Year: 1876




who undertook the job had never built an
echo before, and so he utterly spoiled this
one. Before he medded with II, 1t used to
talk back like mother-in-law, but now II
is only fit for the deaf and dumb asylum.
Well, next he bought lot of cheap little
double -barreled echoes, scattered around
over various states and territories; he got
them at 20 per centum off by taking the
lot. Next he bought perfect Gattling gun
of an echo in Oregon, and 1t cost fortune,
can tell you. You may know, sir, that
in the echo market tho scale of prices Is Gu
mulative, like the carat scale in diamonds
in fact tho same phraseology is used. A
single carat echo is worth but ten dollars
over and above the value of the land 1t is
on a two-carat or double-barreled echo is
worth 80 dollars; a five-carat Is worth nine
hundred and fifty a ten carat is worth
thirteen thousand. My uncle's Oregon
echo, which he called tho great Pitt echo,
was a % 2-carat gem, and cost two hundred
and sixteen thousand dolaTs-tbey threw
the land in, for it was 400 miles from set
tlement.


"Well, in the mean time my path was
Ddlu VI IOstss 4 WAS NuO dCCtDACu ouiNOl VI
the only and lovely daughter OF an English
earl, and was beloved TO distraction. In
that dear presence l swan in seas of bliss.
The family were content, for it was known
that was sole heir 10 an uncle held 10 be
worth five millions of dollars. However,
none of us knew that my uncle had become
a collector, at least in anything moro than
a small way, for aesthetic amusement.


snow gathered the clouds over my un-
conscious head. That divine echo, since
known throughout the world as the great
Koh-i-noor, or Mountain of Repetitions,
was discovered. 1t was G5-carat gem.
You could utter a word, and II would talk
back at you for 10 minutes, when the day
was otherwise quiet. But, behold, another
discovery was made at the same time; an
other echo. collector was in the field. The
two rushed TO make the purchase. The
property consisted ofa couple Of small hills
with a shallow swnle between. out yonder
among the back settlements of New York
state. Both men arrived on the ground at
the same time, and neither knew the other
was there. The echo was not all owned by
Que man a person by the namo OF Will
hanson Bolivar Jarvis owned the east hill,
and person by the name of HARRISON j.
Bledso owned the west hill the swale be-
tween was the dividing line. SO while my
uncle was buying Jarvis hill for three mil
lion two hundred and eighty-fve thousand
ollars, the other party was buying Bled-
SOS hill for a shade over three million.


"Now, do you perceive the natural re-
suit? Why, the noblest collection OF ech
oes on earth was forever and ever incom-
plete, since it possessed but one-half of the
king echo of the universe. Neither man
was content with this divided ownership,
yet neither would sell to the other. There
were jawings, chickering's, heart burnings.
And at last, that other collector, with ma
lignity which only a collector can ever feel
toward a man and brother, proceeded to
cut down his hill You see, as long as be
could not have the echo, be was resolved
that nobody should have il. He would re-
move his hill, and there would be nothing
to reflect my uncle's echo. My uncle re-
monstrated with him, but the man said, Il
own one end of this echo; l choose 10 kill
my end you must take care of your own
end yourself


"Well, my uncle got an injunction put
on him. The other man appealed and
fought il in higher court. They carried
1t on up, clear to the supreme court of the
United States. 1t made no end Of trouble
there. Two of the judges believed that an
echo was personal property, because it was
impalpable TO sight and touch, and yet was
purchasabe, salable, and consequently
taxable two others believed that an echo
was real estate, because it was manifestly
attached to the land and was not removable
from place to place; other OF the judges
contended that an echo was not property at
all.


1t was finally decided that the echo was
property; that the hills were property;
| that the two men were separate and inde-
pendent owners of the two hills, but ten
ants in common in the echo /; therefore de-
fendant was at full liberty TO cut down his
hill, since it belonged solely TO him, but
must give bonds in three million dollars as
indemnity for damages which might result
| to my uncle's half of the echo. This de-
cision also debarred my uncle from using
defendants hill to reflect his part of the
echo, without defendants consent; he
must use only his own hill il his part of
the echo would not go, under these clrcum-
stances, it was sad, of course, but the court
| could find no remedy. The court also de-
barred defendant from using my uncle's
hill TO reflect his end of the echo, without
consent. You see the grand result! Nei-
ther nian would give consent, and so that
astonishing and most noble echo bad to
cease from its great powers and since that
day that magnificent property is tied up
aud unstable.


"a week before my wedding day, while
was still swimming in bliss, and the no
bility were gathering from far and near to
honor our espousals, came news of my un-
cle's death, and also a copy of his will,
making me his sole heir. He was gone /;
alas, my dear benefactor was no more.
The thought surcharges my heart even at
this remote day. handed the will TO the
earl; could not read it for the binding
tears. The earl read it; then he sternly
said: Sir, do you call this wealth 2-but
doubtless you do in your inflated country.
Sir, you are left sole heir to a vast colloc-
ton of echoes-if thing can be called a
collection that is scattered far and wide
over the huge length and breadth of the
American continent; sir, this is not all +;


you are head and ears in debt there is not
an echo in the lot but has a mortgage on it.
Sir, am not hard man, but must look


to my child's interests if you had but one


echo which you could honestly call your


own, If you had but one echo which was
free from incumbrance, so that you could