Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1910-02-23

The Silver:
flaeOn
A Wonderful Treasure II
Held Por Many Years.
BY cLARISSA MAckIE.
copyright, $40. BY American Press !
Association.
BY cLARIssA MAcKIE.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS >>>
creat.aunt Hannah squinted horri-
A,r so when with almost her last
sreath she looked earnestly at her
<tree grandnieces and gasped. The
~,rer fagon is for you-it has never
s,aep opened-you know the legend"
.ot one Of us really knew to whom
the heirloom rightfully belonged.
In the library the two executors con-
Aerred amiably together. In the kitch-
an the servants discussed the legacies
thcy had received.
In the long parlor Amelia, Fanny
and / sat In front Of the glowing CRATE
Arc On the white marble mantel-
,,ece above our heads stood q pair Of
nrecious Dresden vases. q Wedgwood
clock and Chinese fan. In the CEN
Ter, directly under the painting Of Mrs.
norothy Fabyan, was the silver flag
an aawless in shape and perfect In its
rhaste design Of vine and leaf and
clustered fruit. Its polished surface
raye back distorted reflection Of our
three faces. rudy in the freight.
No mention had yet been made Of
Amt Hannah's belated disposition Of
the family heirloom. 1t was not men,
tioned in the will. and its ownership
must be settled among the three of US.
1t was Amelia who broke the long.
awkward silence by reaching up a
graceful arm and taking the silver
fIagcn from its resting place.
81 am the eldest" she apologized.
settling back In her chair, "and am
quite sure that Aunt Hannah meant
me TO have 1t. She looked ut me-"
Amelia's tone was coolly defiant.
"She looked at me. too" said Fanny
tn gentle protest. II am sure she look
ed at me, did she not. Esther"
| shrugged my shoulders helplessly.
RI thought she looked at me-" muir
INJURED feebly.
mo one could gaze in three different
directions at one time" said Amelia
impatiently.
Aunt Hannah could" announced
loyalty.
For shame, Esther Fabyan!" they
cried in duet, and then they turned
their backs upon me and fell into whis-
pered converse over the probable con-
tents Of the bone of contention-of
course mean the silver fagon.
The tall silver stopper fitted snugly
to the neck, and around 1t was a thin
stream of red sealing wax.
The silver flagon had once been the
property Of Mistress Dorothy Fabyan,
our sweet ancestress, and tradition had
It that within its polished interior the
fair Dorothy had secreted the precious
Jewels which her rich husband had
layished upon her. When she was
dying she had given the fagon to her
young daughter. saying:
Guard well the fiagon. daughter,
and when you have reached years of
discretion you may break the seal and
learn the contents-rubles and dia-
monds and pearls. Let no other woman
steal it away from you! 1t contains
what all women desire and but few
attain. 1t win be yours"
And 1t belonged to you, mother,
dear" the young girl had timidly ask
ed as she stroked the delicate, withered
cheek
Dorothy Fabyan had smiled proudly
ere she closed her beautiful eyes for
ever. Aye. 1t was mine for a sea-
son." she said.
The young daughter had died in her
teens. and the silver flagon. with its
seal still unbroken. passed to distant
branch of the family. gay townspeople.
who took small notice Of Cousin Doro-
thy's bequest save to thrust it away
on the top shelf Of cupboard and for
get its existence.
And thus it had come down to us,
the last Of long line. At times its
history had been forgotten, and for
years it would remain merely an or
nament on sideboard or mantelpiece.
Again some new owner would look
iongingly at the seal. yet hesitate to
break in upon the secret it had con-
eealed.
Aunt Hannah had owned it last, and
she was so choice Of it that never did
vandal finger touch its surface or
careless dust cloth even approach its
va hAS AuaA JIG. &NO hoho
save Aunt Hannah's own came in con-
tact with the silver fiagon.
And now Amelia and Fanny turned
1t this way and that and gently tap
ped the stopper, guessing idly at the
contents
Amelia looked longingly at the red
seal. II believe 1t contains the old
fabyaD jewels-lt was never known
what became Of them after the war.
have heard that Dorothy Fabyan
stripped the gems from their settings
and concealed them somewhere. 1t Is
likely she hid them in this dagon.
How strange that no one has cared
enough about them to investigate its
contents!'
Suppose we leave the seal unbro- /
KEN" ! suggested.
Why should we do thatr asked
Fanny. with wide open eyes.
1T never has been opened I said !