Iowa voter. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1867-1874, 1874-01-22

l sat down to pore over the advertise
ments with as much eagerness and ex-
element as though my twenty-five years
had been suddenly diminished by ten at
the very least. At last looked up: PA
tiencei'
"Well, dears"
"Dont you wish that something would
happen to Us, as SO often happens in
PLAYS THAT is, don't you wish that some
unknown relative or rich old uncle would
make his appearance and shower untold
wealth upon us?"
Building castles in the air is not a
useful occupation" said Patience.
"Not much use, only some amusement.
Castles in the air are easily erected, and
cost nothing for bricks, mortar or labor
ers' hire"
"Yes, but when they tumble down, as
they invariably do, you may chance to
get rap on the head from some of the
flying timbers. Best stay on terra firma,
Addie."
l laughed and bent again over my pa
per. But the m omentous question of the
Christmas matinee once settled and the
newspaper thrown aside, my thoughts re-
verted to my airy castles, and instinct
lively | began to rear them again. We
were both silent. Patience leaned back,
half asleep, in her rocking chair, whilst
sat on low seat at her feet and gazed
dreamily into the glowing Goals of the
CRATE. | saw myself lovely, laughing
child again, flying down the broad stair
case of our Fifth avenue mansion in en-
broidered muslin and floating silk sash,
en- route for some childish party or other;
and then | remembered certain dinner
oh foth haI rr,ua
and how /, peeping slyly through the
chink of the dining-roOm door, had
thought privately that sister Patience in
her mauve silk and pearls was the pref
tiest lady there Poor, dear Patiencel the
prettiness still remained, though the silk
and the pearls were things Of the past
Suddenly thought struck me. recol
lection of an old story told me in those
far-otf days. | 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 rudy fire glow.
Patience, once and for all, you shall
wake up and talk to me, or will go
straight back to Mrs Jamison's tomor-
row morning. You hurt my feelings by
treating my arrival so specifically"
do they feed you on minced dictiona-
ry at M 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 you must have been going to
several classical concerts lately. You
look as though you had scarcely recover
ed from severe attack of Opuses in Y
minor"
Il was not asleep, child: / was only
thinking"
"Stop thinking through you nose, then:
it is very bad habit for a lady to in
dulge inn
"Well, am wide awake enough now
for anything. What is it you want me to
~ want you to tell me q story. Is there
not 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 un-
Gle, and how oddly his fortune disap-
peared?"
"Long ago, when / was a 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"
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 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"
Il will not unless you promise not to
interrupt me. Where was /? Oh, yes
Our grandfather had an only brother, an
old bachelor, who was by trade not ex-
actly a ieweler, but diamond broker--l
think they call such persona man who
buys and sells precious stones. lie 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 well AS for the usual trans
action of his business. He was a grave,
taciturn man, and never discussed his at
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-Aa heayy-browed, close
Tipped, stern. looking face, with nothing
genial or communicative about it.
"Now, as regards the curious part OF
the story, remember / only speak from
hearsay. | 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
since our grandmother's death and the
breaking up of the old establishment fall
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. =.
"One year--about forty years ago, |
should think, somewhere between 1880
and '35-my grandeur 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
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