Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1870-03-02
Mr.. Bakers Ring.


Mr.. Baker himself told us this story.
He said it was true; nor is this unlikely.
have known Mr.. William Henry Baker
personally for a number of years, and |
am inclined to think he has never in all
his life hitherto told the truth. Now, it
is so manifestly improbable that the most
consistent man should protract long and
useful career of storytelling to such ex-
traOrdinary limits, without at some time
telling the truth by sheer misadventure,
that it is quite likely Mr.. Baker may have
committed himself in this instance. At
least, the time has arrived for human ma
ture to assert itself, according to the doc
trine of averages.
"Only once, gentlemen" said Mr.. b. ,
"have | been deceived. William Henry
keeps his eyes open in a general way; Will
liam Henry also takes the liberty of see
ing out of them. He uses them, as a rule,
for purposes of observation, gentlemen.
Still, admit l lcaS, once, taken in by as
dead a swindle as could be; am not
ashamed to own it. | made money by it,
after all but | lcaS swindled.
ut was about diamond ring. | knew
the fellow who had it for many years in
the way of business. He was a CONNER
cial traveller, and used always to fash this
ring about whenever he came round on his
journeys. A jewelry friend of mine, who
happened to be in my Office once when Mr..
Block called, asked, | remember, to be al
lowed to examine it and had pronounced
the stones TO be diamonds of the purest
c. l. l..
worth about seventy pounds. Mr.. Blocks
initials were engraved inside the hoop of
the ring 'R. B.; and besides that, it
was ring of peculiar and rather old
fashioned make. Indeed, having once seen
the ring. no one would be likely to mis-
take IA Tor anoths=-- VU@l. NJ Pl1~slss-s3
into difficulties, and went so entirely TO
the bad that never saw or heard anything
more of him. But about two years after
wards, whilst walking down back street,
my eye was taken by a ring exhibited in
a pawnbroker's window. Mr.. Blocks
ring exclaimed directly IN swear to
it, 1t was in a tray with a number of
very seedy-looking rings, and was as dis
colored and dirty as they were. l went
into the shop and asked to look at it. The
pawnbroker, an old jew, said, 'Yesh
might see his ringsh but he didn't know
much about rings himself. They wosh
unredeemed pledges,-thash what they
wosh,-and they wosh all marked at the
monish advanshed upon them, with a very
shmall overplush for interesh,-thash all
he knew
There was no mistake about it. 1t
was Mr.. Blocks ring, and had his initials
inside. But how did the jew get it ? He
would soon tell me- Referring 10 his book
he found it had been pawncd two years
ago in the name of Smith,-'Thash all he
knew. Would l buy 1t wosh dirt sheap,
three poundsh twelve and cosht him
all the monish =
Three pounds twelve = | repeated
thinking he had made a mistake for the
ring was worth twenty times that amount!
"WeI, if it wosh too dear, he had
sheaper ones-beautiful rinsh, he dare
shay-but he knew sho little about ringsh
you see exshept that he alwaysh advanshed
too moch monish on them. One couldn't
understand everything in his bishness,
you shee from hat-ironish to diamond
ish."
~ bought the ring, after beating the
Jew down half crown, partly to prevent
mis- suspecting its value, and partly-well
knowing the disposition of the peculiar
people-to oblige him.
=" L wore my new purchase about, with
no little inv ard satisfaction at having bet
tered Jew at bargain. In my OWL
mind, l accounted for its coming into hi:
possession somewhat in this way: Mr.
Block must have sold the ring when il
difficulties to some one else. Ii was quite
certain Mr. Block had not pawned it a
the Jews, or the Jew would have knowI
its value. The ring must, then, have eth
er been lost by, or stolen from, a subse
quent possessor and the finder, or THE
whichever it happened to be), being ig
norant of its value, had taken it to the Jew
who knew no better.
There is a certain commercial club IL
our town, which | occasionally visit. Th'
members are of an easy and somewhat live
ly disposition, generally given to indulg'
in that playful style of banter known a
Z" chaff." My diamond ring came in for
share of it. l can stand chaff as well al
most men but L put it to you, if, whel
you know very well your brilliants ar,
real, it isn't little annoying for the chat
of whole body of people to assume tn
character of persistent disbelief in tn
value of your jewelry. For instance, tn
waiter answers the bell.
Ibid any gentleman ring?'
go yes one of the members would re
tort; it was the gentleman with the past
/ diamonds
"Again, there are kinds of sham bri
/ liants known as Irish Diamonds and Isl
of Wight Diamonds. The club mot on
or two members, but the whole body) rt
fused to recognize such distinctions, an
insisted on designating the whole class {
shams as Bakers Diamonds Baker
Paste, my gems were also denominateC
They actually sent me by post circula
Of somebody's Baking Powder, adding