Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-11-30
CHAPTER II.

with clear water and smooth waves OF
hair l made ready TO sit like 4 mistress
before the trust confided 60 me. / paused
a little while before turning away from
the mirror. 1t was no harm for me to see
how l looked, now that new pulses we're
thrObbIng within my being. What girl of
sixteen has not some charms! Youth all
have. Some the soft contour of cheek and
neck. and many the flashing eye and
glowing lip. What did 1 see? Eyes
that were telling a startling story, and
cheeks family glowing with unusual
color, while "A namelesS something made
me pause and cry to myself in wonder:
Il am not SO very plain, after all, and
might charm SOME one if packets were to
be opened every day"
Smiling at my fancy, l turned away and
seated myself before the table. 4 pair
of scissors was near. and the cord that
dear mother had TIED was soon cut. l
tore on the wrapping, and there lay Il
shining box of ebony lnlald with pearls,
ia which were the jewels. looked about
for the key. Alas! in my eagernesS 10
omen the box | scarcely noticed the letter
lying upon It directed 10 me in my moth
er's hand. " 18th repentvnt tears starting
in my eyes / opened IL, and tiny KEY fell
from il. Curiosity did not now impel me
10 lay aside the tracings OF a hand de0reT
j
nv reflections as ! bent tenderly over the
letter. IL BEGAN with q few lines Of sweet
counsel too sacred for me to tTanscribg
here: such counsel as she only could
know how much her Wayward child need
ed. For while the binding tears would
keep coming. and it was long before
could 20 on reading. After the counsel
came this:
sEncI. sed in the box yol viii find some
HfaHa A fTrfse n
arrange them for you. About these III
the ebony casket she gives no directions
only that her child. as sic calls you,
must enjoy and Wear them. she thinks
YOU viii adOTn the gems, no doubt. so use
Them without fear. l Will give you no di-
rectiOns about using them, leaving 1t t.
experience 10 teach you their value. But
YOU remember how eccentric is the char
acter Of her to whom you owe all this
and she viii not surprise yO1 probably
by what is contained in her letter thai
you will find in the casket. With one
clause l shall end my counsels. Abide
faithfully by the conditions imposed upon
YOU by Aunt Miriam"
Now here were fresh mysteries ahead
1t was time for me to begin to be impa
tient, SO, without further parley with
thought, seized the key and opened the
casket. The little letter, yellow With age
lay right over glitteTing chain Of gold SCI
with diamonds. On. how l had wanted q
real gold cham! How had leased father
10 buy me one, little dreaming that any
thing 50 exquisite would come out o.
Aunt Miriam's store! There were the
chain, pin, bracelets and earrings, all il
perfect taste to suit the most fastidiOus
| often smile now to think what picture
OF silly. girlish rapture L must have pre-
scented with the beautiful trlnketS raised
first one and then another. in my fingers
which were tingling at the touch Of my
new treasures. Thoughts of how CON-
plete my toilet would be, and how my
companions would admire me, began &c
crowd upon my mind.
II would have complete comfort il
dressing after this said TO myself, INC
matter wat else lacked! Jewels would
beenough to make me elegant"
All! has no one else ever made the bit
ter mistake of thinking thus? This was
not all that was in the casket. In another
apartment l found another beautiful pin,
studded with almost lnnumerable gems
of garnet and pearl. Itglittered until my
ewes ached from looking. TWAS strange
IL fascinating to watch the glow Of these
garnets. For a time l lost sight Of what
ACCOMPANIED this beautiful ornament. II
was an Old-fashiOned band for the throat
clasped in the centre with an oval case
in which was a likeness of Aunt Miriam
herself. 1t was u dark, magnetic face,
surrounded with rings of deep, black
hair. The piercing eyes seemed to be
looking right into my soul. Aunt Miriam
could never have been ugly with such
eyes. The picture must have been painted
in her youth. What change from such
fire and magnetism to the little old yell
low. wrinkled face that used to people my
babvhOOd with nameless terrOrs. Here
was the trace OF an unwrltten romance,
for WHO could gaze upon that picture aud
fail to know that ii was no cold or un-
awakened heart that beat beneath tire
rich covering painted there. All, how
MANY such hearts beat and cease to beat
hid away like the flowers that live and die
among the mountain sOlitudes. But this
picture was encased in very Outre set
ung-garnet and pearl were there in pro-
fusion. but peculiar kind of metal
formed the setting and gave the whole an
extremely odd appearance. lfell to Won
dering if Aunt Miriam ever wore any
thing so conspicuous and odd. All at
once L remembered the letter and took it
uD. 1t was sealed with yellow wax,
upon which strange hierOglyphics were
marked. How quaint was all this! l
felt very much like heroine of some
romance as broke the seal. Aunt Miri-
am wrote a fair hand, so that my eye soon
ran over the contents of the single page.
Here are the words so full of moment to
me that l read them over and over Ike one
in a dream before 1 could take in all their
meaning:
i do not dare to put into a child's
hands what NAV prove edge tools, so have
determined that If you do not live 10 be
sixteen your eyes shall not fall upon these
articles. In order to prevent your being
naturally disappointed, / have sold some
Of the cld-fashiOned Yaluables, and have
repIaced them bv such modern ornaments
as may please the taste Of glrlhOOd.
trust the pretty set will please you.
Should YOU feel unwilling to wear jewell
~, YOU can easily part with this set, as
do not advise you even TO wear them; L
simply leave them to you, for OftentImes
the possession OF such things cures an in
ordinate love Of glitter. l now am about
to try you, my little daughter. L desire
that YOU Will sometimes wear IN company
the throat-band that contains my like
ness. 1t is not so ornamental as the other
things, but is more valuable, and perhaps,
for my sake, you will like to wear 1t, even
if your critical friends may not admire 1t.
l hope YOU have character enough TO
withstand the observations of the shall
Iow-brained critics of society. Enough of
this. / have one more item to name.
There is one Jewel, whose value cannot
now name. tnat l have left to you, but
deemed it best to place 1t In secure
place. to remain there until a period l
shall name. The home upon the hill is
familiar to your eye, but there is one
apartment in it that L imagine you Will
never find out unaided. 1t is small
room upon the attic floor, so built that
the space it occupies is not missed by
casual observer. The door is concealed
from observation by being formed OF one
Of the panels. all of which are exactly
alike upon that floor. Count from the
panel next the winding staircase, and at
the ninth one you can, by closely eXamin-
ing. find that it will slide aside and a
small room Will appear. Count again
from the right side Of the entrance, and at
the ninth inside panel Of this room you
will find one that slides. In that aperture
is a cabinet in which is the jewel stored
away in a box which is indestructible by
fire. You will be apt to find it as my
hands have placed il, for very few knew
of the existence Of such a room. The
kew to the box is very small and ingenu-
Ously made. so that there is probably not
another like it IN the world. You Will