Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1896-04-22
THE sun SAPPHIRE.

some years ago udu CudlSC VI q iai 20
hard wood lumber business Oh the west
coast of Mexico Toward tho evening OF
a busy day, during which we had been
loading one Of our large lumber schoon-
ers with thu aromatic Spanish cedar logs,
two men rode up to my jacal, or tenn
porary house of cane and palm leaves,
on the beach where held my office as
superintendent. They had come down
from the village Of La Chola, where we
kept our permanent Office, upon my in
vitation to see us load the lumber vessel.
One was an Englishman, a mining
engineer, By the name of Pickwick, who
had charge Of some gold mines not far
from La Chc,a; the other, a DR.. Moses,
who, as his came implies, was Jew.
He was man Of the world, accustomed
to danger, 1.-the, quick eyed and quick
witted, fatalist, an expert in games of
love and chance, generous and friendly.
his morality not of the highest order.
He was good shot, a good liar, good
drinker and a good fellow.
/ was glad enough to see them, for a
white face is eagerly welcomed in that
country Of brown ones, and after l had
shown them the manner of loading the
logs on the schooner, and we had watch
ed the big logs battle with the breakers
as they were slowly but surely yanked
out on the endless line, we repaired to the
jacal for our supper.
During the meal the doctor entertain
ed us by recounting his adventures and
showed us this ring which now wear.
"Look closely" said he, "and you
will see cleaning far down in the liquid
blue depths of this bisected ovoid stone
a brilliant golden sun, with it's sparkling
corona darting out until it's rays are
quenched in sea of sapphire blue.
We examined it and greatly admired
it's beauty. It's central sun shone clearly
and steadily.
"The Peruvians, continued the doc
tor, 'tprized these stones very highly.
They held them sacred and called them
opu and have very pretty tradition in
regard to them: Whenever an inca ruler
was born the SUD, who, according to
their belief, was his father and whom
all things, dissipated world-a sort of
pyrotechnic display in honor of the
happy event. All that was pure and good
in that world was concentrated into this
one liquid lump and deposited some
where to be discovered by some lucky
person i'll the empire. When the inca
assembled the throne, this lucky person
came forward, presented the sapphire
and received from him some high sine.
cure.
''The inca carefully guarded the stone
and usually had it set i'll q resplendent
sunburst Of pure gold. This he wore on
his breast as insignia of his office.
Thenceforth it was his lucky stone, his
guiding star, his life AS long as its
central sun remained bright, so long did
that ruler prosper, but when the central
sun commenced to pale lie knew some
danger was coming, and when it went
out entirely his death accompanied its
extinguishment.
"With stately pomp they inferred the
inca and placed all his jewels with him
in mute testimony of his earthly wealth.
Of the Is rulers of the Huacan dynasty
there still remain toEbs undiscover-
ed, and if either of you gentlemen feels
desirous of possessing one of these stones
you can take pick and shovel and go to
Peru and prospect. Another curious
thing is that no one has ever found one
of these stones in the rough, and no one
in modern times has been able, as some
folks have thought could be done, to cut
a piece of corundum, the material COM
posing sapphires, in such manner as to
concentrate the rays of light in one spot
as this does, and thus produce sun.
"Now," continued the doctor, "sup-
pose we turn our attention from the
dry subject Of jewelry and indulge as
the French say, 'in za American game
of pokaire Are you all agreeable?"
Bidding Dona Maria, the cook, re-
move the remains of tho supper, and
calling for fourth hand Theodore, our
Mexican foreman, protege of mine,
who, among other accomplishments,
could have instructed Hoyle i'll card play
ing, we sat down to play.
Playing the game of poker to me is
not very enjoyable, owing, no doubt. to
the fact that I Invariably lose. 1t has,
however, always been my pleasure to
hear and tell poker stories, all Of course
absolutely true, but never in the course
of my observation or hearing, nor i'll the
widest flights Of my imagination, have
l known Of such luck as that Jew pos
sessed. The way ho held cards thai took
in our shekels was awful, atrocious,
blood curdling. If I had pairs, be had
better ones; if I had threes, he had
full house; if had Il full house, he had
fours or a straight flush. This continued
until I was thoroughly disgusted. Even
Theodore lost.
Presently the doctor, who during the
last few moments had grown quite pale,
much to my surprise said: "Had we
not better quit? 1t is not very valorous
in me, who have been winning, to sug-
gest it, but I feel sleepy and you have
hard day before you tomorrow, if you
wish to finish loading the schooner. You
may have your revenge on me at later
date. And, Notwithstanding our losses,
we were very glad to stop.
In the early mananita, long before
the sun had risen and while the thin
veil of mist hung low in the massive
forest, making it cool and pleasant to
travel, bade the doctor and Pickwick
adieu, but before they left I intrusted
Pickwick with So, 900 in bills to take to
La Chola and exchange for silver to send
me by messenger. The raya, or pay roll,
Of the men fell due next day, and bills
were entirely beyond the comprehension
or use of a people to whom dollar was
small sized fortune.
The doctor looked very glum and un-
easy, and it seemed to me that he was
watching something about his hand.
Was it possible that he believed in that
old Peruvian superstition and that the
signs were irauspicious? AS babe them
goodby his face frightened, and he said
in as CHEEKY voice as be could COM
mand, swell, old man, goodby, and /
hope your revenge will not be put Of
too long," Then, waving graceful
adios, the two rode away.
That evening Pickwick's messenger
arrived in camp, but instead of the
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