Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1886-05-07
MY WEES DIAMONDS.
by Conrad More.
LcopyrIghted 1856 by $. 5. MeClure.l

has but single one. How she came 10y
that one, will be shown in the present
story.
Some years ago, while | was still
bachelor, 1t fell in my path to befrlend to
q considerable extent an aged Hungarian
Jew whom | had unearthed in extreme
poverty III wretched tenement house in
one of the most unsaVory districts of New
York. lie was wonderfully handsome
old man, according to the Jewish type.
and wonderfully learned in those sciences
which the Rdbbins principally affect If
he understood little of the nebular by
pothesis, he could ut least repeat the en-
tire Pentateucn from memory, and eX-
pound the mystical significance of its sep
arate hair-lines and accent marks with
comprehensive Vagueness
On the morning he sailed away-for
part of my service had been to procure
him ticket of-leave from American soil
/ drove down to the dock to bid him god
speed. Tears chung to his eyelids, and
he was voluble in protestations, of graft
tude, intersper-ed with mu ,erngs in
Hebrew As The vessel was finally ON the
point of casting Oft. he exhibited signs of
a violent Internal struggle, as though
there was something he very much want
ed, and yet heSltated, to say or do. / as
sumed as encouraging an aspect its could
manage but it awaited nothing until the
plank was actually being manned by the
sailors. Then my IsraelIte gulped down
q prodigiOus sigh, and exclaimed, There
take il. 1t is all have to give you.'
Thrustiug something into my hands, he
vanished beneath the companonway.
What he had thrust upon me p.oved,
when investigated, to be a mOrsel Of
al, III,
hens egg, carved with Il multitude of
mythic beasts. 1t was really a very clever
bit of workmanship and would have
figured to excellent advantage in the caDi-
net of a briC-a-brac amateur. | consigned
it to the pocket of my overcoat aud pro
ceeded about my business.
When | reached home that evening and
was seated by my 1iresde thinking over
the happenings OF the day, the Old jews
parting gilt REQUIRED to me and produc
ing it, subjected it to Il more careful
scrutiny than the previous one had been.
Then, Il deep seam around its longer cir
conference prompted the notion that per
haps it was not Il mere solid piece or lump
of ebony after all, but might on the COu-
trary be a box or casket, in which case |
was anxious to view its contents. SO |
wasted much time in Intellectual efforts to
Dry it open. 1t resisted heroically and |
had about determined to try no further
when, as my finger nail accidentally
pressed upon the stomach of a particular
ly sinister looking griffin, it yielded ; and
the egg flying asunder down the middle,
as IL by means of Il hidden spring, its in
terror lay revealed.
AS singular an object as ever had be
held greeted my sight. 1t appeared to be
perfectly modelled oriental idol, not
larger than the tip of your lady's thumb,
with legs drawn up, so that the chin rest
ed upon the knees, it sat in its ebony
oh "a "a thrnnp Every
feature was complete, Its forehead was Il
mesh of sapient wrinkles its eyes peered
from their sockets with a sophisticated
leer; and the corners of its mouth We're
twisted into complacent smirk. There
was Il grOtesque attraction, an uncanny
charm, about the thing, that retained my
gaze from the moment it allghted. | don't
know now long | remained stupldly star
ing at it, before | thought of carrying the
inspection farther into detail.
At any rate, by-and-by put forth my
hand and picked it up. 1t was with in
creasing curiosity that | pursued the eX-
animation.
So far as weight aud texture were con
cerned, Judged that this extraordinary
specimen was of wood yet on the other
hand. the greeniSh lustre of its surface,
and the sound it emitted as tapped it,
pointed to metal. Its head was covered
with a suit of what | would have wagered
was genuine, heecy hair, in hue the most
unmltgatcd red ; but on testing it, il
proved to he rs substantial as the rest. A
VoluminOuS garment enclosed the body
descending in countless folds in front, and
wrought on the back with tortuOuS inter
winnings OF gold thread the very grain
of the cloth and tluflness of the embrOid
cry having been initiated by the conscien-
tious artist Below the hem of the skirt
protruded ten diminutive toes, fashioned
with a realism that was painful. UVly
eYcrescenceS afflicted them, and they ter
minated in untrimmed ragged nails. \
Qirdle of gold encircled the waist and was
knotted at the hip, whence its ends fel
downward Topped together. This was
serpent, holding his tail in his mouth
Not scale was omitted. Indeed, had t,
fetch a magnifying glass to appreciate il
its completeness My manikin eXhaled
queer perfume, halt like sandal wood, anC
half like something else, pungent ant
penetrating, that | had never smelled be
fore and therefore cannot name
viii ask the reader to guess the Legion
of strange fancies with which this tin
monsuosity filed my brain. | thought o
the sculptor who had designed it in III
epoch which perhaps antedated Chris
tianity | thought of the history it Nigh
have witnessed, of the dynasties it ha
seen flourish and decay. took for grant
ed that it was very ancient. ! thought O
the prayers it had heard, of the destinie
it had sweryed-was 1t not fetch Ha
IT not therefore been worShipped as
God ? All the mystery and magic of tn
East seemed to be compressed into thi
INFINITE compass.
/ worked myself into quite state owe
II. it acted upon my Imagination as
spur. 1t affected me as opium affects il
devotees My pulse was accelerated tn
arteries throbbed perceptibly in my ten
pies Then gradually, as held it in m
palm, began to enjoy the opium-eater
peculiar privilege. The walls of IN
chamber melted into thin air. The nin
teenth century crumbed away. | was
India, in IA sanctuary of the Brahmin
The place was illuminated by mOonligh
flooding through an aperture in the don
above our heads. A circle of wome
chanted II minor rhythmic melody, swa
ing their bodies with the accent. In tt
centre of the circle stood the priests ella
in magnificent vestments. They we
performing some fantastic rite over tn
Identical elligy of a god, They passed
from one to another and back again, ev,
keeping it within the range of the moo
The song of the women grew more son
rOus, their motions more animated