The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-05-08

upon herself7 In our day she mas come
very near TO Knowing of the transmuta-
hilfty Of metals Allotrophy has turned
the eyes OF many back TO the remotcr
past The chemist Is beginning TO ask
near future may cast II light upon lonS
centuries Of darkness But those only
will reap who come TO the work win
open minds, with the certain conviction
that In all pertaining 10 this vast science
we are still children. Do you follow me
I'm ths?"
Perfectly" I replied. and assuredly
a prettier lecture was never given The
girls eyes seemed TO fash lgnts as she
warmed TO her subject: her enthusiasm
was so contagious that / found myself
sof,enins before IT. She was earnest at
any rate: and most Of her KIND were
qua cks.
'If you grant this long premiss. and
do not consider that all inquiry Is neces-
sarlly useless she continued. "you solve
the greater difficulties which. surround
my conceptions 1t remains so,,on, to ask; ASK
would seek 70 turn from his crucibie the
| perfect jewel? Let us take the sapphire
as an instance. II is my favorite stone
one compelling, as the ancients declare,
| the wcarer TO all good works. Well, the
sapphire In all Its beautiful tints is only
a variety Of corundum. colored by metal
| lie oxide. It is a common crystal, SIX
sided prism terminated In a six-sided
pyramid. II is taken from gneiss, and
we know today that alumna is the basis
OF II, as It Is the basis OF 80 many
the work before the chemist? lis II not
simply to cast In his crucible the crystals
OF the base. TO color them with the me-
| tallic oxide. II he can, and 90 harden
them go that they Will beer the test? The
process is long one-it needs days TO
| bring II 10 perfection; the annealing. the
polishing, the settinG-these are not work
for an hour. What | have 70 show you
now are but the stages OF II. These you
shall see and judge for yourself; but ]
ask YOU very sincerely 10 weigh UP this
|
by the iDcredulity OF the fanatic. and to
believe with me that we are on the brink
of discovery which shall pour Jewels on
the world as the sen casts pebbles upon
a beach"
said nothing In answer to this re-
markable delivery. for the truth was that
her words Her earnestness. nay her
enthusiasm was so pretty 10 see that
ali my interest seemed absorbed in her,
and now, when she rose swiftly and
drew the curtains over the windows,
leaving the place Illuminated only by one
rose colored lamp. / followed all her ac-
tions one follows the change OF
picture.
"Let us keep away the daylight" said
she "and then we can see the crystals
forming. BY and by ! will show you the
perfect jewel. Now look"
What she did in the next few minutes
| am quite unable TO say. so swift were
her movements and so hurried her talk
But ! remember that she opened the fur
mace door allowing soft rays OF deep
yellow light To flood the room and then
quickly she cast n dozen crystals upon
the table from the glowing crucible; and
from a press near TO her hand she took
three more and laid them on the plate
The largest OF the crystals. which was
blue as sapphire, and possessed little
light at A distance. she presently picked
up with tiny tongs. and coming over to
me, she knelt at my side. holding the
Jewel before my eyes. and clesping my
left hand In hers. And then she cried
with the widest excitement in her voice,
and her breast heaving with her emo
ton:
''Oh. look at II. is there anything more
beautiful on earth than perfect sap
phire? and ] made II. IL is all my work.
all my own,'
While she cried thus she held my hand
firmly and the pressure of her own was
hot al fire but this ] only remembered
afterwards. for gradually as | looked at
the jewel critically, 1t took the color and
the shape of a perfect gem. 1t was not n
large stone. perhaps one of three carats,
but the longer I looked upon IL the more
brilliant and beautiful did II appear 10
be. Never had | seen more perfect shape
or promise OF light when set; and with
the realization OF the discovery my head
reeled as the possibility that this mere
girl had succeeded where so many had
failed doomed at last before me. 1t was
true, then. as Oldfeld said. that she could
manufacture n perfect jewel before his
eyes. Here was one which. If we'll cut
| could sell for hundred pounds. She
had made that. | could swear; Why
should she not make a hundred, A thou