The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-01-02
THE KINGS ROSE DIAMOND.
BY GEORGE GRIFFITH.
Copyrighted. 1907. ov the S. s. Mcclure Co,

@'N'S tNN'N Nasf 80 ahA' N"1h "hNh ''NS
successfully translated from tho Kimberley
compound and sorting houses to the outside
world, but also many moments of desperate,
yet skilfully hidden anxiety, during which the
tickle needle of fate had swaycd to and fro be-
tween two poles of fortune and ruin.
Some men in Frank Ridlcy's position-nnd
no was one OF the most trusted sorters in camp
would have taken the stones ont one by ono,
or employed Kafilrs to take them from him
after they had been searched, and pass them
direct to one OF the Illicit dealers outside. but
that was not his way. He had no other conf
dant than his own conscience, not always an
approving one, but at any rate one that would
not give him away.
To have taken the stones out one by one
would only have multiplied the risk of discov-
cry and ruin by tho number of them, for the
possession of n single Illicit diamond would
have meant disgrace and penal servitude just
as certainly as would the discovery on his person
of the whole twenty or thirty thousand pounds
worth OF gems the very pick of the Kimberley
mine output for nearly six months past.
SO one afternoon he made up his mind that
no had tempted tho fates far enough, and at 6
that evening he walked off to his lodgings with
his heart in his mouth and a fortune In the lin
ing of his somewhat shabby felt wideawakc.
That night, albci. with some little fear and
trembling, he permitted himself tho luxury Of
n few minutes examination of his plumber in
bulk. and an estimate of its value-not to him.
but TO the more fortunate man who should sue
coed In getting the parcel through safely to
London or Amsterdam. II he could only do
that himself, he would never need to do another
days work in the world-but he was an en-
ployce, n s%ortcr, and therefore n marked man.
and the secret qualifications of the wonderful
system which inclosed him and all like him as
In a net were many and wide.
No, that risk was not too great, considering
that he could now make 81, 900 or $4,000 in an
hour or so, and at the same time transfer all
his risk and liability to some one else aud go
back to his work with n light heart and, in a
certain sense, a clear conscience.
Yet there was one magnificent rose diamond
which must have weighed somewhere between
40 and so carats. which he would dearly have
loved TO sec nicely cut and polished and gilt
tcring on the neck or in the hair of n certain
well-lovcd some one far away in old Carlisle,
but he knew well enough that there was not an
other of its size and color in the world. The
nearest to it was in the Dc Beers collection,
and the mere possession of it by any one but a
monarch or a millionaire would mean Just what
his own possession of 1t meant, SO there was
no use thinking about that.
With something very like q sigh for the I'M
attainable possibilities of his so far successful
theft, he tied up the gems in n bit Of dirty rag
and stuffed this into the toe of IA rather dilapi-
dated Wellington boot. Then he had n wash
md . Change and wont for a Will, dowr,ou-,
On bis vav ,,ong S,ocl,do,e e,roo+ ho ,hono.d
IN meet a o,l.dressed donnorlooliru rtt,o
nan who nodded In hin, n G ono MIGHT do IN n
Casual acouoirtonce and said in n ouic,.
chirpy sort OF tone:
"How do, Ridleyl Going strong, chr
pretty well, Mr.. Muratti." he replied, with
n ou;ck Ioo, u, and down ,bo stroo, ..po-
turns ,re ,ookiny I'm oro,, WEE hod COM.
very nrettv finds Tho last dav ~ = two"
"oh ,r,ad N ,nor q .rnn tror, u,.
w,stcs his opnort,,nities 40 tdinticolv 40 Won
do Anvthing nor,icrIarlv chnico,"
"yyen voc Aro vou doi,o ,rr,,ino &, s.o-
,,d .bond h,o,s +,n, n,y NJ Nr.o,.i,S
If NAV he horo convcnicn+Ir exn1a;rod that
tbo rc,t,on,on with whom, rornr piaror Ia
thus f,,op into coryors,tio, ,una :, ,hoso aaY.
Known in camn no N;nror Nnrat,i Tta
,r;1or r,or,, ,.rn,,, bi,, no,. - Nth, NJ.
r,tti ESQ NJ T. and diroo,or ~ nav, in,-
nort,rt G,anoi,I ,ndor,oL;nns D., ~ ,hn"o
davs he WINS iust nm extremoIv o1oy,r man =
Ia.r ,onm,, E,,anan,hma 49, "aH'"
rocont and autbortic Eat Era ox,raotian 'nho
hod r,odo hi. d6hrt In I,;whon,or on - -
In obo,n ;o,o,,y ond sron-noao o,.sto ,t~.
boy;n,, rondornd obort niclino ~ = uriaa
bv ,ho ,IisnIov ~ mic irrrI;rn ohi,i.io.' "a
V INC ulEDluN O1 lis 1uKElnR HDllltlpS-Anu !
who ,yo now looLod rnop no ono ~ ,ho arant
ast and most surces.fui ..onorotors" nm Tho dio.
,nond folds
Inspoctor Iin;rvli mud souo ., h;s ,,oro
trnstcd subordinotcs cborisbod oortoin .usn;
cions ne IN the sconc of his ororations brt so
tor bis dooI;ros nod boor b1o,no,oss n, LAS, ~
o. =, +on,ihIo o,fdon,o ,os oo,aon,,a aadaI
IN which ho md rocn,tIv u,nrri.J n =, ,rat,r
and oxcoodi,ylv c,oyor ,,;f, witch noon,
mr,b m tbo tioids in thos. dovs
NJ Nrro,ti ala mot .nor, in ,bo ,ooo.o
,oyo5 br "a, ornnror, rofororoo 70 III f,ru,au
.omrorotirolv humble means or IiroIihond
On tho contrary he looked nm vim n onIrr
GLANCE ot RidIov and soid with . spiIe NJ nlooo-
ant conformation.
.WcI haven't dono anvtbi,o IN ,ho ~,
clio, limo for some time now Int you tnov Pm
always IN for n tr,do Wbot'. tbe eorre,"
"rcn tbors,nd F"
..ru 500 vou-I mean ia ,ilo IN soo tbo ,oodS