The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1879-04-25
row, they were plainly reversed, and

now, they were plainly reversed, anu
read;
NJ. +.
v.D.v.
He puzzled over it some time. Then
he went down in cab and demanded Of
the pawnbroker an explanation. The
young man told him of the two lockets,
exactly alike, left within an hour of each
other on the preceding day, each pledged
for SO, each redeemed in the morning,
and explanations how they must have
been changed. The young man hoped
that there was no harm done; remem-
bered that the other locket was left by
"young woman" really didn't remember
what she looked like, and then
went back to his work. Frank
returned home puzzled. 1t really didn't
matter; it was only chance purchase OF
unique trihe in jewelry; he hadn't the
remotest idea whose the initials were, but
he was superstitious about it, and il
troubled him. That the locket had a
double in New York there could be no
doubt, and so Frank resolved not TO tell
the story, but to wear the locket on his
watch chain, in the hope that it would
some time attract the attention of some
one who could solve the mystery.
"Mamma," cried Bessie the next day
when, her confession made, she had re-
deemed her precious locket and was ex-
amining it, "Mamma. this is not my
locket. This is the other one. This Is
poor grandma's gaze damour TO her
faithless lover come back to her grand
child; see, Sec" she ratified on in wild
excitement Mrs. Prayne looked sharply,
saw the reversed initials, and was as ex-
cited in moment as Bessie. Cousin
Tom was dispatched to the pawnbroker's
for information. He learned but little
more than Frank, and so the mys-
terry was talked of and speculated
upon for the next week. Grand
mas love story was told over
and over Briefly it was this: Mary
Emerson and Van Dyke Vedder were
lovers years before. They exchanged
lockets made for them. Vedder went
sailing away out into the West and mar
ried, leaving grandma, then young and
pretty, to soon console herself with an
other lover and husband. She always
| kept the lOcket and warm spot in her
heart, as every woman does for the man
whom she once loved. But she never
saw or heard of him again in life. Bessie
received her blessing, her little fortune,
and the precious locket from grandma
on her death ed. And now, after fifty
years and without crew, the lockets
were changed by some mysterious
agency.
vi.
Two months later Bessie and Frank
met again at the Francklyns' pretty
house at Newport. They had both for
gotten the lockets, and soon forgot the
world in each other.
One summer evening Bessie promised
to be his wife, and, as two little white
arms went up around his neck, Frank
WAS guilty Of most unconventional pro
ceeding. lie actually was surprised Out
of taking immediate advantage of his
newly-acquired privileges. Among the
lace about Bessie's neck rested the Other
locket. The love tokens were love tokens
still.
Bessie told her grandmother's little 70
nance, and the initials were explained tt
Frank, who exclaimed, almost with awe
Evan Dyke Ncdder, the faithless lover o
your grandmother, Mary Emerson, was
my grandfather.
\
In handsome house in Fifth avenue
there hangs upon the parlor wall vel
vet case. In it are two lockets, each a
like the other as can we'll be imagined, {
cameo head of Christ surrounded by al
cnameled snake with ruby eyes. Owe
them hang three golden balls.
William Miller, aged fourteen, jumped
from moving train at Wheeling, W. Va
and was killed.
|