The Goodland republic. [volume] (Goodland, Kan.) 1891-1907, 1897-08-13

suction at a starting price Of so for 2
bird. BuS pne Of them, be said he
meant to keep for luck.
'sYou must understand shis diamond
was a valuable one-a little Jew chap,
a diamond merchant, who was with US,
had put it at three or four thousand
Whsa Padisbah had shown It to him
and this idea Of an ostrich gamble
caught on. Now it happened that I'd
been having few talks on general
subjects with the man who looked after
these Ostriches, and quite incidentally
he'd said one Of the birds was ailing,
and he fancied it had indigestion. Il
had one feather in its tail almost all
white, by which I knew il, and 50 when,
next day, the auction started with it,
I capped Padishah's IS by 90. I fancy
was bit too sure and eager with my
bid, and some Of the others spotted the
fact that was in the know. And Pa
dishah went for that particular bird like
an irresponsible lunatic. At last the
Jew diamond merchant got It for
R175, and Padishah said ESQ just
after the hammer came down-so Pot
ter declared. At any rate the Jew mer-
chant secured it, and there and then
he got gun and shot it. Potter made
hades of a fuss because ne said il
would injure the sale o. the other three,
and Padishah. of course, behaved like
an idioti but all Of US were very much
excited. I can tell yOu I was precious
glad when that dissection. was over,
and no diamond had turned up-pre-
cious glad. I'd gone to One-forty on that
particular bird myself. lee
''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 il was understood
that the goods could not be delivered
until the sale was over. The little Jew
wanted to argue that the case was ex-
ceptional, and as the discussion ran
| pretty even, the thing was postponed
untilVthe next morning. We had a i've
ly dinner-table that evening, can tell
! you, but in the end, Potter got bis 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 sPsrtsman-like behavior. And
the old gentleman whose son was a law
| yer said he'd been thinking the thing
over and that it was very doubtful If,
when a bird had been opened and the
diamond recovered, it ought not to be
/ handed back to the proper owner. Ire
member suggested it came under the
laws Of the treasure-tro7e-which was
/ really the truth Of the matter. There
was hot argument, and we settled it
was certainly foolish to kill the bird,on
board the ship, Then the old gentle
man, going at large through his legal
talk, tried to make out the sale was a
lottery and illegal, and appealed to the
captain; but Potter said he sold the
birds as ostriches. He didn't want to
sell any diamonds, he said, and didn't
offer that as an inducement. The three
birds he put up, to the best Of his
knowledge and belief, did not contain
a diamond. It was in the one he kept
50 he hoped.
"Prices ruled high next day all the
same, The fact that now there were
four chances instead Of five of course
caused a rise. The blessed birds
averaged two hundred and twenty
seven, and, oddly enough, this Padisha
didn't secure one Of 'em-not one. He
made too much shindy, and when he
ought to have been hiding he was talk
| ing about liens, and. besides. Potter was
bit down on him. One fell to a quiet
little officer chap, another to the little
Jew, and the third was syndieated by
/ the. engineers. And then Potter seemed
suddenly sorry for having sold them,
and said he'd flung away aclear e 900,
and that very likely he'd draw a blank,
and that he always had been q fool; but
when I went and had bit of talk to
MIN, with the idea OF getting him 70
hedge on his last chance, found he'd
already sold the bird he'd reserved to
a political chap that was on board
chap who'd been studying Indian NOR
ais and social questions in his vacation.
That last was the G 300 bird. Well they
landed three Of the blessed creatures
at Brindisi-though the old gentleman
said 1t was q breach Of the customs
Tegulations-and Potter aud Padishah
landed too. The HindOo seemed half
mad as he saw his blessed diamond go
| ing this way and that, 50 to speak. He
kept on saying he'd get an injunction
he had injunction On the braiH-and
| giving his name and address to the
chaps who'd bought the birds, 80 that
they'd know where 70 send the dia-
mond. None Of them wanted his
name and address and none Of
them would give their own. It
was fine row, / can tell you-on the
platform. They all went Of BY differ
emit trains came on to Southampton,
land there I saw the last of the birds,
jas I came ashore; It was the one the
engineers bought, and it was standing
up near the bridge, In a kind Of crate,
and looking as leggy and silly a setting
for valuable diamond as eter you saw
Iii 1t was q setting toF s valuable dia-
mond.
'Eow did It end? Obi like that.
| Well-perhaps. Yes, there's enc more
thing that may throw light on It. A
week or 50 after landing was down
/ Regent street doing 3 bit Of shopping,
and who should I see srm-sl-arn4 and
having a purple time Of It but Padishak
and Potter. II you come to thipk Of it,
/ "Yes. I've thought that Only, you
tsee, there's no doubt the diamond was
real And Padishah vas an eminent
Hindoo. I've seen his name in the pa
pers-Often. But whether the bird
swallowed the diamond certaialyI IS an
other matter, as you say."-SaR Fran
feiseo ArgonsuE. sr-