The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1874-01-16
MAJOR GRANTBY.
A Remarkable Incident I'm his Life.

| am an Englishman. L have spent
the best years of my life in lndia-mak-
ing the small fortune which allows me
now to keep clear of the moneymaking
world, and, as quiet country gentle
man, to take the leisure-with enough
of responsibility to keep me from ennui
which men of my age feel that they
need.
once spent year in America, and
made many friends. Those whom /
now remember with most satisfaction
were elderly gentlemen, of small for
tune, obliged to attend somewhat to
business. and who, living in the coun-
try, still kept pace with the literary and
scientific world, without gaining that
brusque, oratorical manner, the charac-
teristic of men who talk more than they
think.
l was once dining with such an one.
His amiable wife and lovely young
daughter made the dinner a feast by
their ch rming conversation. At each
end OF the room were hung very mas
terly portraits in oil, which attracted my
attention. At one end of the room hung
the portrait of a lady in the bloom of
youth and beauty. The picture hung
alone. A. the other end were two por-
traits one of handsome man in the
prime of life the other, that of very
lovely white-haired old lady. 1t seemed
strange that the more youthful lady
should not be placed by his side. The
old lady placed alone would have seemed
to me more natural However, the po-
sition of the pictures was evidently in
be tional.
Ny friend and host, noticing the in
terost L took in the portraits, saio, aa
he pointed to the two "Those are the
portraits of my wifes father and mother,
taken ut about the same time, nearly n
year before their death ;" and he paused,
as if for an expression of my interest
/ could but say "They are fine
pictures, but seem to show great dispar-
ity in their ages. "
"Tell Mr.. Featherstone the story of
my fathers life, said my hostess.
Her husband began
The story takes us back to the time,
nearly forty years ago, when Major
Grantby, the original of that portrait
and my wife's father, was about forty
years old, as fine looking man as he is
there portrayed. He had resigned his
position in the army, and was professor
of Sanscrit and Ancient Egyptian Lit
erature in Columbia College. He was
very fond of everything relating to the
Egyptians, and although he never Wis
tied that country himself, he was init
mate with men who had. He possessed
valuable collection of Egyptian curl.
osities. and, much to the horror of his
a,,.l 1n,.g,hfa, ha 60 .,
keep n mummy in case in his study.
About that time band of Egyptian
sorcerers made their appearance in New
York. There was something wonder
fully respectable and attractive about
them. They hired spacious rooms, anC
had them refitted after the style of an
Client Egyptian architecture and these
rooms were made gorgeous and impos
ing by everything imaginable in the
shape OF curiosity, including mummie'
of men, birds, beasts and reptiles. Cur
tains of brilliant hues and marvellous work
manship draped the windows and door
ways. Heavy sarcophagi and models o
pyramids, sphynxes and palaces crowd
ed the large vestibule through which the
visitors entered.
Major Grantby was among the first t.
visit them and he was quite carried
away with their knowledge and som,
strange powers which they undoubtedl,
possessed. There was but one woman
IN the company. / remember seeing
her She was a magnificent creature
of large stature, with regular beaut.
of feature which never saw in any on,
else. 1t was as if marble statue haC
come to life, so little color had she, anC
so little voluntary movement. He
companions treated her with the great