Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1908-06-18
Clothes.'
[Original.]

~
the rarity Of this tinge and my size
that makes me very valuable. Though
no larger than a hickory nut, l am
worth many thousand dollars. l was
born in Brazil. The first of this world,
at least of daylight, for me was rolling
out with stones, sand, earth and other
minerals following the stroke of a
pick. l lay on the ground before a
workman. He looked about him and,
seeing his foreman's back turned, pick
ed me up and put m in his mouth.
When he went from work he was
searched, but 1 was not discovered.
The next scene in my life Of motion,
SO to speak. was in a wood. The work
man who had found me sold me to a
man of better grade. The price paid
was $1O0 in United States bills. The
man who bought me took me to a
room, locked the door and examined me
carefully. 1 could see by his express
sion that he was very much pleased
with me. He got a box Of sewing
utensils from a closet and, ripping a
pocket in the lining Of his coat, put
me in and sewed me fast. I didn't
suppose that I would stay long in this
place, but I did.
One day a policeman came to my
owners room and arrested him. He
was not wearing the coat in which he
had sewed me. 1t hung in a closet. A
month later it was taken down and
with other clothing taken to Villa de
Principe, where it was sold to a Jew.
A young man "all tattered and torn"
came into the Jews shop, tried on sew
eral coats. and, the one / was in fitting
him, he bought it. 1 think the price
paid was So. The young man walked
all the way to Rio, doing work here
and there for a meal. Had he known
that he had me with him he might
have ridden in a coach and four.
When he got to Rio he shipped on a
vessel bound for New Haven, Conn. I
was rolled, with other clothing, in a
small bundle and put under his bunk,
he donning sailor toys. When we reach
ed New Haven my owner put on his
shore clothes, left the vessel and walk
ed up into the city. He met a number
Of young men he knew, and by his con
yersation with them I learned that he
had been a student in the college there
and his father had died insolvent dur
ing the sons second year. From a
student he had become a sailor, had
sought employment in South America
and had got stranded in Brazil. One
Of his old chums loaned him some
money with which to buy a ticket to
his home in a distant city.
This home was in a shabby little cot
tage in the suburbs. 1t was both a
melancholy and a happy meeting be-
tween the young man and his mother
and his two sisters. They were evil
IDENTIFY people of refinement living in
poverty. Their returned boy was hun
SAS ~ laClC was AOlaluS save Il
piece of corn bread in the house to give
him. They begged him to stay With
them, try for a position and help them.
To this he consented, and they were
happy.
That night after he had gone to bed
one of his sisters took his clothes and
sat up late patching and darning them
that he might appear the better in
looking for employment. After the
sewing she took them downstairs into
the kitchen, heated an iron and pressed
them. While running the iron owe the
coat it's nose hit an obstacle in me-.
She felt OF me, took me to the light to
examine the place where 1 was; then,
taking a knife, she ripped the sewing
and took me out. Seeing nothing but a
brownish stone, she threw me into a
coal scuttle, but on second thoughts
table. Then, finishing her ironing, she
took the clothes to her brothers room.
The next morning she showed me to
her brother and told him where she
had found me. He looked me over very
carefully, thinking all the while, and
asked his sister to show him the place
where she had found me. Then he put
me in his pocket and later on started
out to look for a situation. About noon
he went home. He met his mother in
the hall. He was pale and trembling.
ooh, mother" he exclaimed.
my boy, what has happened"
eff it shouldn't be true it would kill
me-"
"What?"
The stone Fannie found sewed in my
coat. Thinking it might be a jewel in
the rough, 1 took it to a jeweier. He says
it's a diamond. A diamond of that size
is worth many thousands of dollars
He took me out of his pocket, and
the mother and her daughter gathered
round, each trembling with excitement.
Don't count on too much. dear boy"
said the mother. eff it is a diamond, it
has a real owner, and you must find
him, but he will doubtless give you a
reward for it's return"
But the owner was e found. The
younp man wrote tn tha %oficars of all