Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1873-04-24

4
Europe out of my big diamond, got pretty
high and proposed game OF euchre to
my companions, Just to while away the
time. | have played all sorts of games in
my time in all sorts of company, but the
game of euchre was a caution. 1t seemed
square enough even to me, but the cards
ran agin me in the queereSt way So,
after losing quite pile, thought it time
to give over, and went to bed thinkin'
that, after all, my diamond was some con
ISOLATION. But when, next morning, my
friends did not drop in to breakfast, as
they promised, | began to feel myself
made tracks for a great lapidary down
town. After examinin' the gem, he told
me coolly that it was about the best
bogus diamond he had ever seen,
but that a sham it was, and no
mistake. You, sir, may imagine nv
| tcelin's, not 50 much at losing ten thou
sand dollars on the diamond, and heap
at play, as at the thought that |, Cool Nat,
of San Joaquin, had been gobbled by a
couple of New York dead beats. | guess
my language was pretty heavy when, Just
as had cussed all the wool off of my new
overcoat an idee knocked up agin my
brain and struck in at once. | inquired
where the greatest jeweler and diamond
merchant in the city kept, and after show
ing him my bogus gem, and swearing him
to secrecy, asked if he could find me a
real diamond like it.
He told me that he would do his level
| best to match it. and did so within three
hours, charging me twelve thousand dol
| lars for the stone. | then had it set in the
ring in the place Of my bogus one, and,
! putting Col. Bogus in my pocket walked
into the bar of my hotel. AS | had iudg-
ed, there was more than two in the little
| speculation | had suffered from. Ny
friend and his friend had cleared out, but
| smelt powder when | heard the talk run
upon Yes, sir said one young blood,
dressed up like a BARRIERS block; 4 guess
them very big stones is mostly bogus
casting at the same time snaky look at
my ring. | went on taking my bitters
quite silent, and seemed kinder wrapped
in my ring. But they wouldn't let me
alone, and presently got up bet among
themselves about their rings, and pitched
upon me as umpire, for said one of 'em,
| Guess that strange gentleman as wears
the kOhinoOr ought to understand the
subject
Il own l felt very like drawing my six
shooter and clearing on the crowd, but |
| kept my temper and said: Gentlemen, |
Nt'il NIA'tNl Sbiiit SIil'lli i''tttt'No- HAlll
little bits o things may or may not be
genuine; but if you want to brag on dia-
monds, | guess I'll take the pool
At this they kinder staggered,
and asked to look at my ring.
| let them look as long as they
liked, but kept the ring on my finger. At
last one of them said That stone must
have come pretty high, | judge Yes,
sir said |, ten thousand dollars cash At
these words they staggered agin. So |,
putin on that | was riled, rounded on 'em
sharp: i don't know, gentlemen, what
you see to laugh at Then the gracefrlest
and politest cuss in the party says, quite
solemn-like: 1 fear it is no laughing mat
ter for you, sir. | guess you air a stran-
ger, and | suspect some raScals in the city
| here have stuck YOU with a imitation
stone At this | pretended to rifle right
up, and swore that | bought the ring Of a
perfect gentleman, and had no end Of
trouble to buy it at all The polite man
stitfened up his back at that, made some
remarks on gentility in general, and
wound up by offering to bet $1,000 that
my diamond was bogus. to put up tie
money right away, and leave the matter to
be decided by any jeweler named by the
proprietor of the hotel.
Then felt that | had struck a lode,
anu turning IDulQ Sharply, says, IODkct
here, sir; bets Of $1,000 is good enough
for a small game, but when my word is
questioned and my property is run down.
| put down my whole pile, and [ will back
my diamond with my bottom dollar They
kept their faces very well, but | could see
their eyes gIisten, and | knew that had
em safe. One said, he couldn't put up
much just then, but he cOui, find eight
thousand dollars in half hour, and
would stake it with pleasure agin mine
| Then another struck in, and thought as
/ didn't look satisfied with such little
| bet he would back his friends opinion for
| five thouSand,' and as | still kept on sayin'
| | was not gOin' to show my diamond eX-
ccpt for bet of twenty thousand dollars,
they scrapcd up about eighteen thousand
among them. | covered the money, and
| handed it over, with the ring and Il written
memorandum, to the proprietor. a lap-
| Diary was named, called in, and decided at
once that the diamond was genuine, Quite
a considerable scene took place, and the
| swindlcrs insisted on calm in another
witness, and | nearly busted myself with
| lau@hin' when they named the very man
| ! bought the stone Of When he saw the
! stone, his face was a study; but he never
| let on that he had seen it before, and said
only that it was perhaps the finest dia-
mOnd he had ever seen in a ring, bowed
to the company, and walked off. TO do
my rascals justice, they showed grit, drank
the champagne | treated them to, and
walked off coolly enough But the best
part of the joke is to come.
The story of my big bet somehow got
round, and all sorts of versions got into
the papers. was interviewed pretty
| heavily by reporters, and Col. Nathaniel
J. Cooling, OF San Joaquin was credited
with owning the biggest diamond ring in
| New York, when who should walk into
the hotel but my original friend and his
| friend. The cusses evidently believed that
| by some unhcard-of chance they had pur-
| chased a real instead of a bogus diamond,
and that they were no doubt raging in
! their innards TO think that they hadn't
| sold me in the first instance, and had put
| the gang in the hole for $4,000. But the
stone was now celebrated, and they began
! tryin' to work on me TO let 'em have it
back for $4,000, as | had made such a
! good speculation in bets. The original
proprietor said he was in funds agin, and
couldn't sleep for thinkin' of his mothers
| ring. OF course he wanted it back to sell
at Il big profit, and recoup the gang bit
| | declined to sell, and kept him off and
on till | was ready to start, and told him
| | must wear the ring till | was
! aboard shin when if he would nay down