The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1874-12-25

then it is a very bad habit for lady
to indulge in"
"Well, / am wide awake enough
now for anything. What is it you want
me to do?"
81 want you to tell me story. Is
there not a queer one extant about an
old uncle of ours and a precious stone?"
"Oar rand-uncle-yes. Did you
never hear about Stephen Carr, our
fathers uncle, and how oddly his for
tune disappeared ?"
"Long ago, when 1 was a very little
child, suppose, for my remembrance
OF the affair is as vague and uncertain
as possible. There was something
about voyage to Europe, and a lost
jewel, but recollect nothing definite.
/ want you to tell me all about it. Be-
gin at the very beginning, please.
Come, now, I'm all ready to listen.
Once upon time"
"Well, said Patience, gazing at the
Goals as though trying to read there
the commencement of her narrative,
"you must remember that our fathers
family was not far from being a very
aristocratic one, at least on our grand
fathers side. for there is no better
blood in New York State than that of
our grandmother. She was Miss Van
Lorten."
"You remind me of that woman in
Hard Times, whose mother was a
Fowler Go on"
80 will not unless you promise not to
interrupt me. Where was l? 0, yes
Our grandfather had an only brother, an
old bachelor, who was by trade not ex-
actly a jeweler, but n diamond-broker-
l think they call such persona man
who buys and sells precious stones.
He used to go abroad once or twice a
year for the purpose IF visiting pawn
brokers establishments and second
hand dealers in search of gems that
might be cheaply purchased, as well as
for the usual transactions of his bust
ness. He was grave, taciturn man,
and never discussed his affairs with any
one, not even with our grandfather, to
whom he was much attached. His pic
ture used to hang in the old Carr man
sion "a heavy browed, close-lipped,
stern looking face, with nothing genial
or communicative about it.
"Now, as regards the curious part
Of the story, remember L only speak
from hearsay. / tell the tale as it came
to me from the lips Of our grandmother
when was quite a child; and the old
family servants also we're fond of dis
cussing this rather mysterious family
I legend but since our grandmother s
death and the breaking up of the old
establishment GALL of which happened
when was about nine years 0ld) / have
heard scarcely anything about it, ex-
cept few words which my father once
let fall on the subject. But heard the
story so often in my childhood that ii
made deep impression on my memory.
"One year-about forty years ago,
should think, somewhere between 1880
and '35-my grand-uncle set out on his
annual pilgrimage to Europe He took
: with him ali his disposable funds, vary
/ ing by report from twenty to forty thou
sand dollars, but probably nearer the
former sum than the latter. Before he
sailed he signiied to our grandfather
his intention of making a somewhat ex-
tended tour, and also gave him to un-
, derstand that he contemplated making
, h purchase of uuusual Importance and
magnitude If he has! been little
more explicit muca trouble might have
been saved, but it was never his way to
talk much over his affairs with any one.
He sailed early in the spring, and
reached the Old World in safety.
have seen some of the letters he wrote
during that last journey-all brief, curt
epistles, telling little but the state of
his health, the place from whence III
was writing, and the probable date of
his departure for another point The
last country to which he went was Hol-
land. He stayed some time at Amster-
dam, and then went TO Rotterdam,
where he remained several weeks !; but,
as usual, his letters contained no intel
lgence respecting his business TRANSACT
tons. At length word was received of
his approaching return. He took p0ss-
age direct from Rotterdam in sailing
vessel, but he was not destined to reach
home alive The cholera broke. out on
board of the ship before she had been
many days out Of sight of land, and
| Stephen Carr was one of It's earliest vic
tins. It was supposed that the viru-
lence of the disorder, and its speedy
termination, prevented him from MAX
ing known anything respecting his
property. lie was accustomed always
to travel with his precious merchandise
carefully concealed in hooks and cor.
ners among his baggage; and on this
last voyage his purchases must have
been of UNUSUAL value, and were either
stolen or so carefully concealed that
they were never discovered. Nor have
they ever been found from that day to
this"
"How was it known that he had
brought anything of importance %
Grandfather went to Holland ex-
pressly to srace out some indication of
the whereabouts OF his brothers miss
ing fortune. lie found that the whole
of the large amount Oh money which
Stephen Carr had taken abroad with
him had been drawn o ut on one day about
a week before he sailed for home. He
also discovered that he had had dealings
with a man named Nicholas Leerjen,
dealer in bric-a-brac and jewelry, who
had shop on the Boompjes but this
Leerjen, on being interogated, sturdily
denied that any transaction of impor-
lance had ever taken place between HIM
salf and Mr. Carr who ha Il hon chit fro,o