Wyandot County Republican. [volume] (Upper Sandusky, Ohio) 1869-1903, 1872-09-26
VOL. XVII,

| Is this the place ?" asked the driver
as, after awhile, he stopped his horses ant
came to the carriage door. We were il
front of alighted shop, and a great many
people were. coming and going. Their
were three great golden balls over the
door; and a sign, Joseph Sehwarz."
there is No. IA at the side door. It's ur
stairs, Miss.
Rather bewildered, toiled up the long
narrow stairway and was met at the tor
| by Rebbie herself, radiant with welcome
She drew me into the par]or. called her
mother, rang for some supper, and asked
| a thousand questions as she helped me of
with hat and cloak. What a beauty she had
grown to be tall, 1.-THE, dark, with glow
ing cheeks and luminous, fathomless eyes
| Then her mother came in, stout lady
very Jewish1ooking, not so handsome as
Rebbie, but gorgeous in ruby-colored vel
vet, and warmly cordial. A young Jew
| boy brought in tray of refreshments,
and filled slender glass with some wine.
/ felt as if were in Jerusalem or Damas.
| Gus.
Rebbie was evidently petted daughter.
Her room, where we slept together, was
furnished with the utmost luxury, and !
smiled at the familiar sight of an open
jewel-box, and trinkets scattered all over
the dressing.table. We talked half the
night, and among other things, 1 asked
her about the three golden balls.
why, father is a pawnbroker," she
said, innocently. Didn't l ever tell
your"
Now I had the vaguest possible ideas
about pawnbrOkers, but they were not
very agreeable ones, and for an instant /
10 fob o1,ao pr1f f1n-n 90
dear Rebble's warm, loving hand in mine,
and there was the beautiful room and the
comfort and the welcome. / suddenly
made up my mind that a pawnbroker' s
life must be full of interest and romance,
and so l went to sleep with perfect resig-
nation under the elder down coverlet.
Joseph Schwarz was an old man
with bent figure and sharp, black
eyes, but he had kind word for his
daughters guest, and took a fancy at
once to his odd, foreign ways. He was a
German Jew, and had been a pawnbroker
in his own country before coming here. l
asked him if he did not get interested in
his customers sometimes.
"Vell, it ish very sad sight sometimes" p"
he said, thoughtfully. 1.-The sick and the
hungry comes to mine door, and l helps
them all little"
Dear mel a pawnbroker's shop all at
once became exalted to benevolent in
stitution in my mind, and the next even
ing begged Rebble to let me visit it. She
took me to small back room, from which
we could peep into the shop. But did
not want to stay long, for of all the
wretched sights ever saw, this was the
most pitiful. Such haggard and desperate
men! such pale, wan women! such old,
sharp children! each bringing some little
property to get money on. And I am
bound to say that good Joseph Sch warz,
with all his benevolence, ground them all
down to the smallest possible amount.
"They are not all like these" said Reb-
BILE. "Sometimes fine ladies come in their
carriages, and bring their jewels to pledge,
and sometimes they never redeem them.
Then, after awhile, father gives them to
me. That is how l always have so many
to wear"
really felt as if I had left my own
couhtry and gone into some foreign land
while [ stayed with Rebbie, for all their
callers were Jews and Jewesses even the
little children and babies were dark, and
had aquiline noses and keen eyes. On
Saturday we went to the synagogue, and
Rebbie and sat up in the gallery, while
the men worshipped below.
1t was soon time for me to go to Clara
Delancey's, and Rebbie and | were talk
ing it over. Rebbie declared that did
not dress enough for Clara's gay society,
and, as of old, offered to lend me any
thing she had. But refused.
"Though it is rather peculiar" said,
laughing, "that l never wear ear rings,
and have not ring on my ten fingers,
and no pin bnt this old pearl one with
fathers and mothers hair in it.
That evening Mr.. Schwarz brought
into the parlor an old ebony box that he
had been promising to show me, and un-
locked it. 1t contained great many
valuable jewels and ornaments, which
had been pawned to him years ago in
Germany and never redeemed. Some he
had had for forty years. I looked at
them with interest. In what romantic
histories, perchance, they had played a
part There was a diamond cross, a
string of gold beads, a carbuncle heart,
an old, old watch set in the side of a
mimic castle of gold, with curiously
carved turrets and parapets. There was
a great lustrous, pink opal. 'It brings
bad luck" said Mr.. Schwarz, shaking
his head. Then there were plenty of
charms, pencil cases, seal rings and pretty
trinkets. As I turned them over with
my hand suddenly 1 came upon this
locket. 1t took my fancy at once could
not bear to put it down.
"That's just the odd sort of thing to
suit you, Madge," cried Rebbie "Put
the chain around your neck, and let me
see how it looks. Just your style l''
Every link of the chain had some fanci-
full bit of carving upon it-a hand here,
a profile there, a moths wing, an imp's
face, f1ower-each done in such small
space as almost to need a magnifying-
glass. Here, you can look at it for your
self as 1 talk Mr.. Schwarz said the locket
and chain were brought him, some thirty
years before, in Frankfort, by a sickly,
looking young Englishman, who only
asked five pounds on them-hoping, he
said, to redeem them within a week. But
Mr.. Schwarz had never seen or heard from
him again.
ooh, father" said Rebbie, "we'n lend
that to Madge to wear at the Delancey's!'
AT last she had found something l could
not refuse. would rather have had the
locket and chain than all the jewelry in
the world. There could be no danger in
wearing it-a thing that had been pawned
thirty years ago in Germany; no one
would ever dream how had obtained it
huu 81 Wucu Wcu6 lTOIu heDDlo'S MOUSE
the next day the locket went with me.
My dear Madge," said Clara Delan
cey, few evenings after, as we were get
| ting ourselves ready for a soiree, chow
very distinguished looking you are in thai
black silk, and with your wonderful heir
loom of a locket.
smiled to think how little foundation
I had for distinction Clara herself was
looking exquisitly, wearing mauve ant
her pearls.
"Madge," she whispered, when we ha6
been at the soiree perhaps twenty minutes
''you are making a conquest. Dudley
Vereham is looking at you with all hi
eyes, and it is 'mirabile visu,' as oul
Latin books used to say, for he scarcely
ever notices us butterflies %
A few moments after Dudley Verehan
was brought to us by our hostess, and in
troduced. Clara escaped for a prone
made with one of her favorites, and wa
left alone with him. He was a grave
handsome young man, with a rather alb