The Opelousas journal. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1868-1878, 1873-07-19
The Diamond Ring
MIR. WILLIAM HENRY BAKERS sToI

Mr.. Baker himself told us this story.
He said it was true nor is this unlikely.
have known Mr.. William Henry Ba-
ker personally for number of years,
and I am inclined to think he has hith-
erto never in all his life told the truth.
Now it is so manifestly improbable that
the most consistent man should pro-
tract long and useful career Of story
telling to such extraordinary limits,
without at some period telling the
truth by sheer misadyenture, that it is
quite likely Mr.. Baker may have COM
mitted 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, gentle
men," said Mr.. B. "have l been de-
ceived. William Henry keeps his eyes
open, in a general way William Henry
also takes the liberty of seeing out Of
them. He uses them as a rule, for prr-
poses of observation, gentlemen. Still,
| admit | acds, once, taken in by as dead
a swindle as could be, am not ashamed
to own it. I made money by it, after
all but l 4cas swindled.
"It was about a diamond ring. I
knew the fellow who had it for many
years in the way OF business. He was
commercial traveller, and used always
to flash this ring about whenever he
came round on his journeys. A jeweler
friend of mine, who happened to be in
my office once when Mr.. Block called,
asked, remember, to be allowed to ex-
anime it, and had pronounced the
stones to be diamonds of the purest
water, telling me afterwards the ring
was worth about seventy pounds. Mr..
Blocks initials were engraved inside
the hoop of the ring: r. b. and be-
side that, it was ring of peculiar and
rather old-fashiOned make. Indeed,
having once seen the ring, no one would
| be likely to mistake it for another.
Well, Mr.. Block got into difficulties,
and went so entirely to the bad, that
never saw or heard anything more Of
him. But about two years afterwards,
| whilst walking down back street, my
eye was taken by a ring exhibited in a
pawnbroker's window. Mr.. Blocks
ring exclaimed, directly; 'Tll swear
to it, 1t was in a tray with number
of very seedy-loOking rings, and was
as discOlored and dirty as they were.
I went into the shop and asked to look
at it. The paWnbrOker, and old Jew,
said, Yesh; I might see his ringsh but
| he didn't know mOsh about ringsh him
I
thash what they wosh-and they wosh
all marked at the mOnish advanshed
| upon them, with very shmall over
plush for interesh-thash all he knew.
There was no mistake about. It was
Mr.. Blocks ring, and had his initials
| inside. But how did the Jew get it?
He would soon tell me. Referring to
his book, he found it had been paWned
two years ago in the name of Smith
sThash all he knew. Would [ buy? 1t
| wosh dirt sheap-three pOundish
twelve; and cosht him all the mOnish!
well, if it wosh too dear, he had
some sheaper Ones-beautiful ringsh he
dare shay-but he knew sho little about
ringsh, you shee, exshept that he al
waysh advanshed too mOsh mOnlsh on
them. One couldn't undershstand eve
~ thing in his bishnish, you shee, from
| f1at-irOnsh to diamOndish.'
L bought the ring, after beating the
Jew down half-a-crown, partly to pre-
vent his suspecting its value, and part
lvIweil knowing The disposition Of the
neculiar people-to oblige him.
Il wore my new purchase about, with
no little inward satisfaction at having
bettered Jew at a bargain. In my
| own mind, accounted for its coming
| into his possession somewhat. in this
way, Mr. Block must have sold the ring,
when in difficulties, to some one else,
| tt was quite certain Mr.. Block had not
navned it at the jews or the Jew would
have known it's value. The ring must
then, have either been lost by, or stolen
from a subsequent pOssessor; and the
finder, or thief whichever 1t happened
| to be), being ignorant Of its value, had
taken it to the Jew, who knew no bet
ter. -,
'There is a certain commercial clut
in our town, which | occasionally visit
The members are of an easy and some
to indulge in that playful style OF ban
ter popularity known as 'chaf' My
diamond ring came in for good share
/ of it, I can stand chaff as well as mOst
kmen but I put it to you, if, when you
know very well your brilliants are real
II isn't little annoying for the chaff OF
| a whole body of people to assume the
character of persistent disbelief in the
value of your jewelry? For instance
the waiter answers the bell.
"Did any gentleman ring =,
"O, yes,' one Of the members wOulC
retort; { it was the gentleman with th'
paste diamonds
Again, there are kinds Of sham bril-
Iliants known as Irish Diamonds anC
Isle Of Wight Diamonds The club (n0
one or two members, but the whole
body refused to recognize such dis
tinctions,. and insisted on designating
the whole class of shams as Baker
| Diamonds Bakers Paste my gem
were also denominated. They actuall,,
sent me by post circular of somebody
Powder, adding to it at the end, whert
it saws the public is respectfully eau
| toned against spurious limitations
but more particularly against q spectOn
Dreparati0n to deeeiUe the AnlDlYy kR0tCl
az BdEeT's " -PdSte.n Now, after two O
I three weeks, this became tires0me
Still, I took no notice, and affected no
, to think the remarks intended for me.
Il hardly know what made me G
and call on my friend the jeweler. ]
was not that I had any doubt of tn
Egenuiness of the diamonds, especially a
he was the very man who had befor
} valued Mr.. Blocks ring at seYent
| pounds. But it had been so dinned int
J my head they were false, that | Wante
Just formal confirmation OF the est
mate he had previously formed OF thel
worth.
40, yes,' said my friend the jeweler
: [ recognize the ring again directly
2 Want to know. what it's worthP (H
nut it in the scales.) /.
'Well-h'm-about seven-and-tWent
] shiIlings for old gold
J - EhP said I, as pale as turhil
= why, didn't You tell me it was wort
2 seventy poundsF Y
SO Yes, he answered; when it ha
diamonds in it-net when it has paste
: aTaIking the matter over, the jewele
: suggested, that ON Mr., Block gettin
into the difficulties, the first thing b