Millheim Journal. [volume] (Millheim, Pa.) 1876-1984, 1880-01-01
[From Our second Century.l
THE BLUE STONE.
BY NAY z. MAC KENZlE.

MY Grandmother was a Gypsy. Think
If it! One of those miserable, wandering
neer-do-weels that have infested the earth
for so many centuries. But since am in
no way responsible for my grandmother'S
nativity any more than for my own, she
might hvve been the prime tattooed Belle
of the Cannibal Islands, or first heir 10 the
British throne, and have been equally in
different, at least in respect TO her birth.
Twas educated thorough Democrat, never
lheless had an imagination--which was
not wonderful considering the fact which
preliminarily announced. This imagina-
ton led ME to gaze very often upon small
painting of my grandmother, taken when
my grandfather first met her and loved
her.
They told me | resembled her. | had no
dark hair or olive skin; / was slight and
very blond, with the faintest color. How
then could l resemble her, l used TO Won
der As | grew older, and the repeated
comment led me to study myself, knew
why-I was naturally restless, and had
dark, nervous eyes, the iris of which were
small compared with the large, full ball of
white In truth l had caught glimpses of
myself in the mirror, while under some
tCCL1tl@s NlCI IL NOuAO CllpSuA ludl
my eyes were small live creatures. ready TO
leap from their sockets.
| say was given to dreaming over the
romance of my grandmother's life, for my
grandfather met her under peculiar aus
pices.' Sitting by his favorite trout-stream
fishing, the English boy suddenly heard an
alteration in the woods behind him. Turn
ing, he saw tall, dark man vehemently
menacing a forlorn, little, shrinking girl,
miserably clad, thin and wild looking. She
held a book, old and soiled, in one hand by
her side AT last the man struck her
violently, and left her.
The girl sank at the foot of the tree and
wept. The young fisherman was over
powered with indignation at such treatment
and sympathy for the girl. He knew they
were of Gypsy tribe then haunting the
neighborhood lie went to the girl, who
was about thirteen years OF age, and drew
from her this statement, timidly, wildly
given, that the man was her father who
was always angry if he found her off with
this book, which was an old school speller
she had found on the road, and which,
doubtless, one of the school children had
dropped. ''Why did she like the book ?"
She liked the pictures.
The young man was not then his own
master; but he there resolved to get the
girl away from her people and educate her.
He prevailed with her, and shortly after
ward effected her clandestine departure.
In two years she was greatly civilized and
sobered. Remarkably intelligent she had
accomplished wonderful results in that time.
Innocent and pretty as she was, the young
man at last fell deeply in love with her and
married her.
One thing besides the painting puzzled
and interested me. Asmall block Of grey
blue stone, about four inches square, smooth
and ordinary looking enough, which my
grandmother had always kept with her, and
at her death gave it 20 my mother, who
was also dead now, and in turn had given
it to me with my grandmother's words,
which were these: ''My mother, the Gyp-
sy, gave me this, and bade me never resign
it till my death, then let it pass only into
the hands of my children. In one hun
dred or one hundred and fifty years my
mother said, it will tell its own story.
The one who steals, destroys or loses it, will
have no peace thereafter, for my spirit will
haunt and torture him for the rest of his
life" A mysterious thing, indeed, l
thought, as held it in my hand-a home
ly, square-cut stone.
My father, after my mothers death, took
me with him to Europe. Business de-
tanned him in London for year. There l
mingled in society, and at last met Cecil
Castenwell, a man who, despite his con-
nection with one of England's best families,
carried himself with an unostertatiousness
which at once attracted me. My regard
was reciprocated, and within two years my
gypsy grandmother's grandchild was mar
ried into the family of Castenwell. of
-, Yorkshire, England. | was quite
as Indifferent, however, to the fact that
had made fine connection, as was to the
alien birth of my maternal ancestor.
loved my husband for himself.
One day, about a year after our marriage,
opened the box, which, with other valu-
able relics and trinkets, contained my
grandmother's stone. had not looked at
it since my marriage, had not even men
toned the fact of their being any such pc
culiar article in my possession. My hus-
band stood by my side as opened the box,
and as l lifted the stone l began an ex-
PLANTATION, but stopped midway with a
startled ejaculation. The stone had parted
horizontally, and the upper half only was
in my hand. Cleanly, evenly it was halved
and in the centre hollow roughly hewn,
in which was fitted rough ball of plaster.
/ hastily recounted the story Of the stone,
as I took out the ball, which we now sur
missed must contain something within itself
still more curious or valuable.
t'A1y great grandmother prophesy de-
<clared that the stone would tell its own
story. Verify, it hath revealed itself But
we must not destroy it, Cecil, the old Gyp-
sy forbade that, SO after all we cannot open
the ball"
my word, the bail will open as the stone
did. Allow me" and he took it from my
hand. But l had superstitious dread,
and I stayed him. 81 will but tap it