Bellows Falls times. [volume] (Bellows Falls, Vt.) 1856-1965, 1891-03-19
RAxWORTHY'S TREASURE.
From New York Herald. |

This story-as | now believe-began
with an uncohsidered interview between
my mysterious friend, SiX-Cent- Sam, and
a meagre, elderly lady in black dress.
1t took place in one OF the compartments
of the pawnshop annex. | was passing
through on my way to the eating house
at the other end of the building and sup
posed the elderly female was merely ne
gotiating an ordinary loan. In the light
of events that took place soon afterward
| am now inclined to think otherwise.
In the eating-house found Raxworthy
lunching on bean soul aud bread and
sat down with him. To those who know
RaXworthy | need not say that he did
not invite me to put my account on his
check. But for the information of those
who do not know him, it may be as well
to give some account of who and what
Raxworthy is.
He is the son of an English artist, him
self the descendant of a family of Eng
fish gentlemen. RaXworthy, senior, came
to this country in his early manhood and
made money out of real estate which he
and his son got all the property. There
is venerable town in England not far
from London known as Isleworth, and in
the pages of its history may be found
the story of one Jasper Raxworthy,
"The Miser of Isleworth.' This person
age was, | understand, the great-grand-
father of the present bearer of the name.
The latter is not only the great-grandson
of the former, but he inherits his idiosyn-
Grassy. He is miser, and quite as pic
turesque and irrational as the miser of
tradition. He thus affords unfailing en-
| tertanment to his friends.
| He is about 30 years old, thin and
pale, tall, and with no hair to speak Of.
His hands are long, bloodless, and knotty
at the tinger-joints. In disposition he is
amiable, laughing readily in thin, high
cackle, while hundreds of fine wrinkles
spring up round his eyes and mouth.
His conversation is as amiable and also
as thin as his laugh, and is largely de-
voted to accounts of things he has done
which he thought devilish clever, but
which to our minds had more or less of
the ludicrOus.
For example, he was once engaged to
marry young woman, for no better
reason, as believe, than that he thought
she was an economical housekeeper. She
was poor, and he had bought her gown
to be married in-not regular wedding
dress, but useful costume that would
be available for general purposes for
years to come. At or about this juncture
the lady wrote to break off the match.
RaxwOrthy accepted the dismissal philo-
sophically, but called on his lost love to
return the gown. She did return it and
he has kept it ever since, not as me-
mentO of a buried romance, but as con-
venient thing to have on hand in case he
should become engaged again. And it is
dollars to cents that, if he ever does
marry, his wife will be selected primarily
on the basis of her fitness for the gown.
| Raxworthy also inherits artistic tastes,
and is diligent collector of works of
art and vertu of all kinds. The price
paid for each is affixed to it, and he dis
courses on the profit at which he can sell
| it again. But the most remarkable of
his boards is the one which consists
wholly of gold and jewels; gold coins of
all ages and nations, gold nuggets, gold
ornaments of historic as well as intrinsic
value, pieces of gold plate-in short,
gold in every shape. Then there are
| precious stones, in settings, separate or
in the rough. including many antiques,
the whole making pile big enough to
| fill a steel-bound stronghold two feet
long by Is inches wide and foot deep
1t must be worth great many thousand
dollars, and the anomaly is that it lies
there collecting no interest. Raxworthy,
when attacked on this point, offers vari-
Gus excuses, but the truth is he is vic
| tim to the true miser's mania for gloat-
ing over treasure. 1t is heaven to him