Year: 1870

A Safe Investment.


la the second year Of the late civil war,
was married, and went to live with my hus.
band in a small village on the Hudson, some
| fifty or sixty miles from New York. The
house we occupied was large, rambling
mansion, of considerable antiquity for this
country, and stood a little apart from the rest
of the village, surrounded by broad fields
and commanding a glorious view Of the river
and the hills of the Highlands. 1t had been
built before the Revolution, by my husband.
great.grandlather, and, though destitute Of
many modern improvements was still a
comfortable and pleasant residence.


My husband was lawyer and large
real estate owner in the neighborhood, and, at
the period Of which | write, was greatly per-
picked, like many other persons in the North
by the perilous state Of the times and espec-
tally about the safe investment of his funds
as the suspension Of specie payments the
great rise in gold, and the military disasters
in Virginia, made it almost impossible to tell
where it would be safe to deposit or to use
ones money in any large amount


In the course of his transactions in real
estate, it happened, one day, that he received
what was for US then a large sum, about ten
thousand dollars, which he brought home and
placed in my charge, telling me at the same
/ time that be should have to be absent during
the evening, attending to some business. on
the other side of the river, and should not be
at home till about midnight.


/ "You can place the money in the safe
dear" he said, as he gave it to me, " and to.
morrow will try and find some way to in.
vest it securely


So saying he stepped into the buggy
which was standing at the door, and drove
away, taking with him our hired man Silas
and leaving me with no one in the house but
Dinah, an old colored woman, who fulfilled il
our modest household the functions Of cool
and maid-of.all-work, as she had long done il
the family of my parents, who on my mar
riage, had yielded her to me as a valuable
part of my dover,


Dinah was indeed a character. She was
tall and very stout, weighing she would nev
er tell how much, more than two hundred
pounds She was very black, and as lazy ai
she was black do not think any Que coulC
move more deliberately than Dinah did, tina
is. to move at ALL And, by wonderful dis
pensation, she seemed to feel that whateve
her other faults might be she was strong Oh
the point of locomotion. For, when she ha,
been moving with a ponderous slowness, al
most maddening. to a person of ordinar,
quickness, one of her favorite expressions was
." Well Miss Lille, what shall fly ontC
next ?" How she accomplished all she did
the brownies only know, We used some
times almost to tremble when there was an,
special hurry about our domestic arrange
ments, and yet Dinah always managed t
, bring affairs to a consummation just when
minute more would have ruined everything
and with undisturbed front, would slow
enunciate We'll, miss, what shall | fly ont
next2n


1t was nearly dark when my husband dc
parted, and, after giving my orders to Dnah
Or rather my suggestions, | left her, and mad
the tour of the house, to see that all was SAT
and properly locked up. This duty attende
to, | went to my bedroom, intending to pas
the time in reading until my husband shoul
return.


1t was large room on the ground-hool
with two French windows opening on proa
veranda. The windows were draped wit
long yellow-silk curtains between which tn
moonlight family entered, dimmed by tn
shadow Of the roof of the piazza, and partl
intercepted by the fringe of woodbine whic
hung from it. My bed stood with its foot to
ward the windows, and with lts heau apou
hall yard from the wall IL was an ol o
fashioned structure hung with yellow sil
like the windows, but slept win tne nane
lngs drawn back and fastened 10 the heac
board; The bed was 50 large that no on
ever thought Of moving IT, except III thos
seasons OF household panic called house-clear
ings, when the combined streng'n OF three
four men was called INTO requlsiuon 10 ara
1t into the middle oil the room 90 elao'
rately carved was It that 1t went by the nam
Of Westminster Abbey IN the family. a
one end OF the room at no great alstanc
from the bed was large safe built INTO ID
huge chimney OF the mansion win doC
high enough Tor person 10 enter s'ahu'n
upright Here l was accustomed to plac
every evening, our silver plate on shelyt


which extended around the sides, on whlc
also were placed boxes containing papers an
other valuables Opposite the foot OF I'll
bedstead, between the windows was miro
i running from the floor almost to the ceilinl
, Like all the other furniture in the room'


was old and handsome. How many happ


scenes it had reflected in the hundred years


had stood there


The night was exceedingly hot, ana
: therefore left the windows open, though
! drew the curtains before seated myself