Huntsville gazette., 1886-04-17
unluckiness Of opals does not date

Thus an opal was supposed to possess
the power of bestowing the gift Of
foresight upon the owner; of acting as
an antidote to poison; of relieving
melancholy; of driving away melan-
choly, and of bringing lovers together.
Now that is all changed. You will
find men of the world and women OF
education to tell you that an opal fore
shadows misfortune, that coming
events can be foreseen by the bright
ness or dullness of the stone, and that
the constant thought of this fatal at
tribute brings sorrow and anxiety to
the owner"
II don't think I'll have an opal
John,'' said the lady customer, cling
ing slightly to the gentlcman's arm.
''Pshawr' said John, .'what have
old Roman and English superstitions
got to do with brand new America?
But as you choose
'.Rubies are more suited for young
lovers" continued the jeweler, placid
ly. He omitted to state that they
were also more expensive. ''Tke peO-
pie of the Burmese Empire believe
that a ruby is human soul just about
to enter the sacred preciucts of Bud
of transmigration. A ruby is the en-
blem of the most passionate and abb
sorbing love. The lady placed her
hand gently upon large ring set with
the rosy stones. The gentleman more
practically examined the figures on the
ticket attached to it. A ruby in the
old days of chivalry was supposed to
lead a knight to conquest, to cause OBJ
stacles to melt away, and to inspire
him with bravery and zeal. 1t also
kept his honor sustained and his char
acter without blemish."
''YOu want one of those, John dear,
cooed the lady.
''Pearls are greatly in request among
ladies about to be married." resumed
the jeweler, not noticing the Interrupt
ton. pearls have always been the
particular emblems of purity, / suppose
on account of their color. They are
also credited with representing mod
esty, virtue which, l believe, is gen.
orally admired. In Persia to this day
people suppose them to be spots Of
water which have by some means en-
tered the oyster and become crystal
lied there. Pearls and diamonds are
the most popular stones to-day among
all classes. They are also
1.-The most expensive" said the gen.
tleman promptly.
''Oh, no, SIR" continued the jeweler,
becoming business-like involuntarily.
Here are some splendid stones. white
and without flaw, which can sell you
for-I beg your pardon. l forgot that
l was in the midst of discourse"
"An emerald that has no flaw in it,
he resumed in his calmest manner, sis
typical of the purest love. Some peo-
pie say that, as few such emeralds can
be found, purest love is necessarily
rare"
'sOh, joint said the lady bashfully..
"You are not obliged to believe that
unless you like. An emerald was
always thought to possess the power OF
discovering treachery in the shape of
alleged friends. The Romans believed
that serpents would become blind if
they merely looked upon an emerald,
and that every other object of contempt
and detestation would fall, over
whelmed, in its presence. The emerald
is popular in courtship and in marriage.
After marriage it is supposed to bring
harmony into the household, and to
further domestic joys in every possible
way. The amethyst, in the days of
chivalry, was believed to have great
power for good in battles. The wearer
was rendered brave, far-seeing and
honorable. The amethyst was also said
to destroy the craving for Intoxicating
liquors, which, you see, was as prev
alent in those days as in these-or
nearly so. have often wondered why
some of the modern temperance So
cieties have never patronized this
wholesome stone-even if only for the
sake of old traditions. The Greeks
and Romans used to believe that agates
insured good health and long and
prosperous life. )"
The lady customer had by this time
become tired of ring lore as expounded
by the monotonous accents of the Jew
eler. She selected the ruby ring, which
happened to be the most expensive
trinket in the case. II am sorry it
costs so mucn, JOnn, Sne SalO apolO-
getically. ''That is not the reason
why l chose it, assure you. l take
it simply because it expresses-ahem!
passionate love. That all, dear"
The gentleman coughed and seemed
to feel very acutely the fact that pas
sionate love cost so much to express,
but he said nothing.
"Why do we always wear wedding
and engagement rings on the fourth
finger?" she asked as they were about
to leave the jewelers. shop?
1.-The reason is said the smiling
jeweler, ''that in olden times a nerve
was popularly supposed to run from
the fourth finger directly to the heart
1t used to be called the healing finger.
and physicians invariably used it when
they mixed their medicines"
every thing is old about rings ex-
cept their prices" grumbled John as
he left the shop, land they always keep
pace with the times. IN Y. Times.