Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1890-06-12
COT RID OF A BOGUS SWELL.
A Smart Woman's Ingenious Scheme for
Beating Pawnbroker.

Il feel awfully ashamed of it now"
said demure little brown-eyed wo-
man to "a n. Y. Sun reporter because
the pawnman was real good to me. 1t
was this way: My friend Ada showed
me pendant, a circle of beautiful
small, white diamonds about a ruby
that glowed like a faming-red heart; it
had fire enough to melt rock. Ada
said it was shame that the ruby was
not genuine, because it made the pen
dant of no value to her.
81 don't care said I; it looks so
much like a real stone that | do not
believe any one could tell it was bogus.
Why, see, there is even a little flaw
in it, just as you often find in rubies.
But Ada said as long as it was not
genuine the pendant was of no value
to her, unless she had the diamonds
set over.
'"Why not pawn itP' said l.
"I couldn't said she. I'D be frig hit
ened to death. Besides, how do you
do it?"
"Oh. just go in and ask him how
had never been near pawn-shop. l
was in too deep to expose my ignorance
now.
"Would you dare to do it?" said
she.
"Certainly!' replied bravely.
"'Will you do it for me, dear?'
Nov, that took my breath away.
To put my friend up to mischief was
one thing, but to be up to it myself
was another. However, [ could not
admit l was afraid now.
"Ye-es, / said half-heartedlv.
''She made me start at once. We
went downtown, and while she waited
in store [ climbed the stairs to the
office of swell broker with my heart
beating until 1 was nearly sufocated.
| sat down in the private office, and.
with face as long as the statue of
misery, handed out that pendant.
"How mUch?' said the man.
90 don't know I replied. He dis
appeared and came back and said
$3.50
Then knew he thought the ruby
real, as had expected him to do, and
the pendant therefore worth about 5000.
but the sum offered was about double
the real value of the pendants so l
looked sorrowfully at the gem for a
moment and then said:
"Can YOU do no better for me?"
".Nope,' said he. One more long
look at that memento of better days,
and then | said in voice suffused with
tears:
""rll take it.
The broker had been watching me
closely, and | think he was moved by
my apparent distress, which my fright
helped me to assume, for when he
brought me the ticket and money he
said in the gentlest way.
my dear lady, if you wish to re-
deem this at any time send US word
and we will send it to you and spare
you the pains of coming here. He was
so kind that I'm sorry l cheated him.
even if he did want 5000 pendant for
$780,
The reporter related this story to a
reputable Maiden lane jewelry manu-
facturer. He said that the secret of
the girls success lay partly in the fact
that the bogus jewel had flaw in it
and that it was set with superior, if
small, diamonds, but chiefly in the
bearing of the girl. She showed to his
eye that she was not accustomed to the
air of a pawn-shop, and so he was
more easily deceived 1t is a regular
though small branch of the jewelry
business to make jewels like this pen
dant, which are worked off on pawn
brokers through just such means as
were emp Dyed in this case.