Year: 1865

the manner already mentioned, leaving his
cell invested with traditional terrors for al
future prisoners. But the Joscphs's attor
ney, in the course of his frequent conferen
ces with him and his associates, made one
discovery, or rather guess. From hints in
advertently dropped, and looks involuntari
ly cast, he took suspicion that in spite OF
prison-searches and other improbablitics
the diamonds had been smuggled in with
the chief of the robbers, and hidden in some
crevice of his condemned cell. Like pru-
dent son of Israel, tho attorney had kept
that surmise for his own future benefit: but
years passed, and no opportunity for acting
upon it came within his reach He grew
old, infirm, and ready to retire from bust
ness, in which it appeared he had not real
lied much money and then it occurred to
him, as proper and profitable course, to
sell his suspicion for respectable sum to
the surviving relatives of the diamond-los-
er. According t. Jacobs the bargain had
been stiff one, though, owing to the lapse
Of time, the failure of memory, and the al
terations made iii the old prison, it was i'm
possible for the attorney to say what cell
the burglar had occupied. By judicious in
qulrles, however, the JOsephs found out
that such a cell still existed, marked and
made memorable by its peculiar legend ;
and their kitchen-maid, Jemima, being of
! pure Jewish race, and a distant relation,
volunteered to recover the family treasure
by an expedient and for reward which no
body but descendant of him who served
the fourteen years for Laban's daughter
would have thought Of


1t appeared that she had fixed her affec-
tions on their son Samuel And on the
strength of promise that she should be
made Mrs. Samuel Josephs, if her scheme
proved successful, this true daughter. of Ja-
cob (of course with the conniyance of the
family stole plate and other valuables con
cealcd them i'll her box Of clothes, incurred
suspicion and search, was committed, tried,
and sentenced to year of penal servitude
within the prison where the diamonds were
| believed to be hidden


She depended on her own ingenuity for
! getting into the dreaded cell and discover
ing the hiding-place; hence her frequent
removals, her scrubbing and securing pro-
pensities, and, | sincerely believe her hum
! bic services to me- How she contrived to
bribe the woman to those exchanges with
small articles of jewelry brought to the
prison. and retained in spite of hair-cutting
and changes of clothes, Jacobs frankly
confessed, for the pin she offered me was
one of them. But the most curious part of
| Joseph's regular question concerning her
repentance, which was nothing less than an
agreed-on signal, and meant, "Have YOU
found them YETI" Jacobs made perfectly
clean breast--there was nobody within
possible earshot-and when she had told
me all the poor Jewess concluded with that
sad and simple appeal 81 leave my case
to your charity, miss"


Perhaps it was weakness, perhaps it was
something worse, in an assistant-matron
but, Notwithstanding the gravity of that
title and office, | was but young woman
at the time moreover, | was keeping com
pany on my Sundays out with Mr.. John
Adams, my present lord and master We
were engaged in waiting only till he got a
step higher in certain city Office, and
could begin housekeeping with respectable
prospects. My own little romance made
me sympathize with poor Jemima more than
| ought to have done, according to strict
regulations. Ipromised on the spot never
to report, never to reveal her secret .a


When the Josephs came next visiting
day there was a variation in the dialogue.
Jemima solemnly assured them of her com
plete repentance, and the unieigned Joy
which sparkled in their Jewish eyes would
have given any body unacquainted with
the secret an immense opinion of their moral
| principles. After that no stone was left
unturned, no effort spared to abridge the
time of Jemima's penal servitude. Every
official. from the Home Secretary down
ward, was Designed with applications and
petitions, and what influence they brought
to bear on the superior authorities was
never made known to me but Jacobs got
her sentence commuted, and was released
from my ward and custody within one
month reclsoned from that memorable night
She went her way exactly as she came
There was nothing remarkable i'll the de-
parture of the Jewish maid but an unusual
amount of humble thanks and acknowledge
ments to all the prison-matrons, especially
myself The next sight got Of her was
on one of my Sundays out, when the Jo-
sephs carriage passed NE, and there was
my model prisoner seated beside the large
mother, and quite as well overlaid with
| finery. ,If Mrs Samuel recognized me she
did not appear to do so. Our ways were
different and we never came in the slight
est contact. But two years after, when
Mr. Adams and ] We're thinking of going
to church together, very handsome wed.
! ding-dress was sent home to me, with q
small brilliant stuck in the one corner of it,
and knew the gift came from Jemima
Jacobs


GENERATION after generation have felt as
we do now, and their lives were as active
as our own. The heavens will be as bright
over our graves as they are about our
paths Yet little while and all this will
have happened The throbbing heart will
be stlled, and we shall be at rest. Our
] funeral train will Wend its MaY and the