The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1874-09-03

wrung his hands and left me.
just then the old Frenchman entered
His was not a satisfied look.
- | told you So" he said
$50 you did, almost to an hour" | re-
piled, though, in fact, he had advanced the
period almost year before the actual
crash did come. Almost to minute"
"Never failed to do it."
"All secure?'
Not two cents wrong any way. In
fact, mon ami, there are only two kinds OF
property good and sound. One the sun
shines on, that is land; and the other is
portalif, what you can carry about"
"The Orientals, then, are not such ounces
after all, when they invest their surplus in
precious stones?
"The soundest personal financial policy.
A Turk, or a Persian, or an Arab, has a
few pieces of gold over. He buys ruby,
a diamond, a pearl, makes hole in his
arm, slips in the gem the flesh grows
over it. Et tout, est dit"
= A kind of precious seton"
Exactly. " On my word, at the present
moment would not lend cent on any
thing"
mot even on diamonds?' l asked, be-
low my breath.
"On diamondsl And why not Ahem !
My eyes are not what they used to be,
but those two diamond studs of yours
weigh three-quarters of a carat. Pour
plaisanter, if you wanted S25 or $50 on
those stones. you could have it. If, at
the same rate, they weighed 100 or 200
carats, you could have the money in the
same proportion"
My heart leaped into my mouth. "Are
you in earnest?" asked.
g L never joke about money. 1t is too
serious.n
81 want 100000 tomorrow, at half-past
l O'Clock, on diamonds worth $4,000"
"Where are they?"
"You shall have them tomorrow.
want the money for sixty days. Quick
the rate?''
1.-The diamonds are not yours. OF
course must know whose they are. They
are the madame's. | am not surprised.
But they have quarreled. Would she
pledge them of her own free will -
Certainly"
81 must have her written obligation.
She must borrow the money; rate 10 per
cent.-nOt penny less. Money is worth
4 per day on the street. If not redeemed
in sixty days-nO matter if the diamonds
were worth 0,000-they are to be mine.
A bill of sale must be passed. At your
expense you must have the stones taken
out of their setting, and have a jewelers.
scale ready. You may bring, you please,
any expert to certify to the weight"
"Never! You are too old a friend of
the house for that - l cried, enthusiastic
ally. This seemed to please him. "YOu
are very young, and will be cheated out OF
your eyes some day. 1t is strange, my
father handled Marie Antionette's dia-
monds. am one of the few in this world
who are at the bottom of the story of
the Queens necklace; but how did this
trouble come? know; South American
business. House is not badly hurt, helm !"
"On my solemn word of honor, not at
all. We want only trifle of some S75,-
600 to make us just as easy as a glove; in
fact, don't you think fifteen per cent. is
high for such security?"
"Ysu are humbugging me. Deceiving
a man who is more tenacious of his money
than HarpagOn. Debate the matter an
instant more, and it is off. | have re-
ceived attention from that young mans
father; that is why feel like helping him,
providing the stones fully cover the risk. "
- | accept; - and | grasp his hand, and |
left him examining picture in the office.
| gave a parting word of consolation to
my patron, and in an hour afterward was
in the express for Washington. After a
terrible delay | got into Washington
at IL o'clock that night. Hurrying to the
hotel, | found Madame was at ball at the
French Embassy. sent up my card to her,
pleading urgent business. In moment
she came down to me apparently diSpleas-
ed, holding my card all rumpled in her
hand. ''NOthing the matter with my very
much absorbed husband?' she said, rather
disdainfully, throwing aside her head and
showing her beautiful neck, with dash
ing giUiere of diamonds, which flowed into
her bosom. " Yes and no, Madame"
said. - Let us get into the corner of this
ante-rOOm." | showed her the engage
ment ring. SlR started at the sight of it.
"My God!'' she said, in low voice, in
most piteous accents.
HAS he fOrsakcn me? Hove him so. 1t
was my fault. Pray take me home;
shall die. He does not understand our
warmer Southern natures. | Rave tried SO
hard to interest myself in his wOrk-nOt
his business, but his other ideas, his ruins,
but | could not: but | will try. Is he i'll ?
What is it?'' Carried away by her beauty
and emotion, l lost my wits for the nonce.
How could | touch upon her diamonds
tl l1Sb 10 liOG ~
grave. You have a simple ring on your
finger there, hidden by that glorious sap
phire''-she had torn her gloves from of
her hands" exchange it with me for his
ring as a token of reconciliation
" Agreed" she said, giving it to me, as
| kissed her hand; "is there nothing
mOre?''
4" Yes, something more. That beautiful
neck of yours might be for time just as
tair without those diamonds. We want to
borrow them for sixty da-. | beg your
pardon" And here floundered terribly.
She looked amazed for a moment, then
laughed, and turned the prettiest of shoul-
derS in the world to me. 81 always hurt
my fingers clasping and unclasping the
fastenings. Is that all he wants? l am so
happy You will take me home? Mind
it don't slip down my back. There is a
French farce about that. There; you are
an adept. Now, let us 60"
''lmpoSible; the train leaves in half an
hour"
"But L will 60" she said; and she has
tily wrote a line, which was given to a
servant, who took it to the lady's aunt,
who was present at the bali.
1t was curious sight to see young
gentleman and lady all covered in a
travelling cloak, with a gauze dress
trimmed with lace occasionally peeping
under cover, travelling that night in the
express; but wealth of artificial flowers
thrown out of the car windows from time
to time must have furnished unique dis
coveries for the agricultural people who
lived along the line of that road. In the
cars-for l had pen and ink-a regular bill
of sale of the diamonds was made ont.
At the New York depot we arrived in
time, sharp II O'Clock, where the lady's
husband received us, and happy meeting
it was. Punctual to a moment was the
friend of the house. He was an adept at
dismounting diamonds, which he managed
TO do with a coarse jack-knife, (which i
have carried he said, " twenty-six years.
How am | to judge of their weight?" he
cried. Then he chuckled, counted the
stones. breathed on them, rubbed them on
the threadbare flap of his coat, then ar
ranged them in a circle on the ton of his
old black hat. Then he hemmed and
hawed over them, said one had flaw, one
was badly cut, declared that, out of the
sixty. forty-three We're Brazilian stones
and the rest Indian; then he swept them
into his dirty hand, wrapped each one
separately in pieces of thin paper taken
from copying book, and kept ME in 9
fever for half an hour. Il have seen,
lie said, "falSe stones in crown Jewels, and