The Carbon advocate. [volume] (Lehighton, Pa.) 1872-1924, 1882-01-14
" When Greek MGatS Greek. "
BY NJ s, D.

1t was hot. sultry weather, ard most
of my friends, more fortunate thnn my
self, were enjoying cool breezes out ol
the city. Thus left in solitary state, 1
knew of no better way of spending my
evenings than to get as far up town as
possible, and, visiting one or another of
the open mir concerts, pass my time in
studying humanity around me while en-
joying the m usic.
One evening, as I sat smoking my
cigar and drinking my beer at small
table in one of those gardens, my atten-
ton WIS arrested by the conversation
between two Of my neighbors, and soon
1 VAS entirely enrrcsSed in the story told
by one of them, ana which -.iil ,;p., ~.
fo'luws-
The speaker was brcad-shouldered
aud stul~art-looking man, with merry
twinkle in his dark tyes, which. how
ever, now and again fl shed with siuis.
ter exr ression, that strangely belied the
genial expression Of bonhomie and bluff
heartipess with which his large person
wss redundant He wore broad brim-
med, shiny beaver, necktie of sapguipe
hue, end his clothes were of rakeshly
fashionable cut.
But what caught and fixed my atten-
tion was an enormous solitaire diamond
rin, which flashed and glittered like the
headlight of an engine on an immacu-
late shirt front. 1t was not merely dia-
mond, bu. brilliant such as is rarely
seen. 1t blaz'd with phosphorescent
changefulness like an electric light. and
1T was impossible not to observe it, such
was its almost iutoleraile radiance.
''Yes. my friend" be was saying to his
companion, "that air diamond singu
lar history, it bas. Why, that mir ston'
cost Inc twelve thousand doll r. down
and, fur all that, WAS eighteen thouS
aud doll RS richer for haviu' borght it,
was. This is how it was. l bad com
over to the Atlantic States iron gu
golden P"cf Slope, and, though We al
h Wy on the almighty dollar in Frisco
that's fact, We don't pan out much o.
diamonds. Bat I guess you're prrtt
kind of right to think SO much OF IN
hereabouts, for when citizen find
things petered out in his old diggin's
and wants to vamoose the rancho an
make tracks for new place, they al
pretty useful kind o goods, and no mil
take.
oval, I'd no sooner got fixed at th
hotel in New York than l found all th
folks run diamond mad. Every boy We
Dragging on his diamonds, and some {
them seemed TO hold a pretty flush hnnC
So after lickering up pretty freely, sal
to my sell : See here, Gnlush Belohe
you never was a one-horse critter, nor
cuss as would take back seat anywhere
and you amt a-goiu to sneak around i
this kipd of business, gues,, but je
pan out pretty heavy, and get the hnnC
soonest diamond in this Empire City,
"You see, the fever was kind O. ketcl
in. and warnt gon' to be outdone /
any Yankee goin'. So, bein' on uncon
mon good terms with myself, fell
talking diamonds with an elegant geutl
man in the barroom, who gave me- 10
of poiuts On the subject.
"After a cocktail together, told n
new friend that must get the bigge
dismoud in New York, nothin' less weul
do; and he remarked that he knew Il
A brilliant OF the city-in fact, the ay
wunnest stone in the world.
"'But says he, l am afraid mon,
wont buy it. 1t belopgs TO an aristocr
tic young friend of mine, and l fear
won't part with ie'
"In fact, be was IrNtty sure be woul
not. However, bed contrive to ct me
sight of the stone if I would breakfast
Delmouico's with him aud his friend G
the morrow
"You bet was puuctool at the Al
pointment, was introduced to my friend
friend alEo an elegant gentleman an
sat down to the best breakfast had eve
seen. Bat vas dead beat, aud hadn
more appetite than three-year-old Sc!
etus! That ere diamond fetched me, g
pothin' I'd ever seen in the Spsrklil