Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1891-06-06
A STRAY DIAMOND.
An Old Trick, with n New Face. Which
Jeweler Plays.

Jeweler Plays.
A large and glittering diamond lay on
the showcase of an uptown jeweler the
other day. Apparently the jeweler had
been displaying his stock of diamonds.
and when he had put them away had in
advertently left this one on the case. A
handsomely attired woman alighted from
her carriage and entered the establish
ment. AS she approached the showcase
her eye fell upon the glittering gem. She
gave slight start, but quickly regained
her composure. Drawing her handker-
chief from her muff she placed it on the
diamond and compressed her hand.
After a moment she restored her hand
kerchief to her muff, but the diamond
still rested on the case.
A clerk was coming forward to wait
upon her. She replaced her handker
chief over the diamond and let her hand
rest carelessly on it, She asked to sec
some rings, and when the clerk turned
his back to get a tray from the safe, she
contracted her hand and tried once more
to lift the diamond in the folds of her
handkerchief. Again she was unsuccess-
Then she reached out her gloved hand
and attempted to pick up the stone. Her
fingers grasped nothing. She had been
deceived by trick of the clerk who was
waiting upon her. He had stuck the
diamond on the other side of the glass,
but to the eye it looked as if it were lying
on the glass. He had used no mucilage
or other adhesive to discolor the diamond
or the glass. He had simply breathed
upon the stone and the slight dampness
thus produced had caused it to hold to
the glass.
The clerk had purposely delayed COM
ing to the case on the entrance of the
lady, to see whether she would attempt
to steal the diamond. He had observed
all her efforts to possess it, and when she
discovered the trick the consciousness
came upon her that she had been watched.
Mutterng something about sudden ill
ness, she hurried from the store, stepped
into her carriage, and was driven rapidly
away. The clerks conscience did not
seem to snlite him. He said that people
who would steal simply because they
had an opportunity were entitled to no
sympathy, more especially if they stole
when they had no need to.
The clerk said it was surprising how
many people, most of them evidently
rich, attempted surreptitiously to secure
the diamond stuck to the case. Men
with high regulations would enter the
store with the intention of making pur-
chases of costly articles, and on seeing
the diamond would carelessly cover it
with their gloves and attempt to pick it
up. On finding out the trick they would
cast guilty looks about to see if they had
been watched. For fear of injuring
trade the clerks would pretend not to
have observed the effort to appropriate
the gem. There We're, however, plenty
of honest people who came to the store
and saw the diamond. They would di-
rect the clerks attention to it and make
some remark about rather careless way
of doing business.
1t is common thing to see silver
dimes and quarters and even bills stuck
on the underside of the glass in show
case. AT first people used to be fooled
by them and try to pick them up, but the
trick was SO generally adopted that every
body became familiar with it. Besides,
the coins and the bills were generally
stuck to the glass with yellow mucilage,
so that the deception was not perfect
one. By breathing on coin it can be
made to cling to the glass the same as a
diamond. The diamond being so near
the color of the glass the illusion is COM
plete.-[ New York World.