Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1890-01-16


think you Engiishmen can make soch
an imitation Jewel - that: See how y
flashes even though in the roughr
POOH said Tompy. not bit ahashsd.
a greenhuru could tell that wasn't genu-
inc. That viii do 70 fool Americans
with
..WIl it, replied the Yankee. with
his peculiar drawi. and he was about 70
replace the false stone in his pocket-as
at that instant brilliant idea struck
Tompy.
Hold on, nv friend be said; Let's
look at that minute.
The Yankee handed the false stone
o-er to Tompy. and the latter turned It
over and over in his hand. Presently be
looked up and said
You don't want to sell this piece Of
glass. do you. stranger?
THAT depends, said the Yankee H.
conicaliy. as he neatly extinguished the
bright little fame by larger shower Of
nicotine juice than Ssual
well. to make short work Of it, they
dickered around till. finally, Tompy
traded stone worth five pounds for the
paste Jewel As soon as the Yankee was
gone, Walters. the Lancashire lad, and
spoke up.
".What the devil did you do that forS
We cried in - breath.
Never you mind replied Tompy,
coolly III have some fun out Of Mike
McShane and this paste diamond yet.
The next morning, while We were
eating breakfast, we were startled by
terrible racket coming from the other
end Of the camp.
WHATS that" | asked.
""Give it up, said Tompy with an odd
sort Of smile. Guess you'd better take .
esk outside ~ -.
"walters and rushed for the door.
and Tompy followed more leisurely. A
laughable sight met our eyes. At the
head Of crowd Of miners was Mike Nc
Shane. caperiDg about like mad, and yell
ing and singing by turns. but all the
while advancing towards our hut, and
crying:
Hooray. Hooray! me bhoys. olive
found it at last. OF said OF would. and yea
see me dhrames have come true. Och!
Nora, me darlint, yer fartunes made
AT that instant happened to look at
Tompy, and saw that he was trying to
keep from laughing, and it Immediately
occurred to me that he had perpetrated
some Joke on Mike. and that the paste
Jewel was at the bottom Of 1t. Appar-
emily, Walters thought the same thing.
for he said to Mike. in his quiet way:
LET us see your find, Nike.
Not Wit! not yitr answered Mike.
But yez must come with me to the as
sayer's to see how much it's worth.
Thin yez can, look at it az long as yez
| wants
Just then BIZ rawboned Scotchman
spoke up, saying:
The mons bewitched. He's got na
dammit.
"'Bewitched is itr cried Mike. excit-
eddy. all roight. me bhoys, he sez Dim
bewitched. Come along to the assayers
Office and see.
so saying, Mike led the way toward
the government buildings. in which the
assayers Office was established. The
crowd followed, and we joined them, be-
| ginning to wonder how this strange Joke
would end.
LAS we filed into the low ceilinged
room used by the assayer. that individ-
ual looked up from his work. He was
examining some gold ore that had been
brought in from the Transvaal and was
annoyed at bling disturbed.
"'Well, my lads" he said impatiently,
What can 10 for your
Taking of his shabby cap, that he
kept " irling nervously in his fingers,
Mike stepped to the front and said;
| Place, yer honor. olive found dia-
mint in me diggings this marnin'. an
olive brought it down for to find out how
much it is worth and the quality Of the
shtone. Begorra! the bhoys say Dim
clane gone crazy, and have beem dhram-
in. but DILL lave II all with yer honor
"Whereupon Mike thrust his hand
into his pocket and, slowly drawing it
forth, deposited on the table sparkling
white stone Of unusual size. Giving it
hasty glance, and taking it for the
Yankees paste jewel. turned to look
at Tompy. could not catch his eye,
however, for he was leaning forward
like the others. breathless with Interest.
"'Humph" ! muttered, 'one might
think to look at him that he knew moth
ing about it. l did not know before
that Tompy was quite so deceitful.'
Meanwhile the assayer was examin-
ing the gem very carefully. He turned
it over in his hand, squinted at it through
. magnifying glass, looking for haws,
suppose, and, finally held it up between
his thumb and foreflnger, that 1t might
catch the rays Of the morning sun, a.
they poured in through the square hole
in the wall that answered for q window.
The jewel certainly had, or seemed to
have. lot Of fire in it, and could not
help admiring its brilliancy.
Then the assayer, laying the jewel
gently down upon the table, spoke, say
ing very slowly:
"'That is the finest diamond that !
have seen for six months. 1t is Of the
finest water, and 10 absolutely flawless.
Taking advantage of the yells and
cheers that rose from the half hundred
threats at the assayer's words, Tompy
leaned quickly toward me and whispered:
by jove! Mike must have missed the
paste stone. and has really made find.'
"Then. before could reply, Mike him
self rushed up to us. dancing from one
to the other, and began hugging us like
mad, until almost agreed with the old
| S0nfnhDpnn that he
"'Hold on. my good man. said the
| assayer kindly, tell us how you came to
find this valuable jewel
"As the cheers subsidized, Mike cooled
off a little and told the following story
Of his great find:
"'Well, bhovs, he began, addressing
himself to the crowd, 'yez all know az
how how OF WIZ forever sayin' that the
shperrit Of the poor fellow phat killed
| himself (rest his soul now would some
guide me to the roight sphot to dig. Yis-
terday oi began a new shaft, a little fur
ther to the east OF the old one. fur sez OF
to meself, There's nothin' loike hAvin'
two oirns in the fire, Moike, me bhoy."
"'Well last night OF wuz onaisy loike,
and couldn't shape, 40 OF got up to take a
bit of a walk. Oi hadn't no more than
reached the door of the cabin when saw
sometbin movin' from the bushes to me
new shaft.
Whist" SEE OF, 'uts the ghost Of the
former owner come back to look for some
dammit that he didn't find when aloive. :
"'Well, me boys, OF laid meself down
close by me hut an watched the ghost.
1t wasn't SO dhark but what OF could So e
him di-gin' away for dear loife in me
new shaft. but all on a student he
shtopped and felt in his pocket