Charlotte messenger. [volume] (Charlotte, Mecklenburg Co., N.C.) 1882-18??, 1883-06-30

J A1SdIly ~ al CSpCC1ii dI lICIt IL lnG
/ Lopidarjes' Jouuu2 Of Vienna.
And to Mr. Peter Pinto the white
heart diamond represented the roc's
egg Of Aladdin's palace,
Until one day an old workman in
precious stones beckoned him into the
den where he was cutting sapphires
with a whirling little wheel, which
sung like a mechanical bumbIebee at
its work
GIVE heerd of it," said he.
Coz gasped Mr.. Pinto.
"Of the white heart diamond" said
the workman.
"No" shouted the collector, breath
lessly.
"As true as you live" nodded the
old man. q always knOWed it was in
the Jorgensen family. Couldn't ha' got
out O it, don't you see? But l never
found out afore yesterday as there was
an old lady--Mi>s Mehitable JOrgen-
sen--a second cousin of old Ian Jor-
gensen'S daughter, liVin' up III the
Catskills. There was some old-fash-
iOned sleeye-buttOnS come in to be
mended yesterday, with j. }. on 'em.
Bless your heart! | could have told
old Jen's twisted initials anywhere
Didn't have no mOnograms in them
days, you know. Niece left 'em. A
pretty girl, with red cheeks. N to
send 'em back by mail when they're
done"
Mr.. Pinto drew l0Eg breath.
"Tu go t. the CatskillS at once
said he.
Fair and softly, fair and SOFTLY"
said Old Caleb Grinder. "The white
heart diamond was always shy game
Mind you don't frighten it,"
g / shall know how to behave" said
Mr. Pinto, with dignity. "The address,
Grinder, if you please.
And so. clad like unto the inevitable
sketching tourist who infe5ts all the
Wilderne9ses within a hundred miles
of New York, Mr.. Peter Pinto "put
money in his purse" and started for
he cottage in the Cat5bills, resolved
80 t},-lis1ii "a ,t,o ~ '. ~. ,iU -t4v,t
cautious winds and turningS of GlplO-
matte skill.
Miss JOrgansen was tall, crooked
woman Of fifty. with scant. ir0n-gray
hair, forbidding visage, and eyes as
sharp and keen as those of a hawk.
Ietty, her e-Mthitable, junior,
as the Oil lady called her-Was plump
and pink-cheeked, with hair Of real
poets gold, and a laugh like the chirp
of blackbird.
con, yes" said Uetty, with the ut
most frankness, aunty will be glad
to take a boarder. Only, please, you
may transact all the business with me
Aunty belongs to q fine Old family
I'm only related on the mothers side
and it hurts her pride to think Of
keeping bOarders. So, if you would
make believe to be visitor it would
be a great accommodation. and no
harm done. We can only spare the
little garret bedroom; but there's. a
fine view, and you will find everything
very clean"
And thus to his unmitigated sur
prise and amazement Mr. Pinto found
himself at last under the same roof
with the white heart diamond.
OF course there was g certain out
ward show to be kept up. Mr. Pinto
was obliged to spend much of his time
in the woods making meaningless at
tempts at sletching, while his heart
yearned after the mystic jewel.
He str0ye yajnly for something like
confidential intimacy with his hostess;
but Il vain-AIiss Jorgensen froze
him. She kept him at ceremonial
arm's-length.
Hetty was social, smiling, always
ready to talk, but Miss Jorgensen never
forgot that she belonged to atamily.
ntil, one day, an Inspiration seized
upon our hero.
"By joye. :" he profanely exclaimed,
"IH marry the old woman. if there
isn't any other way to get at the
white heart diam0ndw
But that evening as lie came in q
little later than usual, with the purple
twilight glowing in the horizon, and a
score of whip-poor-WilIs singing in the
glen, he met Hetty at the gate. She
started and colored like rose bud,
and, murmuring some trivial excuse,
| fitted away.
Mr.. Pinto stopped and picked up a
flower which she had dropped.
Hello - he said to himself "this
compIcate5 matters. Little Hetty is
in love with me !"
1t was not such an unpleasant idea ;
but, of course, it could not be enter
tanned for a single moment. The
white heart diamond was his souls
sweetheart. The white heart diamond
only was the treasure on which he was