Ladoga High School - Canner Review Yearbook (Ladoga, IN)

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l l ECCLESIA Bessie arrived at the office of Judge Collins early on a Friday morning in August with a square thin package under her arm and a long legal envelope in her hand. She was given a chairg then the judge asked her what service he could render her. Bessie then laid the envelope containing the deed on his desk and dropping the square package in her lap, she said: ' Judge Collins, do you remember Mr. Eben Evans, of Newark County? Why of course l knew Eben Evans, he returned. He was one of my first and best friends in Newark County. Do you want to know anything about him? If so, l can direct you+. Oh, no, thank you, the girl replied. You see I am his granddaughter-my name is Bessie Evans-and l just dropped in to see whether you would be so kind as to tell me about some land he bought down in Florida. l wanted to ask you whether you thought it was of any value . He placed the deed on the desk before him and reached for a gazetteer in the book- case beside him. Before replying, he opened to that section devoted to the history and geography of Florida. He unfolded the map and turned the book so Bessie could see it and soon made it clear to her that her grandfathefs land was valueless. As the judge was refolding the deed to return it, Bessie, as she arose to go, said: I wish to thank you for explaining this matter to me, though l am disappointed that l cannot take better news back to grandma. But there is one other matter that l would like to ask you about. It has nothing to do with law, though. Then she told of her finding the stamp collection while looking for the deed, and asked him if he could find out whether they were worth anything. As she told her story, she noted a new interest growing in his eyes. He laid the deed down on the desk and motioned to Bessie to be reseated. This sounds doubly interesting, Miss Evans, he said, for l myself am a stamp col- lector. lt you will let me see them perhaps l can tell what you wish to know. Thus encouraged, Bessie rapidly undid the covering of the album and handed it to the judge. He opened it and began to scan the pages, and as he proceeded his interest became more pronounced. WeU, I declare! he said at length, this is most interesting. Later most unusual! where did you say this collection came from, Miss Evans? Bessie then briefly told the remarks which her grandmother had made about them. Judge Collins listened attentively. When she had finished he returned to the book-case and drew out a large book which bore the title, Complete Catalog and Price List of all Stamps. Miss Evans, he said a few moments later, I don't want to startle you, but from a hasty examination, I find that you have one of the most valuable little collections l have been able to see, in fadt some are so valuable that l have never seen them duplicated out side of museums. Bessie started. ' And do you think they would be worth as much as twenty-five dollars? she asked.

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l l ECCLESIA l l small books tied with red cord. Along with the books came a deed from The Florida Land Improvement Co. H Bessie opened the document and began to read. The law-book wording in which it was written was rather monotonous reading. But she studied it out from start to finish. Suppose this land was really valuable! She had heard of such things before! Bessie's eyes looked hopeful as she laid the deed on the chair beside the candle and began to wrap the other papers up in the cloth. As she put the packet back in place, her eyes fell on the two old books. A sudden impulse prompted her to have a look at them. As she lifted the books to her knee, the leaves of one fell apart and several bits of colored paper fell out. ln the dim light, Bessie did not recognize them, but when she held them near the candle she saw that they were old postage stamps. And what queer things they were, too! Bessie laid them carefully on top of the deed and began to untie the books. With the thought that there might be more of them inside. she began to examine the contents of the book from which the stamps had fallen. It proved to be a small memoranda of about fifty pages. Each page was ruled off in- to little squares in which more postage stamps were neatly arranged. At the top of the page was written a brief description of the stamps pasted below. Some of the pages were filled, but most of them were about half filled. Bessie looked it over slowly and found it contained a trifle more than three hundred stamps. Grandmother Evans had begun to put the jars of fruit away in the cellar when Bessie reached the kitchen again with the deed and the book of stamps under her arms. She set a chair near the window for Mrs. Evans and got her spectacles from the mantle-piece in the dining room. Then she handed the deed to the lady by putting it in her lap. Mrs. Evans carefully looked over the paper and then passed it to the girl with a sigh. I know it is very high sounding as it reads, dear, she said, but is only a heartless fraud. Your grandfather was cheated out of twelve hundred dollars by the men who got it up. There were a lot of other people around the country who were taken up by them, too. When your grandfather went to investigate the location of the land, he found that it was a swamp. He hired a lawyer to prosecute the rascals, but when it came to trial we couldn't get a cent back. But if you wish to satisfy yourself, you may go over to Lawrence and see judge Arthur P. Collins who was one of the judges who tried the case and is a close friend of your grandfather. You will find his ofiice in the Federal Building. ' Mrs. Evans began to stroke her granddaughtefs hair as Bessie leaned down beside her to open the book of stamps on her lap. Why, where did these come from, Bessie? she inquired as her eyes fell on the mem- oranda. l found it in the old trunk with the deed, and l brought it down to ask you about it. You see, there were lots of postage stamps in ity and old postage stamps are sometimes worth money. As her grandmother turned the pages, she exclaimed: Why, this is the stamp col- lection of your Uncle Paul. l must have put it away in the trunk years ago, for, I had quite forgotten about it. I remember now how he used to save all the stamps on the letters and how he got his friends to exchange with him. 59 46 'X 'le 'H

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IE-gl ECCLESIA The Judge gave way to a peal of laughter. Why, my dear young lady, he said, if this 'Cape of Good Hope' is genuine, and from its appearance l think it is, it alone would sell for three hundred dollars. Three hundred dollars! Bessie repeated blankly. Can it be that a little postage stamp is worth as much as that? What will grandma say? The judge pulled a scratch pad toward him and began to compute a little column of figures. As he finished, he looked up with a smile. Now that is something you will have to find out for yourself, Miss Evans, he said, but first, if you will take these precious stamps to a dealer in New York, fwhose address l will give you, he will examine them carefully, and if he finds them genuine, as I think he will. he will give you eleven hundred dollars cash for the lot, or maybe twelve hundred, and that will be enough to pay off the mortgage, that you say has been worrying your grandmother so long, and also leave over two or three hundred for emergencies. l can't imagine what your grandmother will say. But, Judge Collins, she exclaimed, How can l repay you for this? The judge removed his glasses and began to wipe them vigorously. My dear young lady, he replied, I want you to know that it gives me a pleasure to be of this slight service to you. Your grandfather was foreman of the jury that decided the first case l ever won in Newark County when l was a struggling young attomey and it was the winning of that case that gave me my start in life. GEORGE HAVENS. f ' ' WTEA -Eff'-e ffff 6- lg' ii 'W A- ' bb - ., -.. xiii? f -iii L , . E i,A,g E -3: , .,.- V ff Sr za -e-- fc .P ZLTT- 3 Kai. l ij 'Yi 'Cf ' -it---L' i f Nl- 'Z -Nunn: Y .