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

cannot say that you do not get to the
bottom Of the affair You do me an in
Justice, however, when you say that my
visit is purely commercial No one in
London would be more unselfshly inter
ested than myself if any progress were
made with the thousand attempts to
eee eef, even maj in 3 small degree, your
NDo you think that9" she cried.
"Well, a word from Bernard SUIT
ton is word indeed; but we shall see.
Meanwhile, we are going to have some
fully close in Merchants the heat
from my furnace in the conservatory
there. I've had little one put up es-
pecially for my experiments. AS you
were coming, we had to get the metal
melted q Ia apd we We had fire there since
"You will experiment. for me, thenqD
said I, with considerable interest.
!s'If you are very good,' she replied,
''I may show you something's, but first
you must taste my sherbet,. land tell me
all about the diamonds which I have
1ewelry:"
1 told her that I had not, but the
funky appearing at that moment, she
did not pursue the subject, occupying
herself in mixing me an effervescing
d rnf s gs On g Sef sc n7;
and when had taken it there was
warm coursing of blood thru my veins
as tho I had drunk Of rich Burgundy.
! "Now,' said she, when the man had
gone, but had left the little table piled
UP with frui t-"now we can talk seri-
us-that's what Jack Lucas always
calls it.; he gets me- that sherbet from
some place in the east with an unpro-
nounceable name. am going to put
you into an armchair, and you are not
to ask a single question until have
very good.'
was ridiculously small, and close almost
to suffoeation, and there | saw
many evidences of her attempts to fath
were racks with bottles round three
sides of the apartment, and in the cor
ner Of the other side there stood COM
mon little furnace such as smiths use.
These, with number of brass plates
covered with hieroglyphics,. some presses
et s and 1s qaan fSn Of erygss ssps
her whole equipment for the business
before her; but there was a low arm
chair in the shape of those used for den
tai horrors; and there she asked me to
sit while. she herself prepared for the
undertaking.
"The first thing for you to do,'' said
she, els to make yourself comfortable.
A man who is i'll at ease is in the worst
possible mental state, for he cannot con.
. centrate himself. Just at present !
want you to concentrate yourself on
/ W 11R y everything i : ready I shall call
:, With this said, she set the fruit and
; the cup at the side of my chair, and
then rolled up the sleeves Of her dress
!, quickly, putting on an apron which Gov
the world like an unusually pretty house
maid 7 watched her with even a larg
, !; err interest than T had done; and I re-
! member thinking, as I settled in the
great lounge, that whatever her menta
claims might be upon the admiration OF
the city, her personal qualities were I'M
deniable. -
These were especially to be observed
when she began to busy herself with the
/, furnace and the tiny crucibles upon it
, the glow Of soft light seeming to en-
phasize the youthfalness Of her perfect
face, and to converge upon. it as light
focused upon picture. She had now
after she had used the bellows vigorous
:, ly at her fire, and placed the smallest Of
the crucibles upon it again, she sat her
!, self upon a stool at the side of my chair
, and resting, her head upon her ope1
hand-her favorite attitude-she spoke
with evident earnestness.
,, "The mysteries of iewels,' she ex
claimed, Hand the mysteries of GOLD
, have eaten the heart out Of many {
! clever man, from. Gebir TO-, Sir Isaa'
r the philosophers, even; Of some in tn
story of that which we call the modern
$ ages, you will fndsamongst the creates
> the names Of those sWho sought for al
Q J. alkahest' or universal solvent. Eye
: the wisest of men have hoped for a full
r Parascelsus himself Believed in the fifth
or the quintessenee :of4creation. Roge
g Bacon, to whom5death came out Of neg
:. lect, prescribed as the elixir Of life gol
d dissolved in tro-hydrochloric acie
Why should I tell you hey ; science nee nov nov
u Jumps them together as little bette
u than maniacs9 Yet does she: laugh a
v them with good reason9 Is it not jus
:, possible that she will be ultimately tn
h means of turning the laugh upon he
y self9 In our day '17 has come W. yer
= of metals. Allotropy- has turned tn
- eyes Of many back. to. the remoter: pas;
# The chemist is beginning to ask himsel
- were these men such foolss The nea
- future may cast light upon long Gel
- - turtles Of darkness. But those only wi
reap who come to the work with ope
q. minds, with the certain conviction thu
% in all pertaining to this vast scient
f we are still children. Do you folio
ri me in this7'
"Perfectly," replied; and assure'
id ly prettier lecture was never give
a The girl IS eyes seemed to- flash igh
IN as she warmed to her subject; her e]
Isl. thusiasm was 80 contagious that four
myself softening before it. She. W;
4: earnest, at any rate; and most OF h
~ kind were quacks.s
ne eff you grant this long premise, ar
rs do not consider that all inquiry is ne
IN essarily useless,' she continued, "yt
he solve the greater difficulties which su
) round my conceptions. It remains
OF ask, What steps must the chemist f
low who would seek to- turn from
ry crucible the perfect jeWelY Let us tai
ut the sapphire as an instance: 1t Is n
re favorite stone, one compelling, as tt
an ancients declare, the wearer to all go!
a. works. Well, the sapphire in all i
er beautiful tints is only a variety
,s- corundum, colored by metallic oxide:
n is common crystal, a six-sided pris
It. terminated in six-sided pyramid. ,
ur is taken from gneiss, and we know t
on day that alumina is the basis Of it, !
is it is the basis Of so many preclo
ty stones. Granted this, what is the .wo
CO before the chemist9 Is it not simp
On to cast in his crucible the crystals
IT 4ho 1ooo RI oo1or than with the metz