Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1906-10-17
The Lost Jewel
toriginal.l

| finuoo who was bringing some fancy
| chickens over to exhibit at the coming
| chicken show. He had them In coops
| on deck. where they attracted a great
| deal of attention. In one coop were
| two cocks and four hens. and very
beautiful birds they were. There was
n cockney Englishman aboard who
| sported a splendid diamond stud In his
| shirt bosom which was the envy OF ev-
cry one, especially the women. One
| fine morning after breakfast, when we
| were all beginning to get into our
| steamer chairs ON deck for the day, we
| heard a loud talking between the Hin
| doc and the cockney.
"rll cut him upw howled the cock
ney.
You'll cut up nothing" retorted the
Hindoo.
"Do you keep the cock for that pur
posef" cried the cockney.
you call me theft shrieked the
| Hlndoo.
By this time dozen or more of us
| had gathered around the coop where
| the two men were disputing, many of
| us hopeful that the monotony of the
voyage was to be broken by fight.
Its bloody swindler' shouted the
| cockney. This leather faced 'eathen
as these cocks and ems trained to pick
| for valybles. One on EN- as nipped
my diamond and swallowed it. 1 was
| leanin' over the coop, when e flung
his bill at 1t and pulled till e got it
| out o. the settin'"
The statement was greeted by a
| laugh.
"You may larf II you like. It's a
stone got myself at the Kimberley
mines and worth f1,500. The nasty
little cock or 'en as got 1t amt worth
| 3 shillin'"
II no take ESQ for any of EN-" the
| Hindoo retorted.
The gambling propensities of people
| on shipboard are well known. Here
was an opportunity for some fun. 1t
was proposed to form pool with 800
| chances at guinea a chance, fT50 to
go to the cockney for his diamond, $3.50
| to the Hindoo for his chickens and $500
| to the winner. The cockney, having
/ lost his diamond, agreed, but the Hin
! doc declared that his six chickens were
the delight OF his heart and declined.
| He finally agreed provided one little
! hen that was his second self be ex-
/ cepted. The cockney declared that he
| saw that hen when the diamond was
| taken from him in corner of the coop
with her head under her wing. So
eager were we for the sport that we
| excepted her from the lottery. The
| cockney was not sure whether cock
or hen had stolen his jewel, but he
was sure that particular hen had moth
! ing to do with the theft.
A committee was appointed TO make
| plan for the drawing. The cockney
was appeased, for he seemed to have
all to gain. The Hindoo had his dia-
| mond and possession was nine points
| of the law. The possessor was surly,
declaring that he had counted on these
particular chickens to give him start
| in the land presided over by the king
| of birds He made 1t condition that
| the chickens were not to be slaughter
| ed till the eve Of our arrival In New
| York.
| Well that was the next evening but
| one, so we curbed our Impotence and
agreed to the terms. Besides, 1t re-
CURED some time to place all the
| chances. When the hour arrived for
| killing the first bird thought the Hin
| doc would have a fit. He made as
| much fuss as IL he was to lose child.
| A cock was slaughtered, his insides ex-
amined, but no diamond. Then the
other cock was sacrificed, with no bet
ter success. The four hens followed,
| the Hindoo's lamentations increasing
| In arithmetical progression as each Of
| his pets fell under the ak. When the
last hens head was chopped off and no
diamond found, we all looked at each
other In wonder.
The cockney changed front and said
he must have been mistaken in the hen
| that had been left out. This started
| the Hindoo again and 1t looked as II
| there would be fight after all. Some
| of our number demanded that the hen
| be sacrificed, while others declared that
a bargain was bargain. The Hindoo
! had not consented to the killing of the
| chicken before he had been paid the
price, and the cockney had been treat
ed in the same businesslike fashion.
Well, the evening before our arrival
was pleasant enough as to the skies
but stormy aboard ship. Some blamed
the cockney for giving two opinions
about the little hen, but most Of us
considered the Hindoo sharper who
had trained the hen to pluck valuables
and purposely kept her out of the lot
terry. At one time l thought he would
| have been mobbed One man proposed
| 10 have him up before the courts ON
arrival for swindling, but the more
respectable element preferred to keep
dark about the affair. So we landed
and nothing was done.
One day soon after l was walking In
| Central park and who should / meet
i -. A.. Ant,+fo and tho prifrn la