The Hattiesburg news., 1909-10-13
CHAPTER VII,

When Van Torp and Logotheti left
Mr.. Pinney's shop, the old jeweler
meant to have a good look at the
ruby the Greek had brought him, and
was going to weigh it, not merely as
a matter of business, for he weighed
every stone that passed through his
hands from crown diamonds to sparks.
but with genuine curiosity, because in
long experience he had not seen
very many rubies Of such size. which
were also Of such fine quality, and he
wondered where this one had been
found
Just then, however, two well-dressed
young men entered the shop and
came up to him. He had never seen
either of them before, but their looks
inspired him with confidence; and
when they spoke, their tone was that
of English gentlemen, which all 9th
er Englishmen find 1t practically i'm.
possible to initiate, and which had
been extremely familiar to Mr.. Pin.
ney from his youth. Though he was
the great jeweler himself, the wealthy
descendant of five of his name in sue
cession, and much better off than half
his customers, he was alone in his
shop that morning. The truth was
that his only son. the sixth Pinney
and the apple of his eye, had just
been married and was gone abroad
shopman, who was Scotch, was having
his months holiday at Ayrshire, and
the second man had been sent for, to
clean and restring the duchess of Bar
chester's pearls at her grace's house
in Cadogan Gardens, as was always
done after the season, and a couple of
skilled workmen for whom Mr.. Pin
ney found occupation all the year
round were in the workshop at their
tables; wherefore, out of four re-
sponsible and worthy men who usual
ly were about, only the great Mr.. Pin
ncy himself was at his post.
One of the two well-dressed custom
ers asked to see some pins, and the
other gave his advice. The first
bought a pin with a small sapphire set
in sparks, for ten guineas, and gave
only TEN pounds for it because he
paid cash. Mr.. Pinney put the pin into
its little morocco case, wrapped it up
neatly and handed it to the purchaser.
The latter and his friend said good
morning in civil and leisurely man.
ner, sauntered out, took a hanson a
few steps farther down the street,
and drove away.
The little paper twist containing Lo-
gothetis ruby was still exactly where
Mr. Pinney had placed it on the coun-
ter, and he was going to examine the
stone and weigh it at last, when two
more customers entered the shop, evil
IDENTIFY foreigners, and moreover of a
sort unfamiliar to the good jeweler,
and especially suspicious.
The two were Baraka and her inter
prefer and servant, whom Logotheti
had called Turk, and who was real
ly Turkish subject and Mohamme.
dan, though as to race, he was a half.
bred Greek and Dalmatian. Now
Dalmatians are generally honest
truthful, and trustworthy, and the low
class Greek of Constantinople is U.S.
ually extremely sharp, If he is nothing
more definitely reprehensible; and
Baraka's man was cross between
the two, as I have said, and had been
brought up as a Musulman in a rich
Turkish family, and recommended to
Baraka by the Persian merchant in
whose house she had lived. He had
been originally baptized Christian
under the name of Spiro, and had
been subsequently renamed Salin
when he was made real Moslem al
12 years old. SO he used whichever
name suited the circumstances In
which he was placed. At present he