The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1902-11-21

nanus OF That gentleman. As sool
as the business could be adjusted. III.
happy pair sailed for America. ex
pecting Karl TO reappear upon Tho
scene at any day TO take charge OF
affairs there at Berlin.
But he did not come. and, unknown
10 them, was anxiously awaiting
word from the beloved fatherland
rlnaiiy he wrote his sister letter
OF inquiry as To her silence, which
reached her few days after her
arrival in America. Three months
more passed, and at the time OF the
mai struggle with the mysterious
piano Mrs. Briggs was daily expect.
ing another missiyc from her wan
dering brother.
ihe letter failed to come; but the
brother arrived in its stead. sun
burned, weary, and heartily salts
fed to refrain thereafter from his
long. aimless Journeys. he appeared
at her door one morning, TO be well
coined as none but a sister can well
come.
Explanations over, he began to
glance casually about the room, and
Immediately his eyes fell upon the
new piano.
What's this for?" he quericd.
where's fathers piano."
It's haunted" replied Mrs. Briggs,
with subdued voice
Haunted? Tut, tntl" And without
further comment he seated himself at
the familiar old instrument at the
opposite side of the room. Eagerly
ne struck the central note l., then
listened intcntly. Next the note +.
and listened again. Lastly the note
q; and as the laughter began its
wlerd reverberations he turned to his
sister with a smile of triumph.
Haunted, is it?" he cried, exultant-
~. NO, no. Gretna. That's just what |
was hoping for. Come, sit down. and
III tell you all about it,"
Leading her to a diyan near by. he
seated himself beside her, and began
to explain carefully the hitherto un-
fathomed mystery
when was about to leave on this
last trip, you remember, father
called me to him and we had a long
conversation. That morning he told
me for the first time the exact
amount of his fortune-about s1O.-
ooo'o0O in American money-and gave
me a working knowledge of his three
establishments. He had long been
thinking of selling his interest in the
factories at Paris and London, but
was not yet ready to close negotia-
tons. Whenever he did so, that would
necessitate the handling of large
sums OF money, and he was then at a
loss to know just which city
whether London, Paris, or Berlin
TO deposit the bulk of his fortune in
lie expressed the fear that You
could not manage affairs, as you
had never handled money except to
spend 1t. ! read his thoughts and Of
ferec to give up my trip, but he
would not consent to that. Instead. /
he exacted promise from me that
when / should return this time / |
would remain at nome and devote
myself to business.
Wei, when he had explained |
everything SO thoroughly that knew
Just what was depending upon me, he |
then told me that he was afraid to
leave his fortune all in one bank. and
that he intended to divide il into two
sums The smaller amount he would
leave in the bank with which our
family has always done business:
The othcr-and now comes the Sc
ret of the piano.
You know as well as l that father
lid every bit of the work on this in
'trument except, perhaps, the carv-
ng. lie spared neither pains nor ex-
'ensc in building it, for it was to be
family treasure SO long as an atom
Il it remained. Well, that morning
'e took me to ii and removed a part
4 the case, showing me that the
ear of the musical framework was
ouble, with space enough between
he boards to admit ones hand. In
hat space is a peculiar bit of mech
nism of fathers own devising, which
e termed a laughing jack. 1t can
e connected with the musical ap-
aratus by means Of a very slender
ire, which is brought around past
he sounding board in such a way
hat no one can find it unless he
nows beforehand just where to look ,
Or ii. !
TO show me how it worked he at 8
lched the wire to the hammcrshank !
( string near the center Of the :
and struck that note with
is finger. At once the laughter be- !,
an, just as il will do now. lie played
strain or two, and the thing kept
Iughing as long as the piano con-
nued to sound. This amused me /,
, that l laughed in earnest. He !,
jared that you might hear us, so he
'leased the hammershank from the
'cret wire.
He then told me that he was
linking seriously of depositing his a
oney in bank in foreign country, n
} that the lawyers and sharpers G
ould not be so apt to discover it q
I'd perhaps purloin part of it in case Z,
should not be at home. He men, =
oned England and France, because
his factories being at the capital o