Year: 1873

| heYden. MY father married his daughter.


and eventually came back to live in this


his native city, for he was Il German. !


recollect grandfather Vanderheyden very


well, though was only seven years old


when he died. He was an Immensely fat
ola man, weighing nearly three hundred


pounds. and wearing big shirt collars


that reached up above his ears. He began


life by sailing to Japan, and never,


believe, made any voyages save to that


country. His ship used to lay at Boompies


in Rotterdam. 1t was where he lived.
| My grandfather, as You may suppose,


saved up i goodly pile Of money, and


was considered by the people as being


well off. | have often been told that


previous to his last voyage, he had re-
markable dream, in which he was in


totmed that great good was to come to
| him when he arrived in port, but that he
| must never 90 to sea again. for it he did


SO he would be overcome with evil. He


accordingly made all preparations to re-


tire from maritime lite, and sailed away


with high hope in his heart. My mother
| told me it was more than two years ere
| the herring fisheries at Nhaardingen de-
scribed his vessel returning to port. 1t


must have been a Jolly day when grand
| father jumped ashore at Boompies They


say he was so much altered they could


scarcely recognize him. He had grown
! enormously fat, and was as yellow as


saffron. Well, he was as good as his
| promises he gave up his sailing. and


settled down upon the land. But he
brought strange story with him, which
certainly verified his dream. He was in
| possession of a diamond of most superb
| beauty and great value. | have heard it
| said that Count Albert Kaloska came from
| Paris. and offered to pay forty thousand
| francs for it, but my grandfather would
not sell it, supposng he could obtain a
much greater sum.


| My grandfather was a peculiar man;
| he would not trust the gem in the posses
| sion Of any bank, preferring to keep it in
| his own custody. His friends often told
| him he would be robbed, for it was soon
noised about that he had the stone in his
! house. But the old man laughed when he
| heard the advice, and would not give up
| the prize to any other custody. There are
various stories told as how he came to be
| possessed of the Jewell but his own version
| was that a certain native of Japan took
! refuge in his ship and fled the country.
| The unhappy man fell sick unto death,
| and as my grandfather attended him with
| great kindness, he gave him the treasure
| before he died. and in this way he became
| possessor. Some ill-natured people said
| that if the truth was known, it would be
| found that grandfather anderhevden had
| entered into Il compact with the Evil One
| to secure the wealth. OF course none but
| superstitious old women listened to stories
| like these, and they did not affect grand
| fathers good name in the community. |
| can see him now, sitting on the bench,


with his Old pipe smoking away. appa-
| rentlv in q dream but he was never
caught mapping when smoking; he was
| too shrewd a man. for you must under
stand the diamond was concealed in the
cavity Of the knot in his pipe. My father
| and mother were the only ones to whom
| he impaired the secret. He reasoned this
way.


"If,' said he, ''thieves break into my
| house they will ransack every nook and
corner they think contains valuables. but
| this old pipe might lie about anywhere,
carry it off, for you see it is worth moth
| ing at all


And SO he concealed the diamond in his
| I'lIF- 'lHN iiiNe HIS luillu tuSN. Dul tl
| length the predictions of his friends began
to prove true. Thrice was his house
| broken into, and although something val
| nabe was carried away each time, the
great prize was not discovered. Grand
| father ut length began to be worried and
| saw. when it was too late, that it would


have been more prudent to have kept


silent regarding his jewel His mind
| crew uneasy, yet with strange inconsis-


tency, he would not sell the diamond,


because he could not obtain the price he


asked, and he considered it more valuable


than it really vas.


One day he said to my father: Il am
| distressed that there are so many bad men
| in the world who desire to rob me of my


wealth. Where shall we live and find
virtuous people?"


| My father quickly replied: "My coun-
| trymen are honest, and never was u rob-


berry heard of in the town of Freising


you might leave 4 sack of gold on your


doorstep and find it safe in the morning"


II that SO ?" inquired grandfather.
''Of 4 truth it is" responded my father.
| Then | will 90 to your country" said
| grandfather, and he soon after sold off his
property and came hither.


But thieves are rarely at fault. They
quickly heard that Il removal was con


templated, and had no trouble, imagine,


in tracking us to this city, though it was


never known how they did so, for grand


father and his family were careful not tc


mention their future home


Scarcely had we got settled in our new
| home ere an attempt was made to break


into our house. My father urged grand
father to sell the diamond, as we shoulC


never be free from robbers until he did


But the old man was stubborn and refused


Moreover he was getting we'll on in years


and was cross and ill-natured.


Months passed away, and we were free


from robbers. so that we thought they


had departed and would trouble us ne


more Grandfather became more amiable


and talked and smoked with more pleas


lIre than he hitherto had done. We were


sure at last we were safe, when one morning


soon after my father arose, he came run


ming into our bedroom saying that th'


house had been broken into during th'


night. My mother ran to my grand


fathers bedroom, and had to break opel


the door ere she could gain admittance


The poor old man laid tied upon the BET
with gag in his mouth. His face wa


livid, and the veins in his throat wer


swollen purple. The robber had ESCAPED


by the window of his room.


7 'It's all over" he moaned, as soon a
! he was able to speak. "It's all over
5 We are ruined. All wish to do is to die
They carried off my pipe. Woe is t
l me-"


l The account he gave was this: H
was awakened by a heavy hand on hi
throat, and the next moment he foun
| himself in the presence of three maske
men, who spoke to him in German, an
$ demanded to know where the damon
g was concealed.


+ "ln the bank, he replied.


"Thou lest" returned the one VIII