Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1877-09-12
The Mysterious Diamonds.
BY ELIJAH KELLOGG.

acter and strictness OF discipline was
"Ma'amn Price, rs she was called, VINO
taught school in Portland, Me. Polly
Price, her daughter, was an active bright
Girl, whose nimble tongue was always
ready with every and any body.
The school-room was in Mrs. Price S
own house, which stood in Turkey Lane
so-called from this circumstance: Il man
who lived in the street, invited the Rev
Samuel Dean to dine with him and partake
of a turkey When the parson came he
found on the table not choice, two-legged
biped, but Cape Cod turkey-that IS, u
boiled salt Goldfish. The dignilied select
men of the town christened il Newbnry
Street, but the less stately people called II
Turkey Lane, and by that name 1t was
known for more than forty years,
When the British bombarded Portland,
Ma'am Price, seeing that Turkey Lane
was directly in range of their fire, remov-
ed her household goods to place OF safe
ty. Polly was determined to save her
pig. ., D..
4 sea-captan at first assisted her. But
as shot and shell came thick and fast, he
advised the determined girl to leave the
animal. as it was not worth risking life for.
Polly, however, was obstinate, and fasten-
inc ii string to the creatures leg, tried to
drive it to Bramhall's Hill, a long mile
away from Turkey Lame.
The rig was as obstinate as Polly was
determined, and the contention between
them delayed their progress. Red-hot shot
whzzed by her, shells fell around her, and
one bursting flung II huge piece of earth
so near rs to strike the stick from her
hand. But save that pig she would, and
save it she did.
Mrs. Price came to Portland from one Of
the West India islands. She was wo-
man of culture and decision, and very
strict in her school discipline. If any boy
or girl refused to hold up his or her head,
fork was put under the chin. You may
Judge that She allowed no trifling with her
commands.
Some years after the bombardment, the
old lady was obliged to suspend her school,
us the town was threatened with an cpl
demic of smallpox. A number Of her
scholars-;mong whom were my mother
and uncles-were inoculated with small
pox virus and placed in pest-house
Ma'am Price Gin whose experience and
Judgment the parents trustcdD WAS en-
ployed to tIke care of them.
1t was customary before the discovery
by Jenner, TO inocculate u person with
smallpox matter, as preventative against
his taking the disease. The patient was
first put under strict regimen Of diet
and when the system was properly reduc
ed, he was inocculated Being carefully
nursed, the disease was not much more
severe than mild varioloid. A patient
seldom died, and scarcely one was distig
ured by pits.
The young patients over whom Ma'am
Price watched had long been kept on wa
ter cruel, and were conyaescent. Two Of
them, Stephen and Hugh Mcclellan, NOV
ed by Il keen appetite, procured through
friends outside. two Holsters. All the pa-
tents mad seated themselves around the
table and were about eating. when, uneX-
pectedly, Mrs Price made her appearance
She peremptoriIy forbade their taking ii
mouthful of the lobster, saying it would
kill them. But they determined to eat,
live or die.
Seeing their obstinacy, and as the boys
were large, being unable to prevent their
eating by physical force, she took out her
snuff box and strewed the yellow Scotch
stuff it contained over the shell fish, stir
ring it with spoon. The boys were
angry, but Ma'am was calm, and they
cherished no ill-wil towards her.
The good lady's house was II resort for
captains of vessels who had been acquaint-
ed with her and her husband when they
lived in the West Indies. They brought
her many presents of fruit, shells, coal
eye-stones and vanillabean People trou
bled with some foreign substance in their
eyes would visit her to have an eye-stone
put in to take it out. Old ladies frequent
" went to her house for sweet-scented
beans to put in their snuff boxes.
We children often leased our parents for
permission to carry some presents to
Ma am Price, and We're always rewarded
for our charity. She would put the eye
stones in a saucer Of vinegar, and We were
delighted to see them crawl around, rs if
they were alive. Old pictures, needlework
and beautiful shells were shown 10 us. and
stories were told about the West Indies
aud the pirates. Tamarinds. or guava
Jelly, or some other West India fruit also
contributed to our happiness.
am going to tell You about a most
singular event in the life of this excellent
woman.
Going one afternoon during recess, into
her little garden, she picked II "mesS of
- ha, inF bn
down in her school'room and shelled them
In one of the pods she found three da-
monds. What talk those diamonds
made for the town! People came from
miles around to hear the story and to look
at the diamonds which grew in Il bean
pod.
| have quoted the story rs it was told to
me- Mrs Price and Polly always decar-
ed most emphatically that the diamonds |
grew in that hean-pod, and l certainly
believe the old lady found them in the
pod rs she said she did. Mrs. Commo- |
dore Preble saw her shell out the da-
monds, and so did Mrs. Matthew Cobb, |
who lived in the large house on the east
ern corner Of High and Free Streets, Mrs. |
james Deering also confirmed Ma'am's !
story.
That is not all The very day before
the old lady died, Miss Sarah Jewett asked
her,
"Ma'am Price, did you truly shell
those diamonds ont of bean-pod? Hadn't
the pod been opened9 Was it whole like
the other pods?n
BLESS you Miss Juwett, how could
tell9 You know folks don't look ut every
bean or pea they she'll except there's one
that won't open easily, | was shelling
and looking ut the children to see that they
were all in their seats, when felt some
hing hard under my thumb | looked in
% my lap and there We're two little shin
ming things among the beans, and another
rolled out of the pod under my thumb
when took it up"
Miss Jewett had one of the stones set in
, ring. that is now in possession of Viii
lam Gould, OF Windham; John Campbell,
| relative of Polly's had another; but
where the third one is do not know.
When the children carried Maam Il
present, she would frequently take the
diamonds out of the cotton in which they
we're kept. and let them handle the pre-
ious stones, telling,at the same time, how
he shelled them out of the bean-pod, and
low surprised she was.
suppose if l don't spoil this mystery,
shall have Il score or more of letters
rom my young readers inquiring how
hese diamonds come in that pod. This is
lot known certainly. What did the neigh
'ors think?