searches for the lost girl. Now l upder-
stood his frequent absences from the house,
and his remark in reference to Miss Brins-
made, that chad he met her q few months
sooner there was no knowing what might
have happened" / revoivcd all this, and
many smaller things besring upon the
matter, in my mind. The discovery re-
lieved me OF q heavy anxiety in regard to
the welfare Of Lydia, while it made ne
think better of John to find that he had
taken the homeless girl and made her
his wife. | felt that he must have done
so unselfshly as far as any hope of any
pecuniary benefit from the marriage was
concerned, since it was certain that in
Mr.. Ephraim's will she would not stand
for a dollar, not only from the old mans
positive hatred toward her, but from tic
fact that he had over and over again ex-
pressed his intention of devoting every
cent of bis money to the founding OF 8
certain charity, The plan OF which had
been long since drawn up in al its de-
tails.
But the cheQue ! What was the cheque
doing in Johns possession? This tr0u'
hastily as | had done n ce before. ]
closed the book, and as by returning il
personally to Barrett l should only be
letting him know that I was in possession
of his secret, J concluded to lay it upon
III QlCSSluS ldOlc Slil ~ oIb STSAtS. y liz
SO, and went quickly to my desk. John
was already at his, and in leas than al
hour-for 1 was watching him as 8 ce-
does q mOuse-he started, turned pale
searched all his pockets rapidly, exam
med the floor and her started out. Ir
two Or three minutes he was back, ant
by the flush of his face and the bright
ness of his eye / perceived that ne hac
found the missing object.
The fifth incident in my story occurred
exactly one week from the date of the last
and was announced by a fearful shrek
which rang through the house one morn
ing just as we had finished dressing.
say arc, though John had been UP auC
dressed g goci hour or two before DAY
light, and was apparently writing at hi
table by.candle.llght. We all ran, and il
an instant found the scream to proceed
from the servant-or house keeper 90 sh,
was called-who stood in the hall anC
cried, "Corne here" in p sharp. shril
voice. We flew towhere she pointed, Mr.
Ephraim's room, and there saw the clC
man lying stark and stiff in his bed. n,
one touched him the fact Of his deatl
was too apparent for question; en-
though a doctor was Immediately sent foI
no one doubted that The event ha'
occurred 'soine hours before. There wa
no coroner, the doctor gave a certificate
"disease of the heart" and the third Ga.
after the earth received all there was C
Ephraim Pennypacker. During thi
time l watched and expected every hou
to see Lydia make her appearance, an
marked every movement of Barrett
countenance, waiting impatiently for hir
to surrender his secret. But to my ute
surprise she did not come. She mus
then, be far away from the city. and
had no right to intIude myself on Bal
rett's or her privacy and ask questions.
folk s're that lydia would not have cal
ried her resentment 50 Ia, . -. - >
present at the old mans funeral, If
were possible. There were no near rei'
tions, and falling Lydia's appearance II
public administrator stepped in and too
possession. And then came q revelatiO
that astounded everybody. EphraiI
Pennypacker had died without a will, an
without anything to b~equeath, his ettec'
being barely sufficient to meet the claim
upon him, and leaving, when everythin
was settled, the old banking-h house
Lydia's property. She did not put in a
appearance for this, and so it stood close
and awaiting her claim. It was not wort
enough to worry the lawyers much, an
was therefore unmolested. There W.
!, something very strange in this semi ban
ruptcy of Ephraim Pennypacker, as
the evidence of q most respectable firm
lawyers they had drawn his will on
three years before his death, and he hs
/ then bequeathed to found the befor
mentioned charity nearly a quarter of
!. million in bonds, money and securities
various kinds. This will had gone IN
his own hands, but as his private cas-
. book showed during these three yearsir
? mense sums Withdrawn from the han
and the disposal not accounted for, it W
=. generally conceded that the old bank
had been engaged in some secret specul
ti~on-hOwever unlike him-had silent
y sunk his whole capital, and in cons
E quence of this had destroyed the will.
\ Some of the clerks found employing,
e in the city, but John announced to n
! his intention of going abroad. He W
D sick of Philadelphia and wanted chang
and would tske any engagement to 6
away. l was not surprised, therefor
when l heard, some weeks after, that
had gone to Valparaiso as bookkeeper
an American house there, but L Was ST
4 pTlhCu budt Ic Otu HOI piu lit vi WittC u
r good bye. AS he sailed from New Yor
f I could get no definite information as
whether his wife went with him, bu'
8 took that point for granted.
r l shall take a fight now over thr
years, during which the only event CO
- nected with the subject of my story W
the reception from Valparaiso of a reg
b larly executed set of documents put in
Mrs. John Barrett, once Lydia Penn
I packer, claiming the old house, and 81
t ing directions that it should remain clos
: and untouched till her own or her hl
8 bands return. This occurred about s
moths after Johns departure, about {
time required for them to arrive at thu
destination and it brings me to my Six
g incident, which relates to the Pennypack
e house, but not to the house of Penn
packer 81 Son.
t One highland a bitter cold night
was-there was an alarm of fire. "