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The Three Greens

The Three Greens image
Parent Issue
Day
16
Month
May
Year
1873
Copyright
Public Domain
OCR Text

The following story was related to the vriter by an Englishman, who at the ame time voluiiteered the ussuruuce that t is true in every particular. Shortly atter the primean war, an individual whase right arm was encased in piints and hung in ft sling entered a aagniiiceitt jeweïry shop in London, tho uoprietor of Vhich was a Mr. James jri in. The strangef liad that in his a.pje ranee which is generally styled ttixingue : his carriage and garb revealed ;he military veteran, and his munners the iniehed g(;ntleinan. At the door halted in elegaói cabriolet, and the gowl tasto of its owner wns made gjljwrèni by the plain but neat livery of the grcom, and he choioe trappings of the handsome, jlooded horse. The stranger stated that e dosired to procure a complete table sorvice, riáh, soiid itld elegant, but with iitle ornamoutation. Could Mr Green jrepare such a one for hin1. 'i The goldsmitb auswered, of course, in the afirma tive, and showed soveral patterns to his visitor, who thcfi described rery minutey the style in which he wished ihe arti eles to le made, and osknd by what time they could be got ready. At the same time he insisted on punotuality, saying tht he must use the set at a receptiön he would soon givo at his new residtnco in Leicefter square. Green promised to have it done in three weeks, and tben the two partios discusscd the lerms. The je w tier made hiscalculation and deruauded 1,200. TLe stranger reflected a few momeiits, then said he liad determined upun getting a service at a, costo!' L1,500, tiid requeated Mr. Green to add as many more pieces tü the set as would lix the price at that sum. Mr. Green thanked the gentleman for his mark ofconfidenee, and inquired of him tü whose recoinmendaUou üe uwcd bi pitronogc, ■ ?o üi.C litis rceoiuinended you io me, rcp:ied the strar.ger. The jeweler lookcd up in surprise. The strónger who had hitherto worn an airV't uignity aliuost amounúng tü austerity, BOW became more friendly and tontmued, 'VI aüï a soldier. 1 have serv ed fur years iu India, and more recently in the Crimea. At Balaklava I received a severf) wound in my right arm and hand, which will perhaps disable the member for tik. My patronage you owe to your párente; grand paruts, and in tact to the whele Une oí' your ancesta'rs." Xlie Jeweler was ainazed and bewildered. His parents and other anceitore had long been dead, and could not have reïerred the soldier to him. The lattei ap parently enjoyed Mr. Oreen's perplexity, and smilingly continued : "I will mafte myselt' clearer. When, in cons;quonce of this uni'ortunate wouii't- bete a PUdüen twinge in ms arm made íñíft Start painftflly- " I wás compeiled to leavo the service, I resolved to settle down in Loudon. Whilst riding out the otlior day niy attentiori was attradteá by the appsaranoe of your splendidly fifrniëb'ed shop, but more so by the name on your sign, for mine is pfecisely the saine. To this simple circumstance j. you owü the present visit of Colonel James Green, ot' tiie Grenadier Guards." The jcweler exprcssed his delight at the honor of being the namesaku of so distínguished a warrior, and af ter a fuw more phrases of this sort the conversation , reverted to tUe business in hand. " Mafv I now inform you," said the jeweler with some hesitation,' " of th'e eónditions whicli must generally be complied with pvevious to making a sale r" " ITo," Bid the Colonel sharply, " I have my oitn way of doing business. You and I do not know each other ; and although my order is not an uucommonly large üiie, still ït amounts to a sum wim wbich you cannot credit a stranger. I will therefore pay L100 cash down t'or a surot}-, the vpuiiiining L1,400 when.1 cali tur the Ri.Tvici." , ■ Mt. Oree accepted the proiler with profligo thanks. "Youneed not thank me, the omcer intorruptpct. " As ï reroarked, J always have a way of my owrr, from which I ncver like to deviate. Now do me the favor and ttike my porte monnaic from my coat-poeket ; my unfortunate Balaklava wound"-the Oolonél again winohed with pain-" ba% lamed my right arm tnd hand completely ." Mr. Green expressed his sympathy in the wannest tonus, carefully pulled out the porto momiiiie trom the yet.eran a Coatpocket, oiened it at the latter's dnBire, and from t'onr or iive new L100 notes took one, which the Colorid requested hun too keep. Mr. Green wrote otf a re coiptand placed it in tie }ocket book, which lic very carefuUy restored to its resting place. He then assisttd tfïe Colonel to enter the oarriitge, and the groom Colontíl Green couLd not dnvo on aoount of hisinjured arm- rapidly drove ff in the direction of Leieester square. l'he jeweler, though much overjoyed, was cautious business man, and, notwithtanding the considerable deposit, proceded to make his safety certain. In the War List ha found the name and rank oi bis customer, just as had beefl given ; and rom the estáte agent who rented out the plendid mansión in Leicester square, bc ttmrtameá ttaat it had recently been occupied by Colonel James Green, of the Guards, and that the latter had broöght he most excellent recommendatiorjs trom jis and suudry distiuguished personages. In the coursfi of three weeks, at the end of which the set was to be done, the Colonel often oatos hrto -Oio sh-op te soe how the work was going on. and always discoursed so aífably with the goWsmith thatthe lattercoulcl no: una suuiuiem, words oí' praise íor his genial custonier v?hert speaking to others about Irini-. At last the servioo was completed. It was placed upon a larga table in the couutin"--room, ftwdi covcred vi',h h, cloth ot blue velvot. Punotually at tbo stiptílated time in the afternoon, Colonel Green enterad the shop, his elegant cabriolet with the blooded horse reinaming before the chair in care of the groom. The offioer stepped into the ooanting room, and Mr. Green, sweiiing with pride, removed the velrot oloth f rom tho aBlTÍBe. The Colonel, though usually a quiet man, declarad thatit surpassed bis most sanguine expectations, and gratefully insisted tlpoo paying the en tire 31,500, ánd also upun the jaweler ret&ining the depositad L100 as a douceur tor the satisfactiou he had given. " You oVs trie iío thaHí?. my dpar lír. Green," Warmly said the Colonel to the delightod goldsmith. "Give me your hund, and again receive my heartfelt acknowlüdgrueut for tWs superb masterpieoe." The jeweler'á beaming counteiiatiue oh grasping his nmesake'a hijnd can be botter iniügined than described. " ííow to business," said the Colonel. Be so kind as to take out my pocket-book and count off your f 1,500, i'or I do not wish t.j tarry a moment before showing eur chef'd 'mbtn to triy Wifo." The jpweler hastened to comply. Ho took froin the office's breast coat pocket a card-case, a set of ivory tablets, and a silk purse through whose meshes glittered sume flve or six sovereigns- but no pockotbook. Üpon the Colonel's reqüest, he then examined all of his pockuts. ïhe searcri Was futile. " Strange ! incompi-ehensible ! Could I have lost it or beeu robbed 't" mutterod the Colonel audibly, perplexed and pro voked. "What o'clock is it !"" he ly asked. " Twentjr minutes to five." " Good ; it is time enough, You raust make yovrself serïiCeable to me once more, my dear Mr. Green, and act as ïny secretary. You know I cannot use my tight hand. Will you have the goodness to write a few lines tor me to my wife '" With these words the Colonel stepped to the jeweler's desk, ori whioh lay some writing paper printed with the name ot the firm. Taking a sheet, he placed it before the jeweler, saying : " This will do ; my fife knows that I am hefe.'1 lío then dictated, and the jeweler wrote : My Dear Wife. - Hive the goodness to scnd me at once L1,500 through the bearer. You know where the inoney is kept. ï arh in immediate noed ot' it ; thirifore do uot detain the messenger, who is a trustworthy person. " Your affectionate husband, James Green." " Thank you," said the Oolonel, after perusing tiio epistlo, " Michael ! " ho said, stepping to the door and calling the groom, tike this letter, ride home ita l'ast as you can, und return at once to tliis place with thac wbich my wife will give yoii." ïhe groorn took the letter, bowed, and quu-kiy (trove off. Fifteen minutes, a half hour, nearly an hour pa sed away, and Michael did Dot return. The Colonel Waxed impatient, and Viehed that ha bad gone iu person tor the money. The jeweler essayed to tranquilizo him, but iiufffctiuilly. "1 h.ive always rugarded the tellow as hontsst and reliable," said the Colonel, ' and have on several occiisions enlrustod him with largre suius of money - though, t is tiue. jievor -ith as Uluch as this time L1,OJ(J may have proved toostwwrg a temptation i'or him." Pulling out his inagnificent gold watch, he contiimed ; "I will wait just seven and a half minutes longer, lor that is just the time it takeg to drive from Leioebter square hithcr." The seven and a half minutes were gone, and the fjroom had not come. The Colonsl üonl'i oontain himself uo longer " Do me the favor, Mr. Green, to cali a eab," ho said in tk grefttest itflpatienoe "I shall go home myself, and will return within half an hóur." The cab was soou at the door. " Quick to Leicester square ! " eried the Colonel to the coachman. " A half crowu extra, if you drive well." The cab drove off as rapicily as the horses could go. The goldsrmth 111 the mean'ime had the service packed up, and waited for hia patron's return. The clock struek six, seven, eight, nine. The Colonel did not conre, bui the jeweler feit no anxiety, for had ïï'e' fiat still the service and a deposit ot' L1O(TV Tired of waiting, he closed his shop at half after nine, and went home. His wifu, who had been long expecting him, had grown sleepyi and was peacefully slumbering on the sofa. An open letter nj in her lap. Mr. Grcjn stepped lightly to her sido, intonding to wake her with a kiss, when his f yes feil upon the letter. " AVhat ia this ?," he eried, diMnfonnled as he reCogíiiiíed his oitn handwriting and the letter which he had just written for the Colonel. Tlie reader can readily g'uess the sequel ana the connecuon. Tïup, tliero existed a Colonel Green, who had scrved in India, sndtbe Crimea, and had boon wounded ftt Balaklava, who h-.td rented tbc house at Leicestes square, and who possessed a considerable fortune : but, alas ! he was not t!ie (Jolonel Green who liad ordored :the 6Üver service. Heaven knows by what moans the sbarpers had gainod knawledge of all the i'aets and ciroumstanoes pon which tbey constrtK;ttd thoir adinirably ingenióos plan, fhe groom, oí ceñirse, was an accomplico, and the letter w!ich Mr. James Green had penned for the pseudo Colonel .lames lireen was (lelivorea oy nuu 10 tho jewelur's wifo, wbo (lid not hositiito a raotncnt to deliirer to him the L1,500, because she recognizíed her hnaband'a ïiUKlwriting. ad because, moreover, the etter Wan written upon paper statR-pBd with the öame of the jewelry firm "VVho the sly rogaes were never caiue to light.

Article

Subjects
Old News
Michigan Argus