The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1897-05-12

inJure the sale of the other three, and
Padishah, of course behaved like an
idiot, but all of us were very much ex-
cited. | can tell you l was precious
glad when that dissection was over and
no diamond had turned up-precious
glad. I'd gone to one forty on that par
tieular bird myself.
1.-The little jew was like most Jews
he didn't make any great fuss over
bad luck, but Potter declined to go on
with the auction until it was under
stood that the goods could not be deliv-
cred until tho sale WAS over. The little
jew wanted tn argue that the case was
exceptional, and AS the discussion ran
pretty even the thing was postponed
until the next morning. We had live
~ dinner table that evening, | can tell
you, but i'll the end Potter got his way
since it would stand to reason he would
be safer if he stuck TO all the birds and
that we owed him some consideration
for his sportsmanliko behavior, And
the old gentleman whose son was II law
yer said he'd been thinking the thing
over and that it was very doubtful if,
NiiNi % biih iihA iNNi PiNhNb aiih WV
diamond recovered, it ought not to be
handed back to the proper owner.
Il remember | suggested it came un-
der the laws of treasure trove-whieh
was really tho truth of the matter
There was hot argument, and we set
| tied it was certainly foolish To kill the
| bird ON board the ship. Then the old
gentleman, going ut largo through his
| legal talk, tried to make out the sale
was II lottery and Illegal and appealed
TO the captain. but Potter said he sold
the birds us ostriches. He didn't want
To sell any diamonds, he said, and didn't
offer that as an indueemcnt. The three
birds he put up, 10 the best of his
knowledge and belief, did not contain n
diamond. 1t WAS i'll the ono he kept
SO he hoped.
Prices ruled high next day, all the
same. The fact that now there We're
four chances instead of five, of course,
caused rise. The blessed birds aver
aged e927, and oddly enough this Pa
dishah didn't secure one of 'em--not
one. He made too much shindy, and
when he ought to haze been bidding he
was talking about liens, and besides,
Potter was II bit down ON him Ono fell
to quiet little officer chap, another to
the little jew, and the third was syndi-
eated by the engineers, and then Potter
seemed suddenly sorry for having sold
them, and said he'd flung away clear
Fl, 600 and that very likely he'd draw
blank, and that he always had been u
fool but when | went and had Il bit of
II talk to him, with the idea of getting
him to hedge ON his last chance, found
he'd already sold the bird he'd reserved
to II political chip that was ON board
u chap who'd been studying Indian
morals and social questions i'll his yaca-
ton. That last was the c300 bind.
well, they landed three of the bless
ed creatures ut Brindisi-thoueh the
old gentleman said il was II breach of
the customs regulations --- and Potter
and Padishah landed too. The iiindoo
seemed half mad ms he SAW his blessed
diamond going this way and that, SO tt
| speak. He kept ON saying he got IN
injunctlon-hc had injunction ON the
brain-and giving his name and nd.
dress to the chaps who'd bought the
birds, so that they'd know where to
send the diamond. None Of them want
ed his name and address, and none of
them would give his own II was II
fine row, | can tell you--on the plat
form They all went OIL by different
trains came ON to southampton, and
there | saw the last of the birds rs
came ashore II was thu one the cngi
neers bought, and it was standing up
near the bridge IN II kind Of crate and
looking rs lcgRy and silly setting for
II valuable diamond as ever you saw-if
it was II setting for valuable diamond.
GLOW did 1t end? oh, like that.
Well-perhaps. Yes, there's one more
thing that may throw light on it. A
week or so after landing | was down
Regent street doing II bit of shopping,
and who should | see arm in arm and
having purple time of it but Padishnh
and Potter. II You come to think Of it
Eyes, I've thought that. Ouly, you
see, there's no doubt the diamond was
real. And Padishah was an eminent
| IIindoo I've seen his name in the papers
often. But whether the bird swallowed
the diamond certainly is another mat.
ter, ms sou say. "-Argonaut.