El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1899-05-11
THE BLACK PEARL.

cigarette, lis a pearl, beautiful full
black pearl of extraordinary size and
rare Iuster. 1t is difficult to express its
value in figures And this is the story:
It is just about 90 years ago when
one morning a young woman entered a
large jewelry store in Budapest. Every
inch of her dress bespoke the back
woods her bonnet was composition OF
glaringly Instantaneous colors; in one
hand she held parasol of old, large
lowered, faded silk. Every one of her
motions betrayed the country girl Any
salesman of experience who had watch
ed her entrance into the store would
have thought at once, "Ah, she wants
a cheap plated bracelet, with the word
Souvenir engraved on it, as memento
of this her first visit to the city. And
under ordinary circumstances he would
have been about right in his conjecture;
but this time he wasn't. She appeared
SO simple and artless, in spite of her
handsome vivacious black eyes and the
dimples in her red cheeks, that the
salesman attending to her omitted
Offering her a seat
The young girl, however, did not
seem to notice this slight, and unlimited
dropped down on a small red plush
fauteuil, principally used by the noble
customers of the store. She opened the
reticule hanging on her arm and drew
out a small package carefully wrapped
in tissue paper. After she had peeled
off layer after layer of the envelope she
took out the nucleus, beckoned to the
owner of the establishment and exhibit
ed to him something she held between
her thumb and index finger.
"What is the value of thisf" she
asked in a melodious voice.
The ieweler started visibly and took
the object from her hand.
It was the above mentioned pearl, of
such beauty and size that he hardly
trusted his eyes. At one place it had
barely noticeable flaw, which might
have been done by former setting
s'The pearl has one defect, the jew
eler said.
ssIndeedl'' the stranger answered,
bending forward to inspect the small
spot.
The jeweler "sized up the girl Her
astonishment was genuine, artless. 1t
was not tinged with the shadow of by
pccrisy.
w mere Olu you Sob Gud0 pcdll! hC
asked.
THAT is perhaps an irrelevant ques-
tion,'' she answered smilingly- "But
to give you some sort of satisfactory
answer / will say 1 carry on a little
pawnbroker business, out in the coun-
try, inherited from my father. A noble
man desires to pawn his pearl with me,
but demands much money. Please tell
me what it is worth, and I will pay for
the trouble.
81 cannot appraise it, said the jew
eler, regarding it with an admiring eye.
"Why not7 Why can you not fix its
value ?'' the girl rejoined in a vexed
tone.
e.Well, well,'' the man said appeas-
ingly Il only desired to express there
by that the pearl is beyond appraise-
ment because of it's great rarity. Its
value belongs among the fancy
prices
The young girl pondered a moment
then, regarding the jeweler attentively.
she asked:
"Can advance 1000 forms on til
''Most certainly"
'sAnd 5,0OO?"
s'Also 5000"
"And 10, DOOR"
The jeweler smilingly repeated.
"And 10, 000."
The country beauty evidently became
feverish. Precipitation showed in hel
face, and her youthful black eyes gilt
tered with a fire superior to that of the
costliest diamonds in the store. She
asked for a glass of water. The former
ly inattentive salesman rushed to get It.
''And will you pay me 10, 600 form:
for the pearl if feel disposed to sell it
1 am also authorized to sell it, sht
said, with certain show Of suspicion
fearful lest the jeweler was simply
hoaxing her.
MO-
''Ah,'' she exclaimed. 81 OWNED
you We're hoaxing mel''
''Oh, mol God forbid" the jewele1
responded evasively. eft is simply be
cause l have no use for the pearl. Their
is only one firm N Austria that would
buy 1.-THE jeweler for the court. -
would you please furnish me will
his address,
''Willingly."
He wrote the address on a piece o
paper, which he handed to her; she in
closed it in her reticule, drank the glas
of water courteously offered by tn
salesman, and, in spite of protests
placed form piece on the counte
70 pay for the appraisement and wen
out.
Twenty-four hours later the sam
young woman, dressed, if possible, In
more glaring suit, entered the store G
the jeweler of the court. The suit G
stores are situated Au den Graleen, tn
mos5 fashionable street of the capita
Vienna 1 (the reciter of this occur
rence) received her. was the prlnci
pai business manager. She showed m
off ha