The evening tribune. (Pawtucket, R.I.) 189?-190?, 1897-04-07
TIE LOST JEWEL.


I am come To marry delicate little daisy
of French girl like Pearl Trillard? Well,
it's quite story.
I had lust come home from two years.
sojourn In the diamond fields of Port Ma
tai. All the diamonds that ever glittered
In the valley OF Sindbad the Sailor would
not make such place as that endurable.
I hadn't any home to speak OF, and yet
was homesick the whole time was at Port
Natal
At first / had no great luck to speak Of.
Tho fields were crowded with seekers as
eager and persistent rs myself, and after
four or flvo months 1 began to feel almost
like despairing.
But i resolved to stay on, and Ii was
well that 1 did, for on Friday, May II.
1870, found "a great stone that looked like
a rough, dirt incrusted pebble ut iirst, but
the second glance told me IL was diamond
such as is found only once In years
Silently dropped it into my pocket and
strobe off homeward, slouching listlessly
along, as always did.
"Hellol" cried wiry little Cape Cod
man. "Densley's played out. Why, Dens.
ley, IL amt noon yet by the best chlonom
eter in Boston,"
Il don't care" said I. "I am going
home"
"Pshaw! thought you had more pluck.
Faint heart never won big diamond yet.
Don't give Ii up, man."
But l went back to the colony, wonder.
ing that they did not hear the confused
beating of my heart, which seemed to fill
the tropical silence with noise like ro
veille.
When was alone, 1 drew out the great
stone and feasted my eyes on its fair pro
portions. / danced-I sang, in short.
had been seeking it score of years / had
found it Mt last.
Well, / said nothing of my discovery and
came back tn the states, with the diamond
in a little leather sack stitched on the
waist of the flannel shirt ! wore under
meath the linen ono.
1t seemed rather necessary that should
civilizc myself little, so dropped into
the first furnishing store which lay In my
way.
The young girl behind the counter struck
my eye pleasantly, as a flower or n sunset
or a star sown sky might have done. She
was tall and slight, very pale, with great
almond shaped eyes, u mouth ike scarlet
coral, and an abundance Of dead black hafi
that seemed to weigh her small head down
with it's heavy duskiness.
was clumsy and did not know what ]
wanted Pearl Trillard did. She told me
plainly what was necessary and what was
not. So bought my outfit and paid foI
It and went home with u part under my
arm-the rest was to bc sent home-witf
PEARLS black almond shaped orns still
haunting me.
1t was January. and fire had just been
lighted on the hearth of the room had en-.
gagged.
sat down i'm front Of 1t when supper
was over and took out my pocketbOok-tc
the inner compartment Of which, since my
arrival i'm port, had transferred the little
chamois leather sack which held my for
tune--to have n look at the precious stone,
There was no sack there.
searched through and through tht
faded leather flaps of tho worn pockctboOk.
shook out tho skirts of my coat. i even
got down on my knees to search the flool
beneath, but tho diamond and its rcccp
tacle We're gone.
For minute or two it seemed as II the
whole room was I'm whirl around me.
My heart stopped pulsing. my blood grew
chill and deadly sickness stole through
my whole being.
The diamond-the diamond for which ]
had toiled and striven and waited and suf
fcred-the diamond, it was gone.
believe was for the moment insane.
I rose and staggered blindly toward the
pistol which always carried in the breast
pocket of my outer coat, with some vague
idea of putting an end to tho life which
had been such an utter failure.
When there came soft little knock or
the panels Of the door, suppose l must
have answered, Come in!'' for the door
was pushed open, and Pearl Trillard stood
there, with little boy--her brother, as ]
learncd--at her side.
81 found little paper parcel on the
counter this afternoon after you had left,
sir" she said. "Thcro Is only little cleal
stone i'm il, butt
And then-so Pearl has subsequently
told me- fell like log to the floor.
She nurscd me through the fever that
followed. There was no oise. else to do it,
and but for her care 1 never should have
been alive to tell this story.
And she fully believed that a part Of my
fevered faith was the faith that the little
stone" as she called it,, was diamond.
IL was not until after our marriage that
she saw it, cut and.polished and glittering
as If u Thousand splintercd rainbows were
prisoned In its sparkling facets. / my
self, who was used to diamonds, scarcely
recognized tho radiant jewel, and Pearl
uttered cry of rapturous admiration.
And tho money for which that solitaire
sold bought me this western farm, and
that's how 10 all happened. d.--Exchangc