Year: 1870

A SAFE INVESTMENT.


In the second year OF our late civil war
was married. and went TO live with my hus-
band in q small village on the Hudson, some
fifty or sixty miles from New York. Tho
house we occupied was 4 large, rambling
mansion of considerable antiquity for this
country, and stood 4 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 husbands
great grandfather, and though destitute OF
many "m0dcrn improvements was still 4
comfortable and pleasant residence.


My husband was u Lawyer, and large
real estate owner in the ncighborhood. and
at the period OF which [ write was greatly
pcrpleyed. like many other persons in the
North, by the pcrilous state of the times,
especially about the safe investment of his
funds, rs the suspension of specie payments.
the great rise in gold, and the military dsas-
ters in Virginia, made it almost impossible
to tell where il would be safe to deposit OF
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 to Us then Il large sum, about ten
thousand dollars. which he brought home
and placed in my charge, telling me at The
same time that he should have to be absent
during the evening attending to some bnsi-
ness 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 rs lie gave il to me, ''and to
morrow | will try to find some way to invest
it securely"


50 saying, he stepped into the buggy
which was standing at the door. and drove
away, taking with him our hired man Simon,
and leaving me with no one in the house but
Dinah an old colored woman, who fulfilled,
in our modest household. the function OF
cook and maid-0f-all-work rs she had long
been in the family OF my parents. who, OH
my marriage had yielded her up to me as a
valuable part of my dover.


Dinah was indeed q character She was
tau and very stout, weighing she would never
ton i'"N ii'''' i. 'i-e-~ 60 two h,'nlrnh
pounds She was very black, and rs lazy rs
She was black do not think any one could
is 10 move ut all And by Il wonderful dis
pcnsation. She seemed to feel that whatever
her other faults might be, she was strong on
the point Of locomoton. For, when she had
been moving With ponderous slowncss. al
most maddening to person OF ordinary
ulckncss, one of her tavorite expressions
was, '.Well, Miss Lille, what shall fly into
next ~ How she accomplished all she did
the brownies only know. We used some
times almost to tremblc when there was
specia! hurry about our domestic arrange
mcnts, and yet Dinah always managed to
bring affairs to II consummation Just when q
minute more would have ruined everything,
and with undsturbed front, would slowly
cnunciate, ''WelI Miss, what shall fly into
next ?"


1t was nearly dark when my husband de
parted, and after giving my orders to Dinah
or rather my suggestions, ] left her, lnt
made the tour of the house, to see thai al
was right and properly locked up. This duty
attended to, I went TO my bedroom, intend
inc to pass the time in reading till my nus
pand should return.


II was a large room on the ground tloor
with two French windows opening on ;
broad vcrandah. The windows We're drape'
with lone yellow silk curtains, between
which the moonlight family entered, DIM
med bv the shadow of the roof of the piazza
and partly intercepted by the fringe of wood
binc which hung from ii. My bed stool
with its foot toward the windows, and witt
its head about half yard from the wall. /
was an old-lashioncd structure, hung will
yellow silk like the windows, but | slep
with the hanging drawn back and fastened
TO the headboard. The bed was SO largo
that no one ever thought of moving il, OK
ccpt in those seasons OF household panic
called housc-ccaningS, when the combined
strength Of three or four men was called int
rcquisition to draw it into the middle Of tho
room SO deliberately carved was it, that i
went by the name Of Westminster Abbey il
the family At one end of the room, at nc
great distance from the bed, was large safe
built into the huge chimney Of the mansion
with n door high enough for 4 person to enter
standing upright. Here | was accustomed
to place every evening our silver plate OF
shelves which extended around the sides
on which also were placed boxes containing
papers and other yaluablcs. Opposite tn,
foot Of the bcdstead, between the windows
was a mirror, running from the floor almos
| to the ceiling Like all other furniture il
the room, it was old and handsome. How
many happy scenes it had reelected in the
hundred years it had stood there!


The night was extremely hot, and | there
fore left the windows open, though l drew
the curtains before ! seated myself at the
table in the centre of the room lighted tn,
candles and began TO read to pass the heavy
time before the return of my husband


After while heard the clock strike nine
ut which hour Dinah always went TO bcd
Her chamber was in the attic, the third stor,
of the house. Remembering some househoi(
matter about which | wished to speak to her
| started hurrcdly up and went into the cntr,
to intercept her before she got up stairs,


had to wait 4 minute before she came, ant
our colloquy Continued three or four minute
more.


When | returned to my bedroom, fcein!
somewhat tired, | resolved to 90 to bed, n
ut that late hour in the country it was Ger
tain that no visitors would call, and my hus
band could let himself in with the latch-key
which he always carried. | thought, how
ever, would try TO keep awake by reading
and accordingly placed q light-stand ant
candles at the head of the bed. [ then closet
and fastened the window, undrcssed and go
into bed The key of the safe placed, Il
usual, under my pillow.


After reading perhaps an hour, | grey
weary of the book, and quietly laying j
down, remained for some minutes meditat