Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1874-01-22

1
per. But the momentous question OF the
| Christmas matinee once settled and the
newspaper thrown aside, my thoughts re-
verted to nv airy castles, and instinct
| iyelv I began to rear them again. We
were both Silent Patience leaned back,
half asleep, in her rockingham whilst l
sat on a low seat at her feet and gaZed
dreamily into the glowing Goals Of the
crate. I saw myself a lovely, laughing
! Child again, flying uown the broad stair
case of our Fifth avenue mansion IN en-
broidered muslin and floating silk sash,
en- roaste for some childish party or other;
and then remembered a certain dinner
partv which my father had once given,
ana how /, peeping slyly through the
cnink of the dining room door, had
thought privately that sister Patience in
her mauve silk and pearls was the pref
| test lady there. Poor, dear Patiencei the
DrettineSs still remained, though the silk
and the pearls were things of the past.
Suddenly a thought struck me, a recol-
lection of an old story told me in those
far-off days. I would wake Patience up,
and she should tell me all about it. So
faced round and looked up into the fair,
placid face that showed so sweet and
calm in the ruddy fre-glow.
wake up and talk to me, or | will 90
| straight back to Mrs. Jamison's to-mor-
row morning You hurt my feelings by
treating my arrival so specifically"
"Do they feed you on minced dictiona-
~ at NJ s. Jamison's?" queried my much
! put upon sister, opening. her eyes in a
! very languid manner. "You do use such
very long words"
81 think y0u must have been going to
several classical concerts lately. You
look as though you had scarcely recover
ed from severe attack of Opuses in x
minor"
81 was not asleep, child: I was only
thinking"
"Stop thinking through you nose, then:
it is very bad habit for lady to in
dulge inn
"Well, am wide awake enough now
for anything. What is it you want me to
do?"
81 want you to tell me q story. Is there
not a queer one extant about an old uncle
of ours and precious stone?"
"Our grand-uncle-yes Did you never
hear about Stephen Carr, our fathers IN
Gle, and how oddly his fortune disap-
peared?"
'Long ago, when | was very little
child, suppose, for my remembrance of
the affair is as vague and uncertain as pos
sible. There was something about voy-
age to Europe and lost jewel, but [
recollect nothing definite. / want you to
tell me all about it. Begin at the very
beginning, please. Come, now, Pm all
| ready to listen. Once upon a time"
"Wel," said Patience, gazing at the
| Goals as though trying to read there the
| of
must remember that our fathers family
was far from being very aristocratic one,
at least on our grandfather's 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 women in
| Hard Times, whose mother was Pow
| ler.' Go on"
II will not unless you promise not to
interrupt me. Where was L? Oh, yes!
| Our grandfather had an only brother, an
| old bachelor, who was by trade not eX-
actly a jeweler, but diamond brOker-I
think they call such persona man who
| buys and sells precious stones. He used
| to go abroad once or twice year for the
purpose of visiting pawnbrOkers' estab-
| lishments and second hand dealers, in
search of gems that might be cheaply
purchased, as we'll as for the usual trans
action of his business. He was a grave,
taciturn man, and never discussed his af-
| fairs with any one, not even with our
grandfather, to whom he was much at
tached. His picture used to hang in the
| old Carr mansiOn-a heavy-browed, close
Tipped, stern-looking face, with nothing
| genial or communicative about it
Nov, as regards the curious part OF
the story, remember | only speak from
| hearsay I tell the tale as it came to me
| from the lips of our grandmother when /
was quite child; and the old family
| servants also were fond of discussing this
rather mysterious family legend; but
breaking up of the old establishment (all
of which happened when | was about
nine years old), have heard scarcely any
thing about it, except few words which
my father once let fall on the subject.
But heard the story so often in my child
hood that it made deep impression on
my memory.
lone year-about forty years ago, l
| should think, somewhere between 1880
| and '35-my grand-uncle set out on his
annual pilgrimage to Europe. He took
with him all his disposable funds, varying
by report from twenty to forty thousand
dollars but probably nearer the former
sum than the latter. Before he sailed he
| signified to our grandfather his intention
| of making somewhat extended tour, and
also gage him to understand that he con-
| templated making a purchase of unusual
importance and magnitude. If he had
only been d little more explicit much
| trouble might have been saved, but it was
| never his way to talk much about his at
| fairs 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,
| he place from whence he was writing,
and the probable date of his departure for
another point. The last country to which
! he went was Holland. He stayed some
| time at Amsterdam, and then went to
Rotterdam, where he remained several
weeks; but, as usual, his letters contained
no intelligence respecting his business
| transactions. At length word was re-
ceived of his approaching return. lie
| took passage direct from Rotterdam IN
| sailing vessel, but he was not destined to
reach his home alive The cholera broke
! out on board the ship before she had been
many DAYS out of sight of land, and Ste
/ phen Carr was one of its earliest victims.
1t was supposed that the virulence OF the
| disorder and its speedy termination pre-
vented him from making known any
thing respecting his property. lie was
accustomed always to travel with his
precious merchandise carefully concealed