The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-03-06


In the imperial cabinet at Vienna SC
brilliant was II. so fascinating In the
everchanging play of its varieSations, sc
perfect In every characteristic OF the nm
est Hungarian gem, that for some mo-
ments | let the man hold 1t out TO me
and said no word. There was running
through my mind tho question which
must have risen under such circum-
stances Where had he got 1t from? fo
had stolen 1t. | concluded at the first
thought. and again, at the second, HOW
else could man who wore rags under an
astrachan coat have come to the posses
sion of a gem upon which the most com
mercial instinct would have hesitated to
set price?
TO face with a swlndler. when his eX-
clamation reminded me that he expected
We'll" ne said, "are you frightened to
He had been holding out the tongs. in
which ne gripped the stone lightly, for
some seconds. and had not yet Ventured
TO touch them. sitting, | do not doubt
with surprise written all over my face
But when lie spoke. l took the opal from,
him. and turned my strong glass upon IT,
You seem to have brought me a fine
thing / said as carelessly as l could
''Is IL stone with history?
1T has no hisrory-at least, none that
should care TO write
And yet" l continued, there cannot
be three larger opals in Europe. do you
know the stone at Nienna?"
Perfectly: but IT has not the black
OF this. and Is coarser. This is an older,
so far as the birth OF Its discovery goes,
by hundred years.
1 thought that he was gllb With his
tale for a man who had such poor one
and certainly he looked me In the face
with amazing readiness. He had not
the eyes OF rogue, and his manner
was not that of one criminaly restless.
IF you will allow me-" l said. when
had looked at the stone for a few mo-
will under
brighter light there; perhaps you would
like TO amuse yourself with this pareel
Of rubies."
had two or three parcels OF stones to
show TO any man who came TO me la
boring under u sorry and palpably poor
story; and one OF these l then took from
my desk and spread upon the table un-
der the eyes OF the Russian, The stones
were all imitation, and worth no more
than cents apiece, If he were judge,
he would discover the cheat at the iirst
sight of them: II he were swindler,
he would endeavor 10 steal them, In
either case the test was useful, And l
took care TO turn my back upon MN
while I examined the opal, to give him
every opportunity OF filling his pockets
should he choose.
When I had the jewel under the pow
erful light OF an unshaded incandescent
lamp | could see that it merited all the
appreciation l had bestowed upon 1t at
first sight 1t was hawless. wanting the
demerit Of a single mark which could be
pointed TO in depreciation of It's price
For play OF color and radlatinS gener-
osity of hues. have already said no man
has seen it's equal. ! put IL in the scales,
called Michel TO establish my. own opin-
Ions. tried 1t by every test that can be
readily harmed, and came to the only
conclusion possible-that 1t was a stone
which would make a sensation In any
market, and call bids from the courts In
r.. 7, at,,... fTNe ma In l.n nN0
the history of Il, and with that / went
back to my desk and resumed the con-
vcrsation, first glanctng at the sham
parcel of ruhies, to find that the man
"It is remarkable opal" I said,
a'the finest ever put before me. You
have come here to sell II. l presume?"
Exactly. / want $4,000 for, it .
prepared to furnish me with the history
both of 1t and of yourself?"
He shrugged his shoulders contemptu-
ously. IF you think that have stolen
1t we had better close the discussion at
tory to every tradesman I deal with"
''In that case" said I, you have
wasted your time ! buy no no jewels that
His superciliousness was almost i'm
pertinent. 1t would have been quite so
II II had not been dominated by an
absurd and almost grotesque pride.
sure then that he was either an honest
man or the best actor I had ever seen,
Think the matter over" / added In
a less Indifferent tone: 81 am certain
that YOU will then acquit me OF unrea-
sonableness. Call here again in a day
or two. and we will have a chat about
It"
This softer speech availed me as lit
tie as the other. He made no sort OF
answer TO it. but packing his opal care
fully again, he rose abruptly and left the
shop. AS he went I touched my bell
twice. and Abel followed him quietly
down Piecadilly. while I sent q line to
Scotland Yard informing the commits
sioners OF the presence OF such a man as
gantuan jewel he carried, Then l went
home through the fog and the humid
night: but my way was lighted by a
memory OF the magnificent gem I had
seen. and the hunger for the opal was
already upon me.
The inquiry at Scotland Yard proved
Paris. to Berlin. to st. Petersburg, to
New York. but got no tidings either Of
robbery or OF the man whom mere
circumstances pointed at as a pretender
This seemed TO me the more amazing
since I could not conceive that a stone
such as this was should not have made
all material things do not hide their
light under bushels. Let there be great
find at Kimberley or In the Murinese
mines; let fine emerald or n perfect
turquoise be brought to Europe, and
every dealer In the country knows Its
weight. It's, color and It's value before
three days have passed. II this man, who
hugged this small fortune to him, and