Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1897-07-10

ley, II a.n'7 noo-D ycs - no nest crronom-
etor In Boston
81 don't care" said I. 81 am going
home"
"Pshawl Thought you had moro pluck
Faint heart mover won big diamond yet
Don't give It up, man.
But went back to the colony, wonder
ing that they did not hear the confused
beating OF my hca;s, which seemed TO I'LL
tho tropical silence with II noise like u re-.
veillc
When was alone, 1 drew out the great
stone and Toasted my eyes on its fair pro-
portions. / dancod-I sang, In short. /
hud hevn seeing it IA score Of years. had
found 1t at last.
wei, said nothing of my discovery and
came back to the states, with the diamond
in little leather suck stitched on the
waist of the flannel shirt ] wore under
meath the linen one.
IL seemed rather necessary that should
civilizc myself Ii tile, SO droppcd into
the first furnishing store which lay in my
way.
The young girl boirnd the counter struck
my eye pleasantly, US a flower or u sunset
or n star sown sky miglr have done. She
was tall and slight, very pale, with great
almond shaped eyeq, u mouth like scarlet
coral, and an abundance OF Ccad black hair
that seemed 10 weigh her small head down
with Its heavy duskincss.
was clumsy and did not know what
wanted. Pearl Trillurd did. She told ms
plainly what was necessary and what was
not So bought my outfit and paid for
1t and went home with purt under my
arm-thc rest was to he sent home-with
PEARLS black almond shapeh orbs still
haunting nc.
IL was January, and fro had just been
lighted IN tho hearth of the room | had en-.
gagged.
sat Town in front of IL when supper
was lver and took ont my pocl.ethook-to
the L'ncr compartment of which, since my
arrival in port, had transferred the little
chanois leather sack which held my for.
tune--to have look Mt tho ppecbous stone.
There was no suck there
1 searched through and through tho
faded leather flaps of the worn pocketboolS.
shook out tho skirts of my coat. 1 even
got down on my knees to search the floor
beneath, but the diamond and its rccep.
taclc were gone.
FOR minute or two it seemed as II the
whole room was in whirl around me
My heart stopped pulsing, my blood grew
chill and deadly sickness stole through
my whole being.
The diamond-thc diamond for which
Ind toiled and striven and waited and suf.
fercd-the diamond, 1t was gone.
believe i was for the moment insane
rose and staggered blindly toward the
pistol which / always carried in the breast
pocket of my outer cont, with some vague
idea of putting an end to the life which
had been such an utter failure
When there came n soft little knock on
the panels of the door, suppose | must
have answered, "Come in!' for tho doot
was pushed open, and Pearl Trillurd stood
there, with little boy--her brother, as /
lcarncd-ht her side.
81 found little paper parcel on the
counter this afternoon after you had left,
sir" she said. "Thcre Is only a little clear
stone in It, butt
And thcn--so Pearl has subsequently
told mel fell like log to the floor.
She nurscd me through the fever that
followed. There was no one else to do It,
and but for her caro- 1 never should have
been alive to tell this story.
And she fully believed that n part OF my
feverod faith was the filth that the "little
stone" as she called IL, was n diamond.
1t was not until after our marriage that
she saw it, cut and polished and glitterine
as If thousand splintered rainbows We're
prisoned i'll its sparkling facets. / my
sell, VINO was used to diamonds, scarcely
recognized tho radiant jewel, and Pearl
uttered cry of rapturous admiration.
And the money for which that solitaire
sold bought me this western farm, and
that's how 1t all happened. Exchange