The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1904-04-14
"When you are sick he cures you
with jewels"

"When you are sick he cures you
with jewels"
"And what can he cure?" said the
princess, still looking at Safti, who
was now bargaining vociferOusly with
fat Arab for piece of milk white
jade.
"All things l was sick of a fever
that comes with the summer. He gave
me a stone crushed TO powder and
l was we'll. He saved from death one
of the bey's sons, who was dying from
hijada. And then, too, he has stone
in a ring which can preserve sight to
him who is going blind
The princess started violently.
Impossible" she cried.
at is true" said Abdul. ut is a
green stone-like that"
He pointed to an emerald which an
Arab was holding up to the light.
The princess put her hand to her
eyes. They still ached and her tenn
pies were throbbing furiously.
II cannot stay here" she said at
is too hot But-tell the jewel doctor
that l wish to visit him. Where does
he hve?"
"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 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 defoTmed eyes, which
fascinated the princess Having ascer-
tanned that he could speak a little
broken French, like many of the
Tunisian Arabs, she babe Abdul wait
outside and entered the hovel of the
jewel doctor, who shut close the door
behind her.
At length she said: "You are 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
man who was ill of fever wear 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"
Saftis expression suddenly became
grim and suspicious.
"Who said that" ne 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:
Il 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 had
begun to tremble. Holding her soft
cheeks with his brown fingers, Safti
remained motionless for long time,
during which it seemed to the princess
that he was looking away from her
at some distant object. She watched
his frightful and surreptitious eyes,
that never told the truth, she heard
the distant Arabs everlasting song,
and her dream became a nightmare
At last Safti dropped his hands and
said:
1T may be that some day you will
need my emerald"
The princess felt as if at that mo-
ment bullet entered her heart.
Give it me-give it mel" she cried
81 am rich. L"
81 do not sell my medicines" Safti
answered. ''Those who use them must
live near me, here in Tunis. When
they are healed they give back to me
the jewel that has saved them. But
you-you live far Off"
With the swiftness of woman the
princess saw that persuasion would
be useless. Safti's face looked hard
as brown wood. She seemed to re-
cover her emotion and said quietly:
cat least you will let me see the
emerald?"
Safti went to a small bureau that
stood at the back of the room, opened
one of it's drawers with a key which
he drew from beneath his dingy robe,
lifted small silver box carefully out,
returned to the princess and put the
box into her hand.
open it," he said.