The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1869-12-20
Mr. Bakers Ring !; Or. damon" >"'
nsaunOud.

thc tru.b Now il is so manifestly improba-
ble that the most consistent man should pro
tract = long and useful career Of story-teii-
ing OF such extraordinary limits without al
some period telling the truth by Shcer MIS-
adventure IL is quite likely MIR. Baker
max have committed himsefin this instance.
Atleast, the time has arrived for human ma
tire to assert itself, according TO the doc
tTine OF averages.
Once only. gentlemen, said Mr.. Baker,
have been deceived. William Henry keeps
his eyes open In n general way William
Henry also takes the liberty OF seeing out OF
them. He uses them, as n rule, for purposes
Of observation, gentlemen. Still I admit l
was once taken in by as dead n sWlndic as
could be | am not ashamed to own H..
made m6Icy by it after all, but | was swim
died.
IL was about diamond ring. knew the
fellow who had ii for many years IN inc va!
OF business. He was Il comnlefcial Traveller,
and used always to flash this ring about
whenever he game round on his journeys.
A icweller friend Of mine, who happenedt TO
lie in nv Office once when Mr.. Block called,
asked, | remember, TO be allowed to exam
INC i and had pronounced the TO be
diamonds of the purest water, telling me ~
forward the ring was worth about seventy
pounds. Mr.. Blocks initials Were engraved
inside the hoop Of the ring, X. -" ana
besides that, it was Il ring of peculiar ana
rather old-Eashioncd make. Indeed, having
once seen the ring, no one would be liKeiy
to mistake it for another. Well, Mr.. Block
rot into difficulties, and went so entirely to
The bad that | never saw or heard anything
more ofhim. But about two years Alter
ward, whilst walking down a back street,
my eye was taken by a ring exhibited IN
pawnbyokcr's window. Mr.. Blocks
ring" exclaimed directly "lH swear TO
it, II WAS in Il tray with a number of very
scedy-looking rings, and was rs discoiored
anL dirty as they were. | went into the
shop and asked TO look ut it. The pawn
broker, an old jew, said, iesh l might
see his ringsh but he didn't know mosh
about ringsh himself. They wosh unrc-
deemed plc~dgcs.-thaSh what they woSh-
and they wosh all marked at the monish adj
vanished upon them, with 4 very smalt over
plush for intcrcsh-tha>h al he knew"
There was no mistake about it. II was
ar. Blocks ring, and had hi, initials inside.
Rut low did the jew get it? lie would
soon tell me. Referring to his book, he
found it had been pawned two years ago III
the name of Smith," ThaSh all he Knew.
Would l buy? 1t wosh. dirt sheap,. three
poundsh twelve; and cosht him all the mo-
niSh.'
..Three pounds twelve" repeated,
thinking he had made Il mistake for The
ill8 ds NSiN NihAS'
"Well, il it wosh too dear, he had some
sheapcr oncs,-beautifui rinSsh, he dare
snav.-but he knew sho little about rlngsh,
YOU shcc, exshept that he alwavsh adYanshed
100 mu.h moniSh on them. One couldn't
understand everything in his bishnish, you
siee, from 1iat-ironsh to diamonsh."
| bought the ring, after beating the jew
down half 4 crown, partly TO prevent MS
suspccting its value, and partly-well KNOW
ing tine disposition OF the peculiar people
to obligc him.
! wore nv new purchase about, with no
little inward satisfaction at having bettered
Jew III q bargain. In my own nina, &C
counted for lis coming into his possession
somewhat in this way MIR. Block must
have sold the ring when in difficulties 10
some ore else. 1t was quite certain Mr..
Tlook had not pawned it at a Jews. or the
Jew would have known it, value. The ring
must, then, have either been lost by, or
sta.sa G.om.. l s~nhseerent1 ppooSSeefSsor:and
There is Il certain commercial club in our
town which l occasionally visit. The men,
bers are of an easy aud somewhat lively dis
position generally given to indulge in that
playful style of banter popularity known as
"chaL." My diamond ring came in for a
good share OF it. ! can stand chaff as well as
most men but | put it to you, if, when
Won know very well your brilliants are real,
- i@I4 l ~ ~ iiiip ibS !" tiS Nii3ik VI "
who.e body Of people to assume the charac-
ter Of persistent disDcliefin the value ofyour
tewelry! For instance, the waiter answers
the bcU.
Odd ANY gentleman ling:"
ION yes one oft he members would re-
tori: 4" it was the gentleman with the paste
diamonds"
Again, there are kinds of sham brilliants
known Us Irish diamonds and Isle Of Wight
IiuDnpnIs The plnh (npt ono or two rDprl-
bers, but the whole body refused to recog-
nize such distinctions, and insisted on de-
signating the whole class of shams rs Ba-
kcr's Diamonds" "Baker's Pastc.' my
CONS were also dcnominated. They actually
sent me by post ! circular of somebody's
baking Powder, adding to it at the end,
where il says the public is respectfully eau
toned against spurious limitations, "but
jnorc particularly against a specious prepa-
ration to deceive the unwary, known as
Bakers Paste" Now, after two or three
weeks, this became tireSome. Still, l took
40 notice, and affected not to think the re-
marks intended for Inc.
hardly know what made me 20 and call
on my friend the jeweller. 1t was not that
) ma any doubt otthe commences ofthe
diamonds, especially rs he wasthe very man
who had before valued Mr.. Blocks ring at
seventy pounds. But it had been SO dinned
lato my head they We're false that | wanted
Just a formal confirmation ofthc estimate he
had previously formed OF their worth.
40 yes" said my friend the jeweller az
recognize the ring again directly. Want to
know what it's worth! (Hc put it in the
~>cales.) "Wcll-h'm-about seven and
twenty shillings for old gold"
"th. said i, as pale as aturnip. "Why,
didn't you tell me it was worth seventy
pounds"
" Yes" he answered "when it had dia-
monds in it-not when it has PASTE
Talking the matter over, the jcWeller sug-
gested that, on Mr.. Block getting into ditli-
Cullies, the first thing he did was to sell the
diamonds out ofhis ring, and get their places
supplied with paste, whilst finally he had
pawned it himself with the Jew rs Il paste
ing.
FWell, William Henry" said Ito myself,
the Jew has jewed you, and the club has
hatted you, and you may consider yourself
rod upon, after the manner of Speaklng."
Bit the worm will turn.
Ibid the jewellcr let out diamonds on
hire? 7" ! asked.
lie did.
"Would he have q certain alteration,
which l suggested, made in my ring in a
fortnight's time %
He would.
and keep it s~ecret"
Observation-Disclosures was business"
For the whole of that fortnight l never
went near the club that was probably the
reason why my appearance at the club din
her was greeted with such lively sailleS about
Bakers Paste. One would-be wag recon-
mended me, whilst helping a tart, to keep
- ,nt ~ nl,nx,n |