The Fremont weekly journal. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County, Ohio) 1867-1877, 1874-06-19
His eyes glistened.

ID AOb a foAhAoAC tASHN-ul y0oS Ll
present. It comes hard on the in
tellect, sir"
'But this is an Indian chess board.
It belonged to the Rajah of Gundar
cool, and was taken from the royal
table by an uncle of mine in the Alb
core Fencibles, who was at the seige
of Gundarcool. 1t is a historical
chess-board, Mr.. Levi. Doyou play
chess?'
mot exactly, sir, but I came very
near learning once"
"You know that the pawn is in
separately connected with the game,
1 suppose?"
81 have heard something of the
kind, sir"
Mr.. Levi stared. My joke was
completely lost upon him. It was a
very mild joke. certainly; but, then,
what could better be expected from
a man who was begging for five dol
lars?
81 am sorry you cant't play" 1
FASTENED to continue, covering my
jocular failure with some other re-
mark. "I should like to have q
game with you. That chess board,
1 assure you, is worth thirty dollars
if it is worth penny. Think of the
association"
Heaven forgive me, but the Rajah
was a creation of the moment. I had
been made a present of the chess
board by a sailor who had voyaged
to Calcutta; but one must be deceit
full now and then in this wicked
world.
"Well, III let you have the mon
ey," said Mr.. Levi, "though we are
are rather short to-day. A great
deal of business doing just now, Mr..
Papillotte," and laying the Rajah's
property on the table, he disappear
ed into the Office to make out the
ticket.
"a great deal of business doingp
That meant, when translated, a great
deal of misery wandering about the
streets, a great many homes gloomy
for want of petty sums of money a
great many mechanics without Sun
day clothes; a great many poor stu
dents moaning over their valuable
books, sacrificed to keep life in them
to read those that were left; a great
many drunkards craving for their
accustomed poison, and getting it at
the cost of necessities; a great many
mothers shivering in blanketless
beds, that the little ones might not
starve. This was the terrible kind
Of business that he was doing.
was rejecting on all this, when I
heard the psrlor door open, and a
slight step fell softly on the carpet.
Thinking it was Levi returning with
the money, did not raise my head.
Presently a voice-ah, how unlike
Lewis buttery accents! started me
from my reyerie.
81 can play at chess" it said soft
ly.
1 looked up suddenly. A little
fairy creature, about sixteen years
old, with long, fair hair, and large,
beautiful blue eyes, stood just with
in the door staring at me, like some
timid bird at him who wanders in
lonely woods, half fearing to ap-
proach, yet longing to come nearer.
"And who on earth are you"
asked abruptly; and as I spoke I saw
at glance that the blood of the
children of Israel did not run in her
clear, blue veins.
I'm Nellie Lee, sir" replied the
apparition, sand Pm in pawn, sir. "
I'm what?' 1 exclaimed, under
the impression that I must have
been deceived in the absurd state
ment i had Just heard.
"In pawn, SIR" she repeated, as
simply as if she was saying that she
Was in bed.
'"And who put you into pawn, il
the name of all the Medicis, may
ask?" 1 said scarcely able to keeI
my countenance.
'Father pawned me for money tC
buy paints answered the extraor
dinary deposit; "and 1 am so lone
some-oh! you can't think"
"What is your respectable paren
may I enquirer
'He's an artist, sir, and he has jus
got an order, sir, and he wanted mon
ey for the canvas and the paints tx
finish the picture. He paints beau
tiful pictures-indeed he doesp'
She seemed so very anxious abou
my not doubling her fathers ability
that l smiled sort of assent, as
was perfectly satisfsd of his rar
talent, and was intimately aequaint
ed with the merits of every one Q
his productions.
"Where do they keep you?"
asked, half jestingIy, for the Who'll
affair seemed so like . vauduvill
that I expected every moment to hea
some unseen audience applaudin
the performance, "Do they put 70
in the safe with the jewelry, or Ia
you on the shelves with gown an
:. coats?"
''No, sir, I live up stairs with M
Levi. Father will come though, in
few days, with the money, and r
t deem me-"
All this as seriously as if it wei
the commonest thing in the worl
/ for distressed fathers to pawn the
Z children, to keep the duplicates
: their waisteoat pockets.
2 "Have you ever been in pawn b
, fore, Miss Nellie Lee?"
"Oh, yes, sir. Father painted tt
5 Seven Sisters Of Ephesus' with VIII
e the got on me last fall"
This was really more than I cou
2 stand. l lay back on the half-bc
tommed sofa and rosred with iaug
d ter. The deposit stood before L
e with a grave and patient demeanc
S neither surprised at my merrime
S nor apparently thinking that the
was anything at all singular in h
!, position.
u "You say that you play chess,
It said at last, checking my merrime
by q great effort, out of respect
r the fair and beautiful eyes l saw b
G fore me. "Would you like to pl
$ gamer"
is "Ob, yes!" answered the depOs
I should like it very much. Y