Smyrna times., 1899-11-22

"But it was after that that he said
the turquoise saved him from some
thing that would have been the great
est calamity of his life.
"He was very much in love with
cousin of his. Il beautiful girl. he said.
who lived in the north of England.
She cared very little for him. as | I'M
derStood, except as cousin. though
her parents would have been glad to
see them marry. Well, he pressed his
advantages-his military reputation
and all that-as much as he could for
a long time, but there was another
suitor whom the girl seemed to prefer
and he-as this poor fellow told me
was at least a decent man'-had held
the field all to himself before my man
appeared.
However. he was beginning to
think that. with the help of the girls
parents and one thing and another, he
would end by winning her. Then the
turquoise warned him again. 1t was
turning pale once more.
"You see. he couldn't interpret it
that he was going to lose this girl
whom he loved. because he hadn't won
her yet. So he came to the conclusion
that the paleness of the turquoise
must mean so great a calamity that
he could not guess at And that led
him to give up the girl and leave her
to his rival. He could not bear the
thought, he said, of taking her with
him into trouble. Don't you think it
was splendidly unselfish thing to do?
"Well, his cousin married the other
man soon after, and my poor fellow
actually congratulated himself that his
cousin would be happy, no matter
| what became of him. But | believe
that the evil that threatened him was
simply his old enemy-drink. Per-
haps, in the bottom of his heart, he
dreaded making her the wife of a
drunkard.
"After that he went back to India,
and, being, suppose. heartbroken
really and respondent, he was turned
out of the army in spite of all his good
service in the past. Then he drifted to
Singapore and from there to Hong
kong, where he got mercantile posi-
ton. When the demon of drink still
pursued him releptlessly in the east.
he came to this country.
"But the remarkable thing about II
to me-outside of the poor chaps con,
graduating himself that be had been
saved from making his Cousins life
wretched-the remarkable thing was
that the turquoise always kept pale
never got back color after he ran away
to avoid marrying his cousin and then
got into trouble in India. | believe
that the paleness of that confounded
stone was what bounded him to ruin
When my chance acquaintance told
me this, | could not help asking him
whether the turquoise had regained
it's color since he got it. | asked the
question in mere jest. but what was
my surprise when | saw plainly by
his manner, though he tried to con
ceal the fact. that he. too. was touch
ed with the turquoise superstition.
"Well." he said. laughing, lit is ode
that the stone should have always
been a fine deep blue ever since 4
came into my possession, isn't it?"
Still more odd," said. ''if an Amer
ican business man should believe il
such curious Asiatic fables
John and | never lost sight of eacl
J other after that and once at least ;
thing happened that might have served
, him as an argument for the truth o
his fantastic belief.
! We had met, partl! by chance, a
J Baltimore and were Ouce more occu
. pying the same room in a hotel. Johl
: was to have taken a train that morn
ing for Pittsburg. but while he wa
dressing l remarked to him as | still
! lay in bed: Something's going to hap
: pen to you. Your turquoise is getting
t | pale"
: 81 tell you what" he said. II won
go to Pittsburg today"
, He put off the journey, and tha
! evening the papers told us of a land
t slide which had caused the wreck O
r the train John had intended to take
: Several lives had been lost. and NOR
than a score of passengers had bee
] seriously hurt.
2 "If | had been on the train," sal
: John, 81 should have been killed. Yo
may say what you like, but the sci
e sacrifice Of that poor fellow has left
n blessing on this turquoise. ."-Pittsbur
j Press.