The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1881-09-01

goyerness-who had never been sus-
pected of complicity-with the whole
sum. But how he discovered his adj
versary was never known. d u
A we'll known London diamond mer-
chant went out to Brazil to buy precious
stones, seeking them, naturally, not in
big cities, but at the smaller places
along the coast. The local steamer to
which he had transshipped was one
day about to leave some out -of-the-way
port-Maeeio, / think when an Indian
came on board selling skins; he also
displayed some little shining pebbles,
which he did not seem to set much store
by. The merchant--reputedst to be one
OF the best judges of stone in England
saw at glance that they were small
diamonds, and carelessly offered few
reis apiece for them, which the Indian
gladly took; then. appearing to have
thus discovered a new branch of COM
merce, he produced an immense one
attached to a string around his neck
one so large and valuable, that the
dealer, in his eagerness to obtain it, was
thrown off his guard, and offered 80
much for it that the dusky possessor' s
suspicious were excited. When I say
$50 much,n i do not suppose the sum
was intrinsically great, perhaps not
more than a shilling or two; but it was
out OF all proportion to what he had
paid for the others. The Indian refused.
More and more money was promised,
and displayed before his eyes in glitter
ing piles. Rum, knives, shawls and all
sorts OF commodities were thrown in,
but without avail. IF the pale-face
wants this bit of stone SO much, he
might be supposed to argue within his
untutored mind,n it must be of some
great power or value-perhaps an anu
let or charm of supernatural virtue.
Superstitious and obstinate, like all
his race, he would not part with
it on any terms; but fastened to
conceal it about him again, and hurried
on shore. The merchant was frantic;
such an opportunity was not to be al
lowed to slip without making some eff
fort. He paid the fine-no inconsider-
able sum-for OBTAINING the steamer in
port another day. and roamed all over
the neighborhood, searching high and
low for the Indian. No glimpse of him,
however, could he get, nor any tidings
OF his whereabouts. At last, on the
following morning, when he had given
up the quest in despair, and the vessel
was again about to proceed on her way.
the innocent savage made his appear.
ance on board once more, and expressed
his Willingness to sell the diamond.
But in the interval that had elapsed, he
seemed to have discovered, from some
unknown source Of information, its ac-
tual worth, and he now asked for it a
sum which would be fair equivalent
for a gem of that size. Nor would he
take less, nor allow the stone to pass
from his hands until he had received
the money. The bargain was made;
the gold-laden Indian padded back to
his native wilds, and the steamer, after
getting under way, soon left his canoe
a mere speck on the waves.
After settling certain transactions on
paper relative to his note of hand, which
had just been cashed from the ships
chest, the happy purchaser sped to his
cabin, locked himself in, sat down to
gloat over bis newly acquired treasure,
and-report says-fainted. Paste! A
good imitation, certainly, but to his
pract.ced eye, unmistakable paste. He
had been misled by the gennineness of
the small stones, and his eagerness to
secure the large one for comparatively
qothing, and utter absence of grounds
for suspicion, had caused him to disre-
gard the little opportunity he had for
examining it. The whole thing was a
3 most ingenious plot, devised by some
Yankee swindlers, who, with the mo.
BILE red man. as their ally, had been
waiting for him ever since he arrived
in Brazil; batting their hook with few
real sprats, they landed whale When
told the story to some diamond deal
srs in London afterwards, they refused
10 believe that SO experienced man
could be deceived by sham. The
story leaked out in quite another
quarter, however, in a short time. 1t |
vas not the excellence of the paste that |
aad imposed on him, but the artful mis- |
direction of the attention. = Chambers
,aprntd. gge