Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1894-03-21


g bargain cant be all on one side, and
l had never promised II buy the ring.
so you had perfect legal right to sell
it to the F,enchman.
- You needn't say no more, stran-
ger, said the Yankee as if he were tired
of the subject. You can hev the stone
now if yon choose at the price we fixed
Oh last night And he held the ring out
to me.
''But l had to get my letters of credit
cashed. and I agreed to meet the Amer
lean in the lilliard room i'll an hours
time and conclude the transaction.
NO one was in the billiard room
when entered it, for it was still early
in the day, except the American, who
was standing by the empty fireplace.
The transfer did not occupy more than
five seconds, and the Yankee immedi-
ately proposed drinks. These being dis
cussed, we separated, and l saw no more
OF my friend from the States that day.
''That evening after dinner l hap
pened to be sitting not far from the fire
place in the billiard room when no.
ticed small round object lying just
inside the marble fender. Curious to
know what it was, left my seat and
picked it up. 1t was a jewelers. ring
case, not an uncommon article certain
ly, yet hardly the sort of thing one Of
ten sees on the floor of billiard room.
''Suddenly 1 remembered that the
American had been standing close to
the spot where found it when earlier
in the day 1 had exchanged my 1900
francs worth of notes for his diamond.
An uncomfortable feeling crossed my
mind. What did he want with ring
case? He had been wearing the ring he
sold to me. He might have kept case
for it of course and might have thrown
it away when he parted with the ring.
81 opened the case. The makers
name was inscribed in gilt letters in
side the lid, and the address given was
Paris. Parish said I to myself. He
said the ring had been bought in Brazil.
There was no real ground for suspicion.
yet l was uneasy. 1 went up stairs and
took out the ring. The pattern-you
see it is peculiar one-I remembered
we'll. Somehow I judged OF fancied that
the diamond did not shine as brightly
as it had done the night Eefore.
Next morning 1 took the ring to a
second jeweler and asked him his opins
ion as to its value. He examined the
diamond carefully and laid it down on
the glass case before him with one con-
temptuous word:
Pastel
Pastel l echoed. 'Impossible!'
Certainly paste, and a very good
imitation, he replied, turning away.
my heart sank within me. Eighty
pounds was sum I could i'll afford to
lose.
"With faint hope that the second
expert had been mistaken. took the
ring to the jeweler who had offered the
American 3, 900 francs for it.
HE seemed pleased to SEQ me, but as
soon as he had glanced at the ring his
face changed.
g This is not the same ring you
showed me yesterday, he said in tone
that made it plain that he thought
meant to cheat him. AT least, he add
ed, it is not the same stone. This is
not stone at all-it is paate.
&C SO have been told.' | said sadly.
Are you sure the jewel showed you
yesterday was a genuine diamond?'
g l am certain of it, he answered.
"The honorable conduct-as I bad
thought it-of the stranger in refusing
to sell to the jeweler was now intelligi-
BILE. The jeweler meant to keep the real
stone. 1t was not difficult to see how
the fraud had been managed. The
swindler had had two rings made exact
ly alike of striking and peculiar pat
tern. In one of them he had placed
genuine and very fine diamond. This
was the decoy. In the other he had put
false diamond, closely resembling in
size and shape the genuine one in the
first ring The one he wore and offered
to sell was the true stone. When he got
it back from tn jeweler, he had kept it
and had given me the sham one in ex-
change for my $50. What was l to do?
''The first thing was to ascertain
whether my friend had lett the hotel.
OF course he had-on the afternoon of
the previous day. Still the scent was SO
hot that fancied l should have little
difficulty in tracing him. But when
found him my difficulties would only
begin. Of course he would swear that
he had sold me the ring with the stone
which the jeweler had declared to be
genuine. 1 might conceivably have sub
stituted paste for the true gem as well
as he. In any case, when l thought of
the difficulty of getting back my money
from an American wandering about
Europe, my heart sank within Inc.
Even if the police consented TO help me,
taking my word against his, even if the
rogue were convicted, how was l to re-
cover the 1900 francs?
''These thoughts passed through my
mind as | hurried back to the hotel.
Certainly the prospect was gloomy.
81 easily ascertained that the Amer
lean had taken the train for Paris the
day before, and determ inel to follow
him at once. l did not despair of find
ing him, as he would probably put up
at one of the good hotels.
''On the way up to Paris l could
think Of nothing but my loss. This fell
low I saw had hit upon very safe and
profitable method of swindling. In nine
cases out of ten the cheated man would
not discover his loss for yea1s after he
had seen the last of the American, if
indeed the trick was discovered at all,
for the paste was quite good enough to
deceive casual observer, and the own
er would of course be actuated by a pro-
found faith in his diamond straight
from Brazil Had it not been for the
incident of my finding the ringcase,
which the rogue had accidentally drop
ped, should in all probability have un-
Willingly cheated poor Turenne out OF
his money. and he might afterward
have been supposed to be trying tc
palm off a spurious diamond for a real
gem. In all probability the fellow made
a living, and very good one, by going
about Europe and practicing this trick.
''This idea sent off my thoughts on g
new track, and by the time I had ar
rived in Paris l had decided on my
course of action.
First of all, made careful inquiries
at the railway station as to tall Amer
ican who had arrived from Nice by 8
certain train on Il preceding day, and