, 1883-12-15

terms with myself, I took another
drink, and then fell talkin' diamonds
witha a very elegantly-dressed gen.
tleman, who gave me let of points
on the subject. After a few more
cocktails l told my new friend THAT
l must get a diamond, but that it
must be the biggest in New York.
The gentleman wore a handsome
stone himself, which he said was as
good as he could pay for, but re-
marked that he thought that he
knew where to find an A brilliant
in fact, the uyewunnest stone in the
world. laugh, do, when l think
how anxious l was to see it, and how
much felt indebted to the young
gentleman when he consented to
mention my desire for the biggest
diai lond in New York to his friend.
HeI I'D me that he did not think
| his Trend would sell. In fact, he
was pretty sure he wouldn't but that
/ might have a sight of the stone If
/ would breakfast with him at Del
mOnicO's at u o'clock the next day.
''This looked all right, and the
next morning was punctual to my
appointment, was introduced to my
friends friend-also an elegant gen.
tlemm and sat down to the very
best breakfast l had ever seen. l
didn't, however, eat much more
than 3-year-old bar, my mind was
so took up with the diamond. Moth
in that l had ever seen in the
sparkling way was a circumstance
to it. Long before we got to the
coffee and cigars | made resolution
to have that diamond. But when l
led up to the subject the owner said
that no money would induce him to
part with a gem which had been Civ
en- to him by his deceased mother
on her deathbed. felt kinder
streaked at this, and wondered why
boys who never care what their pa
rents say when livin' should pay so
much attention to their wishes when
dead. However, the party broke
up, and l invited my new friends to
dine with me on the morrow. But
| had diamond on the brain, could
neither sleep nor drink, and actually
lost a big pile Of dollars at poker
through trying for a straight flush
in diamonds. AtOur next meeting
| noticed that the proprietor Of the
diamond looked discouraged about
sOmethin' and l told what a bad time
had had at poker.
"'Ahy said he, Il am. the most un-
lucky man in the world. Last night
! lost $4,000 at faro, cOppering the
Jack. He won nineteen times run
ming, and left me dead broke with
nary red cent in my pocket
"Now, thought l, is my oppOrtu-
nifty; so, after sympathisin' with
him, raised upon the diamond sub
lect agin. He did not like the idee
at all at first, and kicked aud cavorted
| like a vicious mustang, but at last,
reflectin' that his debts Of honor
must be met, he caved in and parted
with the diamond, after kissin' it
agin and agin, with tears in his eyes,
for $4,000 cash, on my promising
that, IL ever / should want to part
with the stone, would give him the
option Of repurchasing 1t at the same
price, adding 7 per cent. interest for
the time | had laid out my money.
| must own that l felt pretty hunky
over my bargain, and, promising
myself great pleasure In New York
and EurGYe out Of my big diamond,
got pretty high and proposed game
Of eucher to my companions, just to
while away the time. Ihave played
all sorts Of games in my time in
all sorts Of company, but that game
of eucher was caution. 1t seemed
square enough even to me, but the
cards certainly ran agin me in the
queerest way. So, after losing quite
a pile, thought it time to give over
and went to bed, thinkin' that, after
all, my diamond was some cOnsola-
tiOn. But when, next morning, my
friends did not drop in to breakfast,
as they promised, l began to feel
myself weakenin' on the business
altogether, and made tracks for a
great lapidary down town. After
examinin' the gem he told me cody
that 1t was about the best bogus dia-
mOnd he had ever seen, but that a
sham It was and no mistake. You,
sir, may imagine my feelin's, not so
much at losing $4,000 on the dla-
mond, and a heap at play, as at the
thought that l, Cool Nat, Of San
joaquin, had been gobbled by a
couple Of New York deadbeats. l
guess my language was pretty heavy
when, just as 1 had cussed all the
wool off my new OvercOat, an idee
knocked up pagin my brain and struck
1t at once. l inquired where the
greatest jeweler and diamond mer-
chant in the city kept, and after
sho wing him my bogus gem, and
swearing him to secrecy, asked il he
could find me a real diamond like 1t.
"He told me he would do his level
best to match it, and did so within
three hours, charging me 1900 for
the stone, / then had it set in the
ring in the place Of my bogus one,
and, putting Col. Bogus in my pock-
ct, walked into the bar Of my hotel.
As l had judged, there were more