Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1905-09-09

| Philip, from his small store of physical
geography, knew that meteors were arti-
eles of sufficient rarity 10 attract atten-
ton. And he was tenacious withal
81 suppose that ieweler would be the
about stones" he went on
Maybe; but | don't see what's the
use. lis a sheer waste of time But if
y're set on tindin' out. go to big man.
These German Jews round about here are
omadhauns. They don't know a watch
from a clock, an if they did they'd ehate
ye."
Il never thought of that, yet / ought
to know by this time. Thank you; /
will go into the city"
! He took the pebble, which he placed in
his waistcoat pocket. Walking briskly,
he traversed some part of the sorrowful
journey of barely twelve hours earlier.
What had happened to change his mood
he did not know, and scarcely troubled
to inquire. Last night he hurried through
these streets in a frenzied quest for
death. Now he strobe along full of hope,
| joyous in the confidence of life and youth.
His one dominant thought was that his
mother had protected him, had snatched
him from the dark gate of eternity.
Oddly enough, he laid far more stress on
his escape from the meteor than on the
accident that prevented his contemplated
suicide. This latter idea had vanished
with the madness that induced it. Philip
was sane again, morally and mentally.
He was keenly anxious to Justify his
mothers trust in him. The clustering
w m -far IN
aroused in him a spirit of resistance. Of
fortitude He breasted it so manfuly
that when at last he paused at the door
of a great jewelry establishment in Lud-
gate Hill, his face was flushed and his
manner eager and animated.
He opened the door. but was rudely
brought back to a sense of his surround
ings by the suspicious question of a shop
walker
"Now, boy, what do you want here?'
The unconscious stress in the mans
words was certainly borne out by the
contrast between Philip, a social pariah
in attire, and the wealth of gold and
precious stones cut off from him by panes
of thick glass and iron bars What, in
deed, did this outcast want there?
Confused by the sudden demand, and
no less by its complete obviousness.
Philip flushed and stammered:
"I-er-only wished to obtain some in
formation, sir" he answered
Like all others, the shopman was
amazed by the difference between the
boys manners and his appearance.
Information" he repeated, in his sur
prise. What information can we give
your"
The wealth of the firm oppressed this
man. He could only speak in accents of
adulation where the shop was concerned
Philip produced his white pebble.
what is this?" he said.
The directness of the query again took
his nearer aback. Without a word, he
bent and examined the stone Profess
sional instinct mastered all other consid-
erations.
you must apply to that department"
He ma jestically waved his hand toward
a side counter. Philip obeyed silently,
and approached small. elderly person
age man with clever. kindly eyes, who
was submitting to microscopical exam
nation number of tiny stones spread
out on a chamois leather folding case.
He quietly removed the case when his
glance rested on the boy.
''Well?" he said, blankly, wondering
why on earth the skilled shop walker
had sent such a disreputable urchin to
him. Philip was now quite collected in
his wits. He held out the pebble, with
a more detailed statement
Il found this" he said. 81 thought
that it might be valuable, and a friend
advised me to bring it here VIII you
kindly tell me what it isl"
The man behind the counter stared
at him for a moment, but he reached
over for the stone. Without a word he
placed it beneath the microscope and gave
it a very brief examination. Then he
pressed it against his cheek
"Where did YOU get it 2" he asked.
Il found it where it had fallen on the
pavement"
care you sure?"
quite sure"
"Strange!" was the muttered com
ment, and Philip began TO understand
that his meteor possessed attributes
hitherto unsupported.
But what is it?' he inquired, after
a pause.
"A meteoric diamond"
"a meteoric diamond?"
Eyes"
us it worth much?''
"A great deal. Probably some hun
dreds of pounds
Philip felt his face growing pale. That
dirty white, small stone worth hundreds
of pounds! Yet in his pocket he had
twenty nine other specimens, many of
them much larger than the one chosen
haphazard for inspection, and in the back
yard of his tenement lay heaps of them,
scattered about the pavement like hail
stones after a shower, while the meteor
itself was a compact mass of them. He
became somewhat faint, and leaned |
against the glass case that surmounted |
the counter
rs that really true ?" was all he could
say.
The expert valuer of diamonds smiled |
His first impulse was to send for the po-
lice. but he knw that meteorie diamonds |