Smyrna times., 1899-11-22
A WARNING TURQUOISE
When Trouble Threatened Its
O@ner, 1t Turned Pale.

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If it had not been that every other
bed in the hotel was occupied, 1 GER
| tainly would not have consented to
share a double bedded room with a
stranger. AS it was, found when we
reached a city-a considerable city in
Indiana, if the readers curiosity
prompts him to ask about it-that
big political convention was going on
there, and that was how | found my
self with Mr.. John Spears for a room
mate.
| Not that there was anything in John
! to which l felt inclined to take excep-
tion; on the contrary, he struck me as
a very neat, prosperous looking and
presentable specimen of the American
commercial traveller, so much so that l
congratulated myself that chance and
politics had not thrown me with any
one less pleasant.
BY the time we both felt ready for
bed John and l had become pretty
good friends, and l really thought he
must have told me all the stories, good.
bad and Indifferent, that he had to tell.
but there 1 was mistaken.
He was making a somewhat elabo-
rate toilet before retiring that being.
as he told me. indispensable to his get
ting a good nights rest, and in the
course Of his ablutions his arms were
left entirely bare. Then it was that
noticed his singular decoration.
Half way between the elbow and the
shoulder John wore a superb specimen
of goldsmith's work. 1t was a brace
let. In fact. eXquisitely chiseled in Per
sian characters, very massive and con-
tanning a turquoise which must have
measured. | suppose. two inches one
way and an inch and a half the other.
He noticed my astonishment and
laughed.
You never saw a drummer wearing
a gold bracelet beforPY' he said mo:
it was not given to me by lady. If it
were not SO late. I'd tell you all about
it,"
There was no denying that the hour
was rather late to begin another of
his stories. so we went to sleep soon
after this, John sleeping with the tur-
quoise and massive gold still on bis
arm. But next day be told me the
story of it.
THE person who gave me that
bracelet" he said. was not a lady
but very far from it. 1t was given me
by a poor. broken down devil who haC
, sold or pawned everything else to buy
! drink. but would not part with this
while he lived.
II needn't tell you his name. We
met out west. and | had several easy
: opportunities of giving him helping
hand. But he was one of those cases
. where a helping hand can't help. Th'
man was utterly broken down b!
drink.
: when death came-after magnifi
; cent spree. ending in a fight in whicl
: a bullet intended for some one els,
clipped short the little span of life tina
drink had left him-he insisted on hav
ing me with him. because, he said.
. was the only human being left VIII
cared whether he lived or died. Thel
he said that | must take the bracele
and wear it. just as he had done eve
. since he got possession of 1t in Afghan
istan in 1878.
"He had been an officer of an Indial
cavalry regiment then and might hav
risen high in the army If he could Oh
ly have let the brandy bottles alone.
: zone of his native troopers took tn
turquoise bracelet from the arm of a
Afghan warrior whom he had kille
!, in a hand to hand fight. You know,
= bracelet on the arm is common orns
: ment for an Asiatic swell to wear. An
then there is superstition in the eas
al that a turquoise with a text of th
= Koran cut into it, as this has. is
ia charm against all sorts of evil.
g "But the eastern legend also say
le that when you wear a turquoise o
is your left arm you can always trust tn
Id stone to warn you of any evil that ma
es be threatening you.
II. at was only when he was dying tbs
this poor fellow told me how he belle
ed the turquoise had served him wei
B. and | think that his taking that vie
Or of it showed there must be some goo
IN still left In his nature.
Ig when he went to England on leaV
n of absence after the Afghan war,
- said, he had made a strong resolutiC
= never again to touch intoxicating spi
~ it's. He found himself among a nuI
Der of old friends whom he had know
at different times. and they were q
a very convivial crowd. so he allow'
'n himself to Join in their carousings to
" certain extent-just to be sociable. B
b. one day as he was dressing he notic'
en- that the turquoise looked very pa
to That. he knew. was the sign of dang
.r- coming to him. He thought the matt
ON over and concluded that the dang
T which threatened him was Meth
more nor less than the temptation
.n' drink. which had always been his bu
Is bear, and so. without a word of war
81; ing Of farewell to his jolly friends,