Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1897-05-19

American I have all Yankees curiosity,
and therefore am writing. | must insist;
however, upon q reply. My personal
knowledge Of this coin begins only as stated;
but when saw the inscription hunted up
the native and dragged from him by bribe and
| irrigation all that he knew OF the same. He
! had received 1t months before from Rus
sian official, recently arrived from st. Peters
burg, whom he mot on the Lena River.
Where that man got 1t is only to be con-
jectured. shall probably spend 1t, set it
in motion again soon; but l would be
pleased 70 hear why it bears this strange re-
quest. lam United States naval officer
sent 10 this far land by my Government TO
aid IN the search for the crew OF the lost
Jeanette. Very respectfully,
JOHN NJ. HARLOW.
The American laughed.
"Quite characteristic letter. You
surely wrote Mr.. Harlow?"
"Oh, yes," replied the other, "and
have still IN epistolary acquaintance
with him, maintained in a desultory
manner ever since. He is now in
Washington, in your country. think.
He has promised to visit me should he
ever get to England on leave. OF
course how the guinea reached Russia
from South Africa I shall never know.
Here is the fourth letter"
'LoREro, LOWER CAL,
Dc. 25. 1889.
wh.n should be strong enough to write P.
o. Box 1901, Lon lon. Dear old, smoky.
foggy LondonI II you only knew how
strong ia the love that wraps an English
mans heart abou. for his G!eat City, cspe-
cially whhn .fnr from the place OF his birth,
you will ts able to estimate how such love
and longing is increased when the English
man lies for weeks on his back In cot bed,
with forty.caiber hole through ono lung.
NeI-that's my chum-says have slept with
the home guinea clasped in my hand night
after night. Well, may have done SO. 1t
is the first thing that has como direct from
dear old England to me in three long years
aud I doubt II ever seq anything so near
my beloved home again. am one OF the
ne'er-do-wells who has drifted up and down
the earth, never content, never at rest, until,
perchance, put 10 rest rs have been, by m
enemy's shot from behind Il mosquito bush.
This little coin was paid me for gold dust
o1e wild night across the Calf in Guayamas,
Mexico, three months ago, and although
guineas don't grow on trees in this blazing
desert, have chung to it.
"Write me. Box 1001--wrlte me for hu-
manity's sake! They tell me I'm going to
get well. but I know better. The catch at
my heart aud the hole in my lung don'i mean
life, but something else. Aud pe-haps It Is
Just rs we'll. The world has not been the
better for me; it will not be much the worse
without me; but my soul is hungry for let
ter. big yellow envelope, with my name in
round hand on the outside. My friends do
not know whore am, and II am to die it
is better so. Even my dearest sister, who
never gave me up, has lost me; for have
been ashamed to tell her how low had
faller. But, Box 1901, you only know that
l have your guinea, and you don't know all
my foolish and my evil deeds. Write me,
here; for I shall never 20 away.
ARTHUR JAMESON" !"
"Ycu see how long q time had passed
since the third letter." said the Eng
lishman; "six years. had all but
forgotten my golden wanderer when
this came; but you may know that L
wrote at once and ut length to poor
Jameson, dying amid the horrible
wastes of Lower California. 1 even
wrote twice; but no answer came, and
concluded that his course was run.
Sometimes I remembered the fellow,
pitying his loneliness if living; but as
time passed the recollection slowly
faded from my mind, when, two
years ago, the fifth and last of the
series came to hand. T"
The American took the letter. 1t
was written in lady's hand, post
marked "Cranbrook, Kent, England,
dated May 10th, 1892, and ran as fol-
lows:
"Denr Sir: Almost ten years ago my
brother Arthur, then a boy Of only seven
teen, ran away from homo. For time he
used to write me and most gladly replied,
for he was my only brother, four years older
than myself, and greatly loved. He was
never quite successful, but always hopeful;
and finally reached tho State of California.
where heard from him in the summer OF
1887. wrote him as usual: but his replies
were few and far between, and after some
months ceased altogether. In 1888 our faith
or died, and l begged my brother to come
home. do not know If he had my letter,
but, like oil the rest, this sal one also re-
mained unanswered. Sometimes asked
uto on the wrapper that the letter should be
returned ifnot delivered. A few came back,
L
| therefore left in doubt and could not tel
whether my dear one lived or not; nor. II
he lived, where.
"Aiter 1889 I gave up writing, but not
hope; but until three days ago have never
had word OF Arthur nor known OF his fate.
Only day before yesterday received box
| from China addressed to me, containing all my
letters and some little keepsakes Of my dear
brother. There was also note from friond
- Ia N,I ,,yI; ;ot,
| told me Of my boys death in Lower Cali
fornia more than two years ago.
"I have been looking over and reading the
old letters, and ,denr Sir, found two written
| by YOU to Arthur when he was so i'll, after he
had told you that he had the marked guinea.
Tho coin itself was in the chest, and now
have 1t and would like much to keep it as
sacred memento OF my poor brother. have
| written you all this berause Of your kind,
kind letters to the wanderer, and to thank
you from the bottom OF my heart, both for
my. mother and myself. for your great SYM
pnthy and moro than friendly words to our
boy. Even when you wrote him he was dy-
| ing, alone in strange land.
"The guinea is now at rest with me, un-
less you desire it. Should you ever be in
Kent my mother would be greatly pleased to
see you.
"Again, expressing our warmest thanks
for your kindness to our beloved one, am,
very sincerely yours.
JESSIE JAMESON.
The American returned the letter
to his friend.
"How strange it all is, or was, said
he, in thoughtful tone; starting
from Australia the little coin was in
Africa, Siberia, North America, and,
finally, England, within the twenty
years of its journeyings. But" con-
tinued he, with interest, "this lady,
Miss Jameson, desired to keep the
gold. Did she afterward give it to
you?"
"Ah." replied the host, smiling;
"that is the sequel to the story of the
letters, and, like many sequels, the
best part Of it--Jessie is now my
wife. New York Independent.