The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1892-05-16
A GAMBLERS DIAMONDS.
The Very Interesting History of a Pair OF
Earrings.

-
The Very Interesting History of a Pair OF
Earrings.
81 have had some peculiar customers"
said an old Broadway j~eveler recently;
"but there was one case which l believe
no one can duplicate. 1 have a large
patronage from the men about town
the gamblers and the racing people.
They are very liberal buyers of iewelry
when fortune favors them and they Sc
lect first class goods, and in most in
stances appear TO be excellent judges of
quality.
'The individual of whom l was about
to tell you is a man who first came to
my store about four years ago. He was
a very shabby looking young fellow,
whom / watched cautiously when |
passed him a pair of cheap solitaire ear
rings in compliance with his request.
He hardly glanced at them, and asked
for something better, and l took the
first pair and brought out a pair that
were a shade higher in price. These
he pushed aside also and asked for
finer goods, until l had shown him
everything in my stock except a pair OF
earrings worth nine hundred dollars,
which l did not care to permit him to
handle.
81 was a little out of patience with
the fellow, and pointing to the ear
rings in the showcase l told him the
price, and he Immediately asked to see
them. Thinking that he might make
an effort to grab them and u away, l
lifted them from their velvet case and
tv~a11ya1 mound AIa pDY,rfnY. hD1liDn
them up to the light as if my change of
position was actuated by a desire TO
show the stones to the best advantage.
"He examined both stones very close
ly and almost took away my breath
when he said he would take them, and
at the same time pulled out a large roll
of bank notes from his pocket. He
counted out nine hundred dollars, and
after l had wrapped the earrings he babe
me good night and hurried away l
was nonplussed. The man was a mys-
terry to me, and 1 often thought of him,
until one night about a month later
when he came again.
"He wore a shiny silk hat and his
shabby clothing had been replaced by
neat, but very expensive garments. He
saw that 1 recognized him, and after a
few words about the weather drew
from his pocket the earrings 1 had sold
him. and said that his wife disliked the
settings and that he desired new ones.
I l showed him several other styles and
he soon selected m
"Then he told me that he had expected
a large amount of money, but had been
disappointed, and finally in a very
frank, business-like manner asked me
if l would enc him five hundred dollars
until the earrings would be reset. 1t
looked a little like pawnbroking, but l
believed that the man was in close
quarters financially, and after critically
examining the stones TO see that they
had not been changed l gave him the
money.
cat the time when I had told him the
earrings would be ready he came, paid
me the amount borrowed and twenty
dollars for the settings, but insisted
that no allowance should be allowed for
the old settings. He thanked me for
the favor and went away.
ga week later he anne again for e
settings and five hundred dollar loan,
and he continued having those stones
reset at irregular intervals nearly foul
years, each time asking for the money
and always paying it at the time ap.
pointed for the delivery of the earrings
During our long acquaintance
learned that he was an inveteratC
gambler who played high stakes, and
that the diamond earrings had origin
ally been bought as a nest egg for day
when luck was against him. He feared
that a pawnbroker might change the
stones, so instead of raising money OF
the earrings in the usual way he adopted
the novel scheme in which he involved
me.
"Who wore the earrings? Nobody
He carried them around in a chamoii
bag. Did / find it troublesome to have
him borrowing and returning money 81
frequently? No; l liked the fellow
and, aside from that, it paid me hand
somely. His last visit here was a cou
pie of months ago, when he left tn,
earrings after picking out their twenty
second setting and took away with hin
five hundred dollars.
'"The night they were to be finished
received a request from the man to cal
at his rooms. l found him alone in
cheerless little hall bedroom, dying o
pneumonia. He was very grateful to m
for having been his banker, as he pu
it, and asked me to see hat he was de
Gently buried, after telling me to kee,
the earrings for the money advances
and for the funeral expenses.
81 complied with his request. Hav
1 the diamonds yet? No; 1 sold then
last Christmas for 1900, and they ar
now worn by one of the most fashion
able women in the ity."-Jeweler'
Weekly.