The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1878-10-18
THE JEWELED WATCH.

HE JEW ELLD VAiChs
Among the many officers who, at the
close of the Peninsular war, retired on
half pay, was Capt. Dutton, of the TIL
regiment. He had lately married the
pretty, portionless daughter of de-
ceased brother officer; and, filed with
romantic visions of rural bliss and "love
in cottage" the pair, who were equally
unskilled in the practical details OF
housekeeping, fancied they could live in
affluence and enjoy all the luxuries of
life on the half pay which formed their
sole income.
They took up their abode in pleas
ant town in the South of England, and
for time got on pretty well; but when
at the end of the first year sweet little
boy made his appearance, and at the
end of the second an equally sweet little
girl, they found that nurse-maids, baby
linen, doctors, and all the etceteras APP
pertaining to the introduction and sup
port of these baby-visitors formed Sc
rious item in their yearly expenditure.
For while they struggled on without
falling into debt; but at length their
giddy feet slipped into that vortex which
has ing1ilfed SO many, and their affairs
began to assume very gloomy aspect
About this time an adventurer named
Smith, with whom Capt. Dutton became
casually acquainted, and whose plausi-
bic manners and appearance completely
imposed on the frank, unsuspecting sol
der, proposed to him plan for insur-
ing, as he represented it, large and
rapid fortune. This was to be effected
by embarking considerable capital in
the manufacture of some new kind of
spirit lamps, which Smith assured the
Captain would, when once known, SUI
persede the use of candles and oil lamps
throughout the kingdom.
To hear him descant on the marvellous
virtues and money-making qualities of
his lamp, one would be inclined to take
him for the Lneal descendant of Aladdin,
and inheritor of that scampish individu-
ais precious heirloom. Our modern ma
gician, however, candidly confessed that
he still wanted the slave of the lamp"
or, in other words, ready money, to set
the invention going; and he at length
succeeded in persuading the unlucky
Captain to sell out of the army, and in
vest the price of his commission in his
luminous venture. If Capt. Dutton had
refused to pay the money until he should
be able to pronounce correctly the name
of the invention, he would have saved
his cash, Mt the expense, probably, of
semi-dislecation of his jaws; for his
lamp rejoiced in an eight-syllable title,
of which each vocable belonged to a
different tongue-the first being Greek,
hn ~ fha oct fob
from the aboriginal language of New
Zealand the intervening sounds believed
to be respectively akin to Latin, German,
Sanscrit, and Malay. Notwithstanding,
however, this prestige of name, the
lamp was decided failure; its light was
brilliant enough but the odor it exhaled
In burning was so overpowering, so sug-
gestive of an evil origin, so every way
abominable, that those adventurous pur-
chasers who tried it once seldom sub
mittted their olfactory nerves to a second
ordeal. The sale and manufacture of
the lamp and its accompanying spirit
were carried on by Mr.. Smith alone in
one of the chief commercial cities of
England, he having kindly arranged to
take all the trouble off his partners
hands, and only requiring him to fur
nish the necessary funds. For some
time the accounts of the business trans
mitted to Capt. Dutton were most flour
ishing, and he and his gentle wife fond
ly thought they were about to realize
splendid fortune for their little ones;
but at length they began to feel anxious
for the arrival of the cent per cent.
profits which had been promised, but
which never came; and, Mr.. Smiths
letters suddenly ceasing. his partner one
morning set off to inspect the scene of
operations.
Arrived at L., he repaired to the
street where the mandatory was stu
ated, and found it shut up. Mr. Smith
had gone off to America, considerably
in debt to those who had been foolish
enough to trust him; and leaving more
rent due on the premises than the re-
naming stock in trade of the unpro-
nounceable lamp would pay. As to the
poor ex-Captain, he returned to his fam
ily q ruined man.
But strength is often found in the
depths of adversely, courage in despair;
ard both our hero ard his wife set reso-
lutely to work to support themselves
and their children. Happily they owed
no debts. On selling out, Capt. Dutton
had honorably paid every farthing he
owed in the world before intrusting the
remainder of his capital to the unprin-
cipled Smith and now this upright con-
duct was its own reward.
He wrote a beautiful hand, and, while
seeking some permanent employment,