The daily Alaskan., 1904-06-13
The Jewel I Found
IorIginaLl ]

world for myself, my sole desire was to get rich quick and spend my money all on myself. With this in view went to Port Natal to hunt for dia- monds. I Hunted three years, with no success. Then 1t began to dawn on me that instead of winning life or t!se had won not only life of pow erty, but one of exile.
 One day when riding my bicycle along a newly made road my saddle slipped forward, and not having a wrench with which to tighten the nut I dIsmounted to find O stone to drive the saddle forward. While looking for a stone of the proper size my eye fell on one about IS large as small heu's egg which my practced eye at once took for a diamond. I hurried to my room with 1t, tested 1t and found 1t to be a diamond of the first water. In twinkling all was changed. My dream was realized
 had a small stone which sold for enough to take me home and at once smiled for America. The first day out on the ocean did nothing but dream of my good fortune. l would build me a country house on the seashore where I was born and sit all the long summer day on my piazza looking at the ocean. The second day tired Of dreaming and began to long for some thing to occupy me. On the third felt bored. One morning l noticed a young girl sitting in steamer chair. It was her first appearance on deck At any rate had not seen L,r Uviore. I wished at once could klow and tax with her It would relieve that bored feeling which had ccme upon me Luckily I had made the acquaintance of one who knew her Oal secured an introduction. She E&G gccC to South Africa to terch but Ter health had be- come impc'.eJ, al she was going back to yyIc@e SIC Lad started from, worse of thu eforc.
 1 spent hours with her. told her that I was sufficiently well or to do as I liked. c-l Vt l E&el to do was nothing. SLc did not seem very en- thusiastic over my plans for the flu ture. Indeed she said that man with out an object was a cumberer of the ground. could not but contrast my self with this girl, who in face of real discouragements was so much more ready to exert herself than l, with health, strength and mans advantages in fighting the world.
 One night, or, rather, early morning, I was playing cards and drinking with some men in the smoking room. There was e dense fog on the water, and we should have slowed down, but Instead of doing so kept up an average speed. Suddenly there was clang at the en- zine bell, a stoppage of the machinery and a cOmmotion on deck, then crash forward, and we knew there had been collision.
 Amid a panic and Q scramble for the boats I saw my girl friend. She was standing on an upper deck, looking down upon the turmoil with remarka- ble calmness. Some of the sailors had seized a boat-for all discipline had vanished-and were just cutting loose. Itwas the last of the boats, the others having gone. Tearing my diamond from my undershirt, in which it was sewed. held 1t before the eyes of the man casting or.
 DO you see that? It's a diamond worth big fortune. I'll give 1t to you if you'n take that girl up there with you"
 He cast a glance at her and said quickly, Her, not you; only room for one"
 Dashlng away, I seized her, carried her to the boat, put her in, gave the man my diamond, and she drifted away from me, her eyes fixed on mine In indescribable gratitude till she was lost to sight.
 I was one Of three men-the sur yiyors of ten-who were picked up on raft and taken to New York. The newspapers were full of the loss of our ship, the boat fin which l had placed my girl friend having been picked up and brought Into port few days before. We of the raft and those in this boat were the only ones saved from the sunken steamer. l noted the address of the girl l had been the means of saving and went to see her.
 All she knew was that had induced seaman to take her into the boat That had bribed him with a fortune she was ignorant. I did not tell her. She was full of gratitude, and l did not care to add to her sense of Obliga- ton by telling her that on her account I had put myself back where l was when started for Port Natal.
 We had both gone to the same land, I to acquire wealth to enable me to live in ease, she to make herself use ful in life of ceaseless labor. 1 had succeeded and given my success that she might not die; she had failed and returned to her home in disappOint- ment l was still on the threshold of life, with health and strength; she an invalid without the means of gaining a livelihood.
 But I had received a6 all absorb ing motive. My whole being was bent on expending my mans strength for