, 1883-12-15
DIAMOND CUT DIAMOND

California, was a fellOw-passenger Of
mine on that well-knOwn transat-
lantic steamship, the Mongolia, IA
nous alike for the rapidity Of her
ocean voyages, the absence of nap
kins at meal times and the bluff
heartiness of her excellentcO command
er. As is, or rather was, invaria-
bly, the case, the Mongolia had re-
.ceived a very good "send off," the
friends Of the passengers mastering
in great strength, and accompanying
their hearty wishes for a swift pass
age, quick return and a "gOod time"
generally, with brisk consumption
of that sparkling fluid which flows
with such unfaiiing liberality on
such occasions, Busy as was in
pledging my numerous friends, Iyet
found a moment to steal glance at
my rOOm-mate-the traveller who Oc-
cupied the one other berth in my
state-roOm-and, exchanging cards
with him over glass Of champagne,
was charmed to find my domiciliary
partner for the next eight days the
celebrated, or notorious, person
whose name l have mentioned.
Dim rumors Of daring deeds done,
or, as some hyporcritical purist would
rather say, perpetrated during the
early days of the Golden State, had
reached my ears from time to time,
and with many Of these the name Of
Nat Cooling was associated.
OF the origin of this great man but
little was known. Those who loved
him best and Obeyed that excellent
law, "Speak well Of the rich," de-
clared that his youth had been passed
in the lucrative business Of i'm
porting "blackbirds"-in other
words, in the slave trade-while
those who were actuated by higher
principles, that is hated or envied
the successful speculator, declared
that short but brilliant career Of
piracy had laid the foundation Of
his great fortune. All that was GER
tainly known was that the Colonel
turned up in California during the
first symptoms Of the gold fever,
and that his speculations in mining
nd.other operations had been attend
ed with solid success. Where he
was raised" remained mystery,
for the Colonel, although very COM
municative ON all subjects relating
to his residence In: California, main
tanned a severe reticence as to his
happy bOyhOOd and probably stormy
youth. Neither his appearance nor
his speech betrayed his supposed
nautical antecedents, nor did his out
line betray the numerous angles that
the American physique is often cred
tied withal. He was plump, broad
shOuldercd man, the said broad
shoulders being surmOuntcd by q
large bullet-head covered with a
clOse-cut cropOf stiff black hair. His
face, with the exception Of the up
per lip, was clean-shaven, and his
general expression was one Of frank
bon homie. There were moments,
no Hever, when singular expires
sion flashed from his fine dark eye,
and on these rare occasions II was
not difficult for persons Of an imag-
NATIVE turn Of mind to cOnjure up a
scene in the summer seas Of the In
dian Archipelago with scuttled
ship slnwl" Setting down in the dark
blue water, and a rakish-lUoKing craft
almost hull down upon the horizon.
Col. Cooling rejOiced in velvet
coat and loose necktie, Of sanguine
hue, but it was impossible to enjoy
his society for any length Of time
without observing the immense
diamond solitaire which adorned his
large, but well-shaped, hand. This
was not merely large diamond,
but n brilliant such as is rarely seen.
1t threw out flashes like lime-light,
and blazed with almost intOlerable
radiance. One splendid summer
afternoon, as the Magnolia was do
ing her best to make short work Of
the Atlantic, the Colonel caught my
eye fixed in admiration on his mag
nifcent Jewel, and launched at once
into the following story:
81 guess, neighbor, you air takin'
advantage Of the fine weather to
kinder photograph my diamond.
It's worth the trouble-yes, sir
Not only for the valley Of the stone,
but for the high old time 1 had in
gettin' it. You see l amt a New
Yorker, and never set eyes on the
Empire City till a few weeks ago,
when l kim around from Frisco to
make a European tower. In Cali
forny we are heavy on gold, that's n
fact, but we don't pan out much on
diamonds, though they air mighty
useful goods when a citizen finds
things pretty well petered out in his
old diggin's and wants to vamOOse
the ranch for new placer. But no
sooner had landed, and got well
fixed at the New York Hotel, than,
making bee line for the bar, 1 found
all the folks run diamond mad. In
most settlements 1 am acquainted
with the talk runs mostly on dollars,
but in the big city I heard Of moth
ing but diamonds. 1t seems that
some old Don married a pretty young
gal little time ago, and that the
display of jewels at the diamond
weddin' had set everybody stark,
starin' mad on brilliants. Well, af-