The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1886-05-15
A FAMILY MYSTERY.
What My GRANDMOTHER Black
Stone Jar Contained

When my Grandfather Ryse died,
grandmother came to live at our house.
She was my mothers mother, and the
only grandmother my brothers and sis
ters and l had ever had. Fathers
mother died long before any of us were
born. We were very glad to have
Grandmother Ryse come and live with
us. Her husband had died in a dis
tant State, and mother had gone at
once to bring grandmother to our
house. / remember with what eager
ness we children made ready to meet
mother and grandmother on their re-
turn.
We lived in the country, and father
had said that all Of us might 60 to town
with him, as it was in the fall of the
year, and there was not much to do at
home. There were six of us. beside
father, to climb into the big farm
wagon, and ride five miles to the
railroad station. We saw mother come
out of the car first, and behind her was
. little old lady, dressed in black. In
her arms she carried black stone jar.
Its mouth was covered with clean
white cloth, tied down smooth and
tight with many rounds of cord.
"What can she have in that jar?"
asked my brother JEFF of me, before
grandmother had reached us, with her
quaint ''How de dol" and her kiss on
each of our mouths.
1T can't be mince-meat," said JEFF,
with half-hopeful look, for JEFF was
inordinately fond of mince-pies, and
mother had often said:
"Wait until grandma comes to see
ms, and she'll make you some nince-
pies that are mince-pies." But no
mince-pies ever came out of that jar.
Grandmother had insisted on its be-
ing put on the seat beside her, and she
kept her eyes on it all the way home.
MAY be it's full of money" said
sister Katie: and for long time after
that we children were all very respect
full to the jar, under the impression
that Katie's surmise had been correct.
Grandmother had the jar carried up
to her room and put on high shelf in
her closet. We heard mother say once
that grandmother was verv poor, and
that damaged Katie's theory of the jar
being filed with money. We asked
mother one day il she knew what was
in the mysterious jar.
10, not much of anything" she said,
with great Indifference. 1T is an old
family relic and l suppose grandma
wants to keep it. I remember seeing
II when was little GIRL" But this
answer did not satisfy six curious boys
and girls.
Grandmother Ryse lived at our house
two years, and then went to stay a year
with my aunt in Colorado and the Jar
went with her, packed carefully in the
center of her feather tick, for Grand
mother Ryse had horror of new
tangled" things in the way of hair and
spring mattresses, and would sleep on
feathers only. When she came home
from Colorado, we children all assem-
bled to meet her at the station, and we
saw that jar coming out of the car door
almost before we saw grandma herself
Them keerless Murray boys forgot
topack it in with my feathe-bed," she
sslu an , naa no ldee OF leaving a
sT!.l MAc 'nat, so 1 Jest orung 1t
IN me csl WIN me- -,
-cnld wn,speieu 70 me- anu saio ne
- w;th ;ooT III .sa .n WIN young p,g
al have been glad to see our jolly old
9iandmotner' even though she travelled
xisn . whole pottery. The Murray
10Y, VINO nao Iorgotten 10 PACK grand
%otnor jar, were our cousins and a
.ew weeks ia'er one OF them wrote this