Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1874-12-31

then III Is very bad habit Tor a lady
to indulge in"
"Well, 1 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 precious stone?"
"Our grand uncle-yes. Did you
never hear about Stephen Carr, our
| fathers uncle, and how oddly his for
tune disappeared ?"
"Long ago, when I 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 reco,lect nothing definite.
1 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"
"WeD," 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 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"
81 will not unless you promise not to
interrupt me. Where was /? o, yes
Our grandfather had an only brother, an
old bachelor, who was by trade not ex-
actly jeweler, but diamond broker
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 Cf 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 a grave, taciturn man,
5 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 proved, close-lipped,
t stern-looking face, with nothing genial
g or communicative about it.
"Now, as regards the curious part
D Of the story, remember / only speak
+: from hearsay. / tell the tale as it came
{ to me from the lips of our grandmother
: when 1 was quite child; and the old
' family servants also were fond of dis
I cussing this rather mysterious family
legend but since our grandmother s
|. death and the breaking up of the old
: establishment GALL of which happened
: when was about nine years old have
: heard scarcely anything about it, ex-
/ cept few words which my father once
!, let fall on the subject. But heard the
f story so often in my childhood that il
: made deep impression on my memory.
Y "One year-about forty years ago, ]
r should think, somewhere between 1896
1 and 35-my grand uncle set out on his
i with him ali his disposable funds, vary
u ing by report from twenty to forty thou.
sand dollars, but probably nearer the
r former sum than the latter. Before he
e sailed he signifed to our grandfather
his intention of making somewhat ex
tended tour, and also gave him to un
g derstand that he contemplated making
e purchase of unusual Importance anc
magnitude. If he had been a little
Il more explicit much trouble might hav,
/ been saved, but it was never his way Il
talk much over his affairs with any one
e "He sailed early in the spring, ant
j. reached the Old World in safety.
have seen some of the letters he wrot,
: during that last journey-all brief, cur
: epistles, telling little but the state O
o his health, the place from whence b,
v was writing, and the probable date o
d his departure for another point. Tn,
last country to which he went was Hol
land. He stayed some time at Amster
g dam, and then went to Rotterdam
s where he remained several weeks but
t as usual, his letters contained no intel
g igence respecting his business transac
r tions. At length word was received o
his approaching return. He took pass
e age direct from Rotterdam in a sailin,
g vessel, but he was not destined to reacl
home alive. The cholera broke out OF
!. board of the ship before she had beef
y many days out of sight of land, an.
Stephen Carr was one of its earliest vic
> Tins. It was supposed that the viru
lence of the disorder, and its speed,
. termination, prevented him from max
& ing known anything respecting hi
a property. He was accustomed Away
to travel with his precious merchandis,
carefully concealed in hooks and cor
! ners among his baggage and on thi
q last voyage his purchases must hav
= been of unusual value, and were eithe
, stolen or so carefully concealed tina
> they were never discovered. Nor hav
4 they ever been found from that day t.
this"
: Chow was it known that he ha,
: brought anything OF importance %
Grandfather went to Holland ex
pressly to trace out some indication O
the whereabouts of his brothers miss
! ing fortune. He found that the who'll
of the large amount of money which
Stephen Carr had taken abroad witt
|, him hal been drawn ont on one day abou
I a week before he sailed for home. H
!, also discovered that he had had dealing
with a man named Nicholas Leerjen,
: dealer in bric-a-brac and jewelry, VIII,
. had shop on the Boompjes but thi
y Leerjen, on being Intercepted, sturdily
: denied that any transaction of impor
lance had ever taken place between him
; self and Mr.. Carr, who had bought from
= b;v, he ovorro1 voxb,pv HIT n =, ack,-,.