Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1904-04-07
"Ia1possible," she cried.

eyes. They still ached and her tenn
Piles were throbbing ~furiously.
Il cannot stay here" she said. at
is too hot. But-tell the jewel doctor
that | wish to visit him. Where does
he live?"
"In a little street, Rue Ben-Ziad, in
a little house. But he is rich" Abdul
spread his arms abroad. When will
the gracious princess"
This afternoon. At-at four o'clock
you will take me-
Abdul spoke to Safti, who turned,
squinted horribly at the princess, and
salaamed to her with a curious and
contradictory dignity, turning his
fingers, covered with jewels, towards
the earth.
That afternoon at four, when the
venerable Nine. de Rosnikoff was still
drinking her weak tea and reading her
French novel, the princess and Abdul
stood before the low wooden door Of
the jewel doctors house. Abdul struck
upon it and the terrible physician ap-
peared in the dark aperture, looking
all ways with his deformed eyes, which
fascinated the princess. Having ascer-
tanned that he could speak a little
broken French, like many Of the
Tunisian Arabs. she bade Abdul wait
outside and entered the howell of the
jewel doctor, who shut close the door
behind her.
The room in which she found herself
was dark and scented. Faint light
from the street filtered in through an
aperture in the wall, across which was
partially drawn a wooden shutter.
Round the room ran a divan covered
with straw mating, and Safti now con-
Quoted the princess tremendously to
this and handed her a cup of thick
coffee, which he took from a brass tray
that was placed upon a stand. AS she
slipped the coffee and looked at the
pointed head and twisted gaze of Safti
the princess heard some distant Arab
at a street corner singing monoto-
nously a tuneless song, and the scent,
the darkness, the reiterated song, and
the tall, strange creature standing 81
lently before her gave to her, in their
combination, the atmosphere of a
dream, She found it difficult to speak,
to explain her errand.
At length she said: "You are a doc
tor? You can cure the sick?"
Safti salaamed.
with jewels? Is that possible?"
Jewels are the only medicine"
Safti replied, speaking with sudden
volubility. with the ruby l cure
madness, with the white jade the dis
ease of the hijada, and with the blood
stone hemorrhage. l have made a
man who was ill of fever wear a topaz,
and he arose from bed and walked
happily in the street"
"And with an emerald" interrupted
the princess; "have you not preserved
sight with an emerald? They told me
So"
Safti's expression suddenly became
grim and suspicious.
"Who said that?" he asked, sharply.
abdul. Is it true? Can it be true?'
Her cheeks were flushed. She spoke
almost with violence, laying her hand
upon his arm. Safti seemed to stare
hard into the corners of the little
room. Perhaps he was really looking
at the princess. At length she said.
81 will give you any price you ask
for it."
"You!" said Safti. "But you-"
Suddenly he lifted his lean hands
took the face of the princess between
them quite gently, and turned it to-
wards the small window. She hat
begun to tremble. Holding her sofI
cheeks with his brown fingers, Saftt
remained motionless for a long time
during which it seemed to the princess
, that he was looking away from hel
at some distant object. She watched
, his frightful and surreptitious eyes
. that never told the truth, she heart
, the distant Arabs everlasting song
and her dream became a nightmare
At last Safti dropped his hands ant
said:
, "It may be that some day you will
need my emerald"
The princess felt as if at that mo
, ment a bullet entered her heart.
, "Give it me-give it mel" she cried
81 am rich. I"
. ri do not sell my medicines" Saft
= answered. "Those who use them mus
live near me, here in Tunis. Whel
l they are healed they give back to mi
the jewel that has saved them. Blu
you-you live far off"
r With the swiftness of. a woman thu
princess saw that persuasion woult
I be useless. Safti's face looked hare
> as brown wood. She seemed to re
$ cover her emotion and said quietly:
"At least you will let me see thu
r emerald?"
Safti went to a small bureau tina
a stood at the back OF, the room, opened
one Of it's drawers with a key which
g he drew from beneath his dingy robe
a lifted a small silver box carefully out
returned to the princess and put thu
box into her hand.
/ "Open it," he said.
d She obeyed, and took out a small
| and antique gold ring, in which wa
set a dull emerald. Safti drew it gen
|, thy from her and put it upon the fore
t finger of her left hand. 1t was so tin,
k that it would not pass beyond the join
of the finger and it looked ugly AM
q odd upon the princess, who wore man,
beautiful rings. Now that she say
it she felt the superstition that ha'
d sprung from her terror dying With
( her. Safti, with his crooked eyes
s must have read her thought in he
face, for he said:
s "The princess is wrong. That medi