Richland beacon. [volume] (Rayville, La.) 1869-1890, 1873-04-12

| auisite cerulean blue. The ore this has
| lain among has changed it to a jewel.
| Who knows as what it began life?'
! Twas grown more astOnished than ever.
| This was too marvellous truly, that the
copper, the mineral that had so despiSed
me, whose taunts and insults had borne
patiently so long, had been the means of
changing my whole being into something
most precious. 1t was too curious! Ii
took me days to recover from my aston
ishment. had he'd despised life so long.
could not grasp that was suddenly of
Importance; but was there could be no
doubt about 1t.
The old jeweler polished me lovingly.
praising me more and more as increased
i'm beauty under his hands. Then he set
me in golden ring, and finally exhibited
me in his shop window, naming large
sum for my purchase.
And have been only an old bone"
kept repeating to myself, again and
again.
One thing | determined, that retaining
prosperity should not make me proud
again had learned too thorough less
on for that, and / resolved to love, and to
do all in my power to serve, those NOR
tails who had raised me from the lowest
depths of degradation te such height of
value and esteem.
was soon able to become more active
ly useful in their behalf; for | had not
been long in the jewelers. window ere |
was purchased. Ipassef into the hands
of lovely young girl, who presented me
as a souue,r to her lover on his leaving
The country for.a time. He kissed the
slender hand that had slipped me and my
golden band upon his finger.
81 shall think of you and your blue
eyes, sweet" he said, "whenever | look
on this azure stone."
Then they parted.
We roamed through many foreign
! land, my new ma ster and |. We visited
the regions of everlasting cold, the zones
of perpetual heat. We slept under The
palms of the desert, the hut of the Es-
Guimau. in the junk of the Chinaman. the
palaces Of Europe. the Indian bungalow.
saw all the changes on the globe with
amaZement; the world had altered in
deed from the place had known it. We
passed through many dangers, too, es-
| capped many accidents. Several times my
master, whom learned to love dearly.
Law stricken with sore sickness, and
grieved for him lest he should die and the
sweet. blue-eyed beauty whose gift was
should see him no more. Folk said
grew pale when he was ill, and only re-
gained nv beauty with his health.
cannot vOuch for the truth of that state
nent.
The time at length arrived when my
master was able to return home. Why he
had been so long absent know not. He
spoke of business and imperative neces-
sity that kept him far from her he loved
and know it could be no slight cause
that detained him from her side.
How jOyfully he turned his steps home
ward, 1t was pleasure to me to see his
gleeful, happy face. He would often gaze
upon me as a mementO OF his sweet lsa
belle, and once or twice on our homeward
Journey he exclaimed that | had grown
more beautiful than ever.
The last stage of his travelling he un
dertOek on horseback. He was canterinS
along, singing, out of the joy OF his heart
Uhland's charming cOuplet:
go brich nicht, Steg. du ztterst sehr.
o stluz nicht, Fels, du drauest schwer!
Welt, gehP .nicht unter, Himinel, fall NIGHT elm,
En- ich mag bel der LEICESTER nseia"
Suddenly the horse stumbled, and my
master was violently thrown.
"He must not be hurt, he cannot be
killed."I cried, in my agony of heart
Then sharp pain thrilled through my
frame, l became unconscious OF what fol
lowed.
When next regained my senses / felt
the warm touch of Isabelle; she was
clasping my masters hand.
"Oh, George, she sObbed. "w hat hap.
py thing that you escaped unhurt! II
you had been killed at the last. after all
your perilous wanderings were safely over
could not have borne it."
"COmfOrt yourself. sweetheart" he
said, II am alive and well. That | escaped
is truly marvel; L cannot comprehend
it yet,
released her grasp. and her gaze fell upon
me. "Why, George, what has happened
to your turquoise: You never told me II
was cracked"
."Cracked!" he repeated, in astOnish
ment. ''That cannot be; only this very
loveliness. But indeed it Is" he said az
he examined me more closely. g! mus,
have broken it in my fall. Alas for my
beautiful treasured stone, the companion
and friend of my wandering!"
A sudden flash of light passed over the
girls face.
"George, that faithful turquoise has
saved your life. / see it all. 1t took upor
itself the consequences of your fall, ant
| has restored you unharmed to rae. reat
once that turquoises possessed this saving
virtue for those they loved"
She was right; it had truly been so
My cry of agony as we fell had wrought
his salvation. How happy l was that
had been the means of their joy! how
much happier yet grew in it! Wha
mattered it that my market value ha(
gone from me? for l had obtained in
creased worth in the eyes of the happ!
pair.
George wore me upon his finger unit
his dying day, and Isabelle, an aged dame
showed me to her rgreat-grandchildre bu
three days ago, as the most precious thin,
in her possession, which she should han,
down to them and to their children's chill
dren as their most treasured relic an,
the tenderest memento of Their ancestors
l-HGrper's Basar.
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