Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1910-11-08

For how, by all that was marvellous,
had she for a moment doubted it?
Down to its very heart, which was
near to black, it was clear fire, and
outward towards the facets struck
flaming hyacinth hues with zigzag
white cross-lights that dazzled and
mesmerized.
Harry" she breathed, without TAX
ing her gaze from the thing in her
hand, do look at this!"
She felt him lean closer. Then with
an abrupt Lets see it," he took it
from her-held 1t to the light, laid it
on his palm, looked sharply across
the counter at the shopkeeper, then
back at the ring with long scrutiny.
His face, too, had a flush of excite
ment
rs it-good?" Flora faltered
"a sapphire" he said, and taking
her third finger by the tip, he slid
on the thin circle of metal.
She breathed high, looking down at
the stone with eyes absorbed in the
blue fire. 1t was too beautiful The
feeling it brought her was too sharp
for pure pleasure It was dimly like
fear. Yet instinctively she shut her
hand about the ring. She murmured
out her wonder.
How in the world did such a thing
come bere?"
"Oh. not so strange" Harry answer
ed Sailors now and then pick up
thing of whose value they have no
idea-get hard up, and pawn it-still
without any idea. These chaps"-and
his bold hand indicated the shopkeep-
er-'take in anything-that is, any
thing worth their while; and wait,
and wait, and wait until they see just
the moment-and turn it to account"
1t might be because Harry's eyes
were so taken with the jewel that his
tongue ran recklessly. He had spoken
low, but Flora sent an anxious glance
to be sure the shopkeeper hadn't over
heard. She had meant only to
glance, but she found herself staring
into eyes that stared back from the
other side of the counter. That wide,
unwinking scrutiny filled her whole
vision. For an instant she saw moth
ing but the dance of scintillant pupils
Then, with little gasp she clutched
at her companions arm.
"Oh, Harry!"
His glance came quickly round to
her. why, what's the matter?"
She murmured. THAT Chinaman has
blue eyes"
He looked at her with good-natured
wonder.
why, Flora, haven't you blue on
the brain? l believe he has, though"
he added, as he peered across the
counter at the shopkeeper, whose gaze
now fiuttered under narrowed lids;
but why in the world should blue
eyes scare you?" His look returned
indulgently to Flora's face.
She could not explain her reason of
fear to him. She only whispered back,
But he is awful"
"Oh, | guess not" Harry grinned,
and turned his back to the counter,
only part white. Makes him a little
sharper at bargain"
But, in spite of his off-handedness,
Flora saw he was alert, touched with
excitement.
DO you like it, Flora?" he said
do you want it?"
1T is the most beautiful thing
ever saw. but" She could not put it
to him why she shrank from it. That
% H.
first had a little expanded, the sense
of the sapphire's sinister charm She
faltered out as much as she could ex-
plain. Its too much for me-"
"Oh, l guess not" he said again,
and with that he seemed to make an
end of her hesitation. She let him
draw the ring off her hand with min
gled feeling of reluctance and relief.
She saw him turn briskly to the shop
keeper.
Now, Joe, how much you want?"
That much she heard as she turned
away with a fear lest it might, and
a hope that it would be, too much for
him.
She fingered away to the door,
through whose upper glazed half she
saw the street swarming and sunny,
picked out with streamers of red and
squares of green. The murmur of
traffic outside was faint to her ears
The murmur of the two voices talking
on inside the shop momentiy grew
fainter. She looked behind her and
saw them now in the back of the shop,
close by the grinning brazier.
The light of it showed what would
have been otherwise dark. 1t showed
her Harry. straddling. hands in peck
cts, hat thrust back, a silhouette as
hard as if cast in cold metal. The as
pect of him, thus, was strange, not
quite unlike himself, but giving her
the feeling that she had never known
how much Harry smoothed over
Whatever they were arguing about.
she found 1t hard to go on standing
thus with her back to it, and for 90
long. while her expectancy tigbtened.
and her unreasonable idea that she
did not want the ring, more and mere
took hold of her. If he did not want
to sell it, why not let it go-the beau
tiful thing
She thought she would call Harry
and suggest it--but no. She hesitated
She would give them chance TO
finish it themselves. She would count
ten pigtails past the window first.
She tlrned. and there they were
yet They had not moved. The shad-
ow of the gesticulating little China
man danced like bird on the wall,
and before him Harry glowed, immov-
able, but rudy. as if the hard metal
whereof he was cast was slowly heat
ing through. The thought came to
her then. Harry was iron. The hard
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