Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1876-06-15
CHE Sturg Teller.
THE CASKET OF JEWELS.

THE CASKET OF JEWELS.
Mr.. Luke Brandon was Wall street
broker, of moderate business capacity, little
education, and of plain manners, partaking
of the rustic simplicity of his original EN-.
ployment- was, in early life, farmer in
one of the western counties of New York.
With less talent and more cunning, he might
be very rich man, at short notice; but be-
ing brought up in an old fashioned school of
morality, he could never learn to dignity
swindliDg by the epithet of smartness, nor
consider overreaching his neighbor "fair
business transaction" Hence be plodded
along the even tenor of his way, contented
with moderate profits, and satisfied with the
prospect of becoming independent by slow
degrees.
But in an evil hour, during a fortnight's
relaxation at the Catskill Mountain House,
this steady and respectable gentleman, at the
mature age of thirty:6ve, quite an old bach
elor, indeed, fell desperately in love with a
dashing girl of twenty, the orphan daughter
of bankrupt ship chandler. Miss Maria
Manners was highly educated !; that is, she
could write short notes on perfumed billet pa
per, without making any photographed or
grammatical mistakes, had taken three quar-
ters' lessons of French barber, could work
worsted lapdogs and embroider slippers,
danced like sylph, and played on the piano
indifFerently we'll. She had visited the Cats
kills on matrimonial speculation, and made
dead set at poor Brandon. Of course, with
his experience in the ways of women, he fell
ready dupe to the fascinating wiles of
Miss Manners. She kept him in an agony of
suspense for week, during every evening of
which she waltzed with young lieutenant of
dragons, who was playing billiards and
drinking champagne on a sick leave, until she
could hear from fabulous guardian at Phil
adelphia, and obtain his consent to a sacrifice
of her brilliant prospects nothing a year
and very suspicious account at fashiona-
BILE milliner's.
r Mr.. Brandon went down to the city, pur-
chased snug house, furnished it modestly,
gave liberal order on his tailor, and one
memorable morning, might have been seen
looking very uncomfortable, in white satin
stock and kids, beside lady elegantly dress.
ed in satin and blonde lace, while portly
clergyman pronounced his sentence in the
shape of marriage benediction.
There was snug wedding breakfast in the
new house, at which were present several en-
inent apple speculators from Fulton market,
two or three bank clerks, and a reporter for q
weekly newspaper, who consumed ruinous
amount of sandwiches and bottled ale.
Before the honeymoon was over, the bride
began to display some of the less amiable fea.
lures of her character. She sneered at the
situation and simplicity of the establishment,
and protested she was unaccustomed to that
sort ofstyle. She was perfectly sincere in this,
for the defunct ship chandler had lived in a
basement and two attic chambers.
BY dint of repeated prosecutions, she induc-
ed her husband to move into larger house !;
and finally, after the expiration of many
years, we find them established in the upper
part of the city, in splendid, mansion, look
ing out upon fashionable square, with lit.
tie marble boy in front sitting on brick, and
spoutng a stream of Croton through a clam
shell.
One morning Mr.. Brandon came home
about eleven o'clock. On entering the front
door, he beheld, lounging on sofa, with the
Courier des Etats Unis in his hand, Claude,
the handsome French page of Mrs. B.
"Where is Mrs. B?" asked the elderly bro
ker.
"Madame is in her boudoir," replied the
page; "but," he added, seeing his master
move in that direction, II do not know wheth-
er she is visible"
"That 1 will ascertain myself, young gen.
tleman,' replied the broker, with slight
shade of irony in his tone. "But tell me, is
there any one with her?'
"Only M. Auguste Charmant," said the
page, :,
"That confounded Frenchman !" muttered
the plebeian broker. "My yankee house is
turned topsyturvy by these foreigners: There
is French cook, and French chambermaid,
and the friend of the family is Frenchman.
I don't know what I am eating, and l hardly
understand word that's said at my table.
Sometimes, by way of change, they talk ltal-
ian instead of French. One might as well as
sociate with stack of monkeys. Out of the
way, jackanapes."
"Monsieur,' said the page, with true Gallo
dignity, 81 was about to proceed to announce
monsieur"
monsieur can announce himself" replied
Brandon, with the grin of a hyena; and pro.
ceeding up stairs, he entered the boudolr with
out knocking.
Mrs. Brandon was lounging on tauteua,
in an elegant morning toilet-literally plung-
ed and embowered in costly Brussels lace.
Her delicate, bejeweled fingers we're playing
with the petals Of an exquisite bouquet.
Thanks to good constitution, life of ease,
an accomplished milliner, and an incompara-
BILE dentist, the fair Maria, though the mother
of manageable girl, was still lovely and
fascinating woman, and Brandon, as he gazed
on her superb figure, almost forgave her ab-
Still, when he glanced at hisown anxious, ema-
ciated, and careworu features, in the splendid
Versailles mirror that hung opposite, his tran
STORY pleasure gave way to stern and bitter
feelings. He merely nodded to his wife, and
bowed coldly to her companion, a young
Frenchman, attired in the height Of fashion,
with dark eyes and hair, and the most superb
mustache imaginable.
"Ah my dear Meestare Brandon" said
the dandy, "give me your hand. congratu-
late you on such a bonnie fortune-such good
luck as has befallen you"
explain yourself, sir" said the broker.
"Auec plaisir. have secured for you
box at the opera for the whole seasou-and
for only five hundred dollars"
The broker whistled.
"Really nothing" said Mrs. Brandon;
"only think-the best troupe we have yet
had-a new prima donna and new basso."
"Fiddlestck I" said the matter of fact hus.
band. "What does it amount to?"
Brandon" said the lady with true ma.