The tribune. [volume] (Beaufort, S.C.) 1874-1876, 1875-09-08
TIE SOL TREASURE.

Attempt TO Find Old Buccaneers Gold.
had n certain amount of appreciation
for Adrien Grmlb. He was handsome
young man, some ten years my Junior,
of cheerful disposition and winning man
her. Our manager i'll the insurance
offico, think, had singled him out for
prcfcrment, so when Adrien had n slight
attack of some pulmonary disease,
Adrien was snnt to the West Indies for
the winter to look up the lsasiness of a
snip which had been wrecked on one of
.the islands.
was changed. His personal appearance
was improved, but he seemed to have
lost his flow of spirits, and was moody
at times. AS in his younger DAYS had
been his mentor, and the recipient of
many of his boyish troubles, L had no
hesitation in asking him what was the
matter. His name 1 had often taken
liberties with, dropping the double a,
ard calling him plain Grab.
"Adricn Grab" 1 said, "what ails
you?"
"Graab Or Grab, he replied, "it is
all the same to me. We accept the name
according to the circumstances. When
the family was needy, we were Grabs"
"You hive not" inquired, "been
brooding like an owl over the mysteries
of your family-tre, of late, have you 2"
Yes, 1 have" he replied, though
with smile. 'I fancy you have laugh
ed ut me many a time about it. But you
must listen to it again, for want your
advice. In 1742 a De Graab came here
to New York from the West Indies, sail
ed here in his own ship, laden with to-
bacco, rum, and sugar"
sand were neither tailors, nor but.
chers, norcurriers, but grand gentlemen.
You have often told me that before.
Well, you, Adrien Graab, are fourth
clerk in an insurance Office. That is
positive. What thens".
They We're De Graabs then. When
was in Curacoa last winter, attending
to our business, met an offshoot of the
family, or rather one of the parent stock.
lie was the master of many miles of
sugar-canes, acres of pine-apples, and
groves of cocoa-nuts and bananas. He
had the family tree in all its details, not
only the root but the uppermost twig.
Ihe departure OF a portion of the family
from Curncoa to Martinique had been
noted. That was in 1706; but all traces
OF tins branch, after that, had been lost
20 him. Tins planter g name was Ciaes
van Graab, and he let me into the secrets
of the family. do not know if he WAS
proud of it, but, by George I am for
1 think it was the brightest plume. the
gaudiest feather, that ever ornamented
the De Graab helmet"
GA sorry hat have seen their repre-
sentative wear sometimes" I inter
rupted.
Laugh as you please we were free
hooters, sir; buccaneers, filibusters in
the old time. The oldest known Graab
he was Claes Graab-was one of
Montbar's men, and many Spanish
galleon has my ancestor helped to plum
der. One Grnab-it seems he was the
treebooter's son-went back to Holland
IN l6oO and founded family there. In
Claes van Graab's house, at Curacao,
there is the copy of a picture of him, the
original of which hangs in the Haeue.
See here, do you notice this little pendu-
lous apendage to my ear2"
This Is too absurd You recall
Adricn, tho huckleberry and nv long
lost brother," I exclaimed, out of pa
tiencc.
Gas I live, that portrait showed, un-
der a stately ruff of Mechlin lace, old
Claes, with just such q family ear mark.
Aurelia saw it.
"Who is Aurelia 2" inquired.
"Claes van Grabs daughter. But
no De Graab ever slid into the infinite
abyss of nothing all of sudden. 1t was
a hurricane first that crippled the DE
Graabs of New York and devastated
their plantation. Then, in revolutionary
times, they showed bad Judgment and
sided with the king. Next, the insur-
rection of the slaves, in the French West
Indies, beggared them. Graab then, I
suppose, did sink into Grab. We have
been drifting ever since"
The man was getting melancholy.
Now, had heard Adrien tell me as much
as this fifty times before, save the find
ing of possible relative in the West
Indies. g Nonsense, my good fellow.
II is the old story, only instead of end
ing with n laugh, as you use to do, you
now close your narrative with whine. "
81 have never told you all. That old
Dutchman in Curacao gave me positive
intimation of treasure, which I have
followed up"