The Delta independent., 1900-02-23
Of the turQsoise deepened again. and
he felt himaelH nulfe aaHe

he felt himself quite safe.
But II was after that that be said
the turquoise saved him from some
thing that would have been the great.
est calamity q his lifs.
NE Mss very much II 10ve with Q
coasin q his. q beautiful girl. he said.
who lived In the north of England.
She cared very little for him. ~ uii-
derstOsAi. except M n cousin. though
her PARENTS would have been glad to
ree them marry. Well he pressed his
advasfages--his military reputation
aud 81 that-as much as he could for
a 1eay time. but there wus another
suitor whom the girl seemed To prefer.
and he-as this poor fellow told me
was NJ least . 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 aud another. he
would end by winning her. Then the
turquoise warned him again II was
turning pale once more.
You see. he couldn't interpret n
that he was going TO lose this girl
whom he loved. because lie hadn't won
her yet. No he came to the conclusion
that the paleness OF the turquoise
must mean 20 great calamity that
he could not guess at. And that led
him to give up the girl and leave ier
TO his rival lie could not bear the
thought. he said. Of taking her with
him into trouble. Don't you think II
was spiendidiy unselfish thing to do.
We'll. 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. hut . believe
that the evil that threatened him was
simply bis old enrmy-driuk. Per-
haps. In the bottom Of his heart. he
dreaded making her the wife OF a
drunkard.
After that he wen, back to India.
and. being. suppose. heartbroken
really and d~sI,ontlent. 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 n mercantile posi-
tion. when the demon OF drink stiil
pursued him releniis.ssly in the east.
he came to this country.
But the remarkable thing about II
to me-outsislc Of the poor chaps con-
graduating himself that he had been
saved from making Ills Cousins life
wretchetl--the rruinrkxble thing was
that the turquoise always kept pale
never got hack color after he ran away
to avoid marrying his cousin aDsl then
is..x, In int 4
that the lssleness Of that confounslsti
stone WAS what hounded him TO ruin"
When my chance acquaintance told
me this. . couid not help asking him
whether the turquoise had r~gained
its color since he got II. ! asked the
question In mere Jest. but what was
my surprise when ! saw plainly by
his minun~r. though he tried to COD
ceal the fact. that he. too. was touch
- With the sursuosse superstition
sf~Well" be- said. laughing. III is old
that the stone should have always
been q fine deep blue ever siucw u
came insU my J,orsrrsion. isn't hr'
"Stin mesr odd" I said. III an Amer
lean business usan should believe In
sorh curi0os Asiatic fables''
John and never los, sight Of each
other after that. AMI once ai least =
thing happened that might have served
him ~ ~ argument for the ruth Of
W fautastic i..lisf.
We hsd ssrt. partly ~ ehaoce. -
nabeiasssv anil were ooeo 0osv occu-
pytng the san,~ roSm In q hotel. John
was 10 have taken = train that morn
ing for l'ittsburg. but while he was
dressing . remarked 10 him as ! still
lay In bed: ''soru-thing's going tn hap
pen TO you. Your turquoise Is Eettia:
pale
Il ell you what" he said. II won's
= - f'tttxburg today"
lie grit on the journey. sad that
evening the Tap~rr told ms Of = land
slide which had caused the wrrck OF
the train John had Intended To take.
Several lives had been lost. and morn
than n score Of passengers had been
SERIOUSLY hurt.
IF ! had been ON the train" sail
John. 81 should have been killed You
may ray whai you like. but the ssif
sacrifice Of that poor fellow has left
hsessing On this turquoise. "-l'ittsburg
Press.
A. ssAsss 0vsAa1 rase.
Once ! saw n pretty thing. q young
bride Of the kickapoos. on = sort Of q
wedding trim. She was tall and slight.