The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1904-10-15

ter proof of her bona fdes than that"
"Pardon me,' I interrupted, 90 but |
I can't accept the conclusion. Prob |
ably the ruby you thought she made
was the only one in the place. 1t was
like the stock knife OF the Cheap Jack.
with it,
'Certainly I did. If she had made
only one stone, I should have jumped
to your opinion; but she turned them
out by the dozen. Most of them were
small; some were altogether too insig
was substantial; and in explanation Of
that, she admitted her want Of con
troll over the action Of the crystals in
the crucible. Sometimes they will
prove worth money; more often they
are quite without value. But she has
hopes that the day will come when she
will complete a discovery which will
astonish the universe
"They all hope that,' said I; "but
the universe remains unmoved.'
"And, of course, you don It believe
he helped himself to salad. "Well,
it s part of your business, I suppose,
not altogether in that. But the colonel
is right about the girl, and 1 can Sec
ond every word he says. She made
piece, Of gold as big as your thumb
nail before my very eyes. There was
no pretense or humbug about it; and
l may tell you that she I'll only do this
sort Of thing for those she knows well.
1t you went to her tomorrow and said.
l want to see your experiments, she d
laugh at you and send you away feel
ing like fool.''
"And seriously,'' said T., beginning
to experience a glimmer of :, interest,
"you believe that she has discovered
something of importancea'
Seriously I do; and if you vent to
the next month, possibly for two"
"You don't convince me at all,' I
replied, trying to look utterly uncon-
cerned. III have known too many
gold makers for that. Some Of them
are now in warehouses; others are in
months for, stealing an overcoat. which
"Not at all, said the Colonel;
"theft is a complex subject capable of
analysis. A thief is a man who buys
in the cheapest market. We all try to
do that in our way. There is no
nssh q possessing ey The '@T pho %S
stone, should not be charged before a
magistrate with stealing red herring.
Life is all contrast, and the contrast
we speak Of is a very pretty one. Go
and. see, her at your earliest oppor"
NThat's my advice said Brace
watch her at the crucible, l II speak for
you. What's more, l IL bet you an
even hundred pounds that you admit
my conclusions
(which are9' I asked.
"That she has come nearer to the
solution Of the diamond problem than
| onu mon ar woman 1iuinp 6aa6 -
~ don It bet on certainties, said 1;
"but if you care to trouble the lady
to burn her obviously pretty hands on
my account, well, let's have the inter
view by all means. If she convinces
me that she can make any sort of
ket, I'll, give a hundred pounds to a
children 8 hospital-the colonel can
name it,
els it serious Offers" asked the col
onel looking, as I thought, little
meaningly at Bracebridge, but said:
90 was never more serious, and town
will b quite dismal enough g after this
elk it up as early as you can; and
conjure the lady. whose name I have
not yet had the pleasure Of hearing, tc
. take care of your reputation. IT she
can cast me ruby or a sapphire worth
| looking at, I will set it in diamonds anl
make her a present of it. You may tel
her so for me-
"I'n give her your message undi
luted," said Bracebridge, with great
r deal of content, "but I'll warran
5 that, she'll have the laugh Of you, ant
| so shall We
. They said no more upon tho matte
q until the end Of dinner, and it was no
l referred to in the smoking-room after
We quilted the club at an early hou
81 RI hoor q of q hall yxyhf n
: the colonel raved about and after tina
= left them and returned to Bayswate1
i with the recollection Of my rash prom
s Use gone clean out Of my head. di
r not even recall it on the following morn
t ing, and it. was some three days afte
Q saying that he had, during Brace
: BRIDGES absence from town, made a
v appointment for me with Miss Jessi
i Fleming =. for such was the fai
d alchemist name,-a and that sh
w Snvt Sino be sbe glad oon,a to .h tell m
On the the eTr& "0G aterno n5
j. at half-past two o'clock. The letter {
n once brought to my mind the whole {
l. the conversation at the club. I remen
bered with a smile Of contempt ths
q the lady was to show me, during a sho:
# interview, how the whole Of q ieweler;
IL how diamonds and sapphires and eve
q the precious metal itself, were present.
" to be as common as pebbles in brool
t and I concluded with easy assuran(
It that if any hildren s hospital Deepen
is ed upon my being convinced, it wou
"a have to close it's doors at an early dat
a. i had seen so much of this sort
a. thing; so many stories of fortunes lyir
t. in metal pot had been whispered in
- my ear; this could be but an addition
d. the list; it remained to see if it won
~ be an amusing addition.
a, I will confess readily that if the pr
- tender had been a man, l would ha'
N declined CURLY to see him. The who
+ Of those who had come to me hither
~ with pretended insight into the arcal
IN of metals were men-mostly half-ps
~ officers-whose wits were half go1
~ with their money. Here, however, we
~ by all accounts, charming profess
80 Of the lost art. The season was b
~, I'd ginning to be dull; there were no mo
- cat homes;' possibly she would anu
80 me. I had given my promise to t
a. men-and to put it briefly T found m
,.s self at Miss Jessie Fleming's door
- the following day, not little expectar
rs disdainfully incredulous, and exceedin
- - ly anxious to prove for myself if t.
ca physiognomist IS personal attractio
y" were even q 1.-THE Of those which h
been claimed for her by so many len
20, headed and usually sensible men.
ne Ny knock at the SHOCKING pc
&c tai was answered by a formidat
e hunky, who did not wait to hear r
IL name, but conducted me up stairca
ne draped almost to darkness with .hea
curtains and 80 tn well. Pm rpi sh