The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1907-10-11

oCAANN'F
But there was long pause before he
found his tongue again. His voice had
lost its aggressiveness when be said:
! "In the police court valued the d,a-
monds you produced at $4,000. 1t does
not necessarily follow that l am pre-
pared TO give such sum for them at
this moment. might do 30 as a specu-
Iation, but take 1t you do not want
me to figure in that capacity. 1t win
be better for you. safer for me. IL | be-
come your agent. l will take your stones
to Amsterdam. have them cut sufficient
ly to enable dealers TO assess their true
! worth and sell them to the best adj
vantage. My charge will be 10 PEI
cent and pay all expenses. Today ]
will give you ESQ. Tomorrow | "
take you to bank and place five tho
sand to your credit Meanwhile / vii
give Won a receipt for thirty stone
weighing In the rough so many carats
and you or..any one you may appoint
can see the sale vouchers subsequent
when will hand you the balance aft
err deducting E5.050 and my 10 per cent
The total price may exceed fifty thou
sand or 1t may be less. but do not
think / will be far out In my estimate
Are you agreeableT
Some inner monitor told Philip tina.
the man was talking on sound business
lines. There was a ring of sincerity IL
his voice. Apparently he had thrust
temptation aside and was firmly re-
solved to be content with his 10 per
cent.
And this might well be. Twenty-Five
thousand pounds year earned by
few Journeys to the continents few
haggling interviews in the Hatton Gar
Den office! What gold mine! More
over. he would be the head man in the
trade. He was that now, in some re-
mects but under the new conditions
none could gainsay his place at the top.
Even the magnates of Kimberley would
be staggered by this new source of sup
ply. What did 1t matter If the boy
kept to his rags and amazed the world
SO long as the diamonds were forth
coming? 1t was no silk hated gentle
man who first stumbled across the dia-
mond laden earth of South Africa.
'tsaacstein had made up his mind. Fate
mad thrust this business into his lap.
He would be a fool to lose 1t out of
mere curiosity.
YES" said Philip. II agree to that.
''Eamuelp' yelled Isaacstein.
"Coming, SIR was the answering
shout, and Hurried clerk appeared.
"Bring In the scales, Samuel"
The scales were brought and level
space cleared for them on the desk
Philip, of course, had never before
seen an instrument so delicately adj
justed. A breath would serve to de
press the balance. 'ssseas
The bow held forth his DaUer am
poured the contents INTO the ulny BRASS
tray of the scales. SamuePs mouth
opened and his eyes widened. 1t was
his first sight of the diamonds.
-Four ounces eight pennyweights five
Rrains-02 carats in thirty stones
Oh, good gracious mel" murmured the
clerk.
Isaacstein checked the record care
fully.
"Rightr' he said. 'Put them in the
safe"
Philip raised no protest this time.
He knew that the man would keep his
word Indeed, Isaacstein told Samuel
to bring him fifty sovereigns, and ere
the man returned he began to write
on a sheet of letter paper:
Received from Herel What's
your nameY he broke in.
"Philip."
Phillip whatT
THAT will do today, thank you. The
next time call VIII give you my
full name and address"
please yourself. | am no judge In |
this matter" and he wrote on:
Received from Philip. boy who refuses |
anv other name but the same whom / |
saw In this offloe on the 10th inst. and |
again at the Clerkenwell police court on |
that date, thirty meteoric diamonds |
weighing in the gross go carats hereby |
agree to dispose of the same and to rem |
der true account of the sales to said |
Philip or his agents. my commission to |
be 10 per cent the expenses payable by |
me. I have today handed the said Philip |
RUo In gold ana undertake 10 place Go,OW !
DO his credit tomorrow with my bankers
REUBEN ISAACSTEIN.
After completing this acknowledg-
naent he scrubbed something else.
"There," he said, with a sigh of re-
lief, ''that Is not a very formal docu-
ment but 1t win sufaoe. Yqp can get 1
Il stamped tomorrow at Somerset |
Mouse. Just sign this receipt for ESQ.
Philip took the two papers and read
them carefully. Isaacstein's handwrit-
ing was 4 scrnwl, but iegible enough /
The boy reached for pen and signed
his Christian name. He was on the
point of adding his surname in an I'M
guarded moment, but he felt the mans
eye on him, so he simply wrote phil
b. across the stamp at the foot Of the
receipt.
Isaacstein fully appreciated the Incl
dent and knew that his own eagerness
the chance, all the more pow
,rful because IL was Involuntary, of !