Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1898-07-23

You might go far afeid before you
tound two more Queerly associated
knights of industry than the jew of
Whitechapel and the Celestial Of Singa-
pore who were sitting together over a
bottle of brandy in little back room
behind tin cody store in Old De
Beers road. Kimberley, late one night in
the early eighties. yet is was no very
uncommon thing here in this vortex Of
cosmopolitan villainy into which the
magical glitter of the diamond, more
fatal in its fascination even than the
CLINT Of gold. had gathered together
men of all cOloTs and oreeds from the
remotest ends of the earth.
Something was evidently exercising
the niBd of the jew very considerably,
for disappointment eyes kept wandering
restlessly about the little room, his
fieshy, pendent under lip trembling ev-
cry now and then With the movement Of
his heavy jaw; his fat. lavishly jeweled
fingers kept alternately drumming on
the dirty table and wandering aimlessly
through his black and rather greasy
locks
The Chinaman sat with his long
his ample blouse and looked at him
placidly out Of his bright inward slant
ing little eyes Neither had said any
thing for some little time. Each was
pondering very important problem in
his own way.
a shaggy, long haired, direputable
looking mongrel, which seemed to COM
bine some half dozen varying strains in
his noudescript lineage, seemed to be
doing the same thing ~ no lay on
frowsy sheepskin near the table, with
mis- wickedly clever face between his
paws, and every now and then blinked
up at his heather master as though
wondering whether ne had found any
solution TO the problem yet.
"Itsh no good. Loo. =" half whispered
the Jew, at length breaking the pause.
and bringing his fingers down from his
hair TO the table for something like tine
twentieth time. 1.-The old plants will all
be played out now that this Internal
new law ish passed. The gonivahs viii
be harder to get than ever. and look at
the rishk-l5 years On that blathted
breakwster, just for icing found with a
few little klips on you. The game ain e
going 10 be worth the candle any more
If we den { find some now way of get
ting them out that tlse tees won't tum-
BILE TO. IL nd be worth fortune to .
man who could hit ON real brand new
fake just now. that it would. and if we
can't get one the industry's going 20 be
ruined, and that's ali there ish to It. -
The Ckinnman looked ut him stolidly
while he was speaking, and then, with
a broad, wooden smile which crinkled
his eyes up into two little Sits, he nod
ded his head after the fashion of one Of
his own idols, and said sententiously
and with the air Of one who knows
what he is talking about;
''AlI Iight, Missa Lonefelt no need
muchee scratch head over DAT KaniI
boy plenty clever yet. alice same muohes
searchee, no good. Plenty new fake too.
Dodge tecDlan easy all same's before.
You hab no got go workse yet. Misss
Lonefelt. 4"
If you've thought Of good new
fake, one that'N work. mind, and thai
the tees arn't likely 60 get on to fer q
Bit I'm the man 60 so shares with you
on it, and ia make it pay you we'll
Loo, will, s'we,p me. You know me
Loo. and we We done business together
before now, and I've always treated yoJ
fair and square, haven't l. If it's
likely lay, It's worth twenty-no, IL
make it ffty-there's fifty down Co le
me into il, and the usual terms after
ward. That's good enough, amt it,
can't speak no iairer than that, can
Loo old pal?''
The jew spoke eagerly, almost caress
ingly, to the yellow heather whom h'
would have passed by without.a winl
in Main street. There he was Augusta
Lowenfeldt, licensed diamond broker
stock and share dealer, and all the res
of il. man with q reputation to lose
as regulations went then in Kimberley
and with future before 5im, but her
in Loo Chats back sitting room he wa
just what the heather was. neither bet
ter nor worse, an l. b. D.. ''fenes,
as they would have called him in hi
native Whitechapel, and like him
potential felon, and so there was a.
need for any .overstrained etiquette he
tween them.
Added to this, he knew that hi
''boys" must by this time be getting
very nice little collection of gems to
gether for him, and he felt very nat
1ral anxiety about them now that thi
detachable new law had about doubles
both the legal power of search and th
penalties for being found out
Loo Chai's almond eyes wandere
slowly from the dog to the Jew, and hi
Aead began to wag again, but this tim
the other way, and after little paus
he said slowly and meditatively:
Fifty pound tlen per cent not goo
enough dis time, Missa Lonefelt, no
by big heap 1 hab got thought here
and he tapped his shayen skull gentl
with one of his long nails-"whic
make velly big chop-tlen, twelve
maybe twenty thousand pound all
same time and no chance catohee. HiI
worth pay for, eh, Missa LonefeltY'
''Ten thousand at go-maybe twer
ty, exclaimed the jew, leaning forwar
with twitching lips and eyes all aglit