The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1911-11-14
The Filigree
Bracelet
An Oriental Tale
BY cLARIssA MAcKIE
Copyright by American Press Asso-
citation, 1911.

Copyright by American Press Agsb- !
I citation. 1911. I
On the third evening after the tour
list steamer Neptune left Constantine
pie the little group Of people whom
congenial interests had drawn togeth
or out Of the hundreds Of passenger
aboard the big ship gathered theil
seven chairs in friendly proximity
Professor Trayle laid his hand or
the soft white wrist of his daughter
Madeline II notice that my daughter
is wearing her fligree bracelet thir
evening, and it reminds me that there
is story connected with its purchase
in Constantinople."
Good" cried Mr. Hanford, and his
wife echoed approval in her Quiei
voice. "We have had the story of "A
Carpet From Mazandaran' and also
the alluring tale Of the Crystal Ball
and what Miss Gray saw In It, Lei
us have the bracelet story, and mind
| you omit no details. Miss Trayle."
| ITS really the plainest sort Of
story" protested Miss Trayle. IT had
planned, when my turn camelSto relate
the wonderful adventure father had
with the bronze teapot"
"Ah, my dear. that is my very OWE
story" laughed the professor 'I see
that Mr.. FELTON, has unrolled the car
pet of Mazandaran, on which no man
can sit and tell other than the truth
so remember that the old legend up
| plies to both sexes"
They all laughed as Alexander FELTON,
| spread the ancient bit of carpet which
he had found in remote interior
province and Madeline Trayle with a
single graceful movement sank to q
seat upon its silken texture
"Father and spent day among the
bazaars in Constantinople," she began,
"but we could not discover anything
that resembled the bracelet I wanted
| A dear friend of mine in New York
| possessed a filigree bracelet which
| was considered a perfect specimen Of
Byzantine silver work. may as we'll
save words by saying now that this
bracelet is its duplicate in every detail
my friend said the bracelet had
been purchased in the bazaar In Con-
stantinople. and supposed it would
be an easy matter to duplicate 1t. The
day father and spent there revealed
| that there was not another bracelet
! like Emily brakes in all Constantine
pie unless it was worn by some fair
denizen of the city. Thus spoke the
| shopkeepers in the bazaar.
Father has friend who is inter
ested In the raisin industry. and this
gentleman has villa on vine clad
slope beyond the tip of the Golden
Horn, and it literally overhangs the
| Bosporus sea. We drove out there
and spent a day, and on our return to
Constantinople we met an itinerant
peddler, who offered me this bracelet.
"Of course we did not bargain long
for it. It did not need his clever tale
of its having once belonged to the sui
tan's fayorite, who tired Of the bauble
and gave it to slave woman, who In
turn sold it TO our peddler. He asked
a ridiculous price, and father paid it
without murmur.
1--WE had not proceeded more than
hundred yards before the peddler
was at our horses heels, begging for
another word with my father. OF
course father had spoken to the man
In his own language. and now he I'M
derstood the babel Of sounds that
poured from his lips. As the sounds
were accompanied by an outstretched
palm l knew the man wanted money
for something, and saw father toss
the peddler twenty plaster piece and
listen with interest to a long recital,
accompanied by much gesticulation.
Yes, indeed. father, you did appear
much interested in the story the man
told
when we were once more on our
way toward the city father related
the story the man had sold to him
for 20 piasters. 1t was a good story,
well worth 30 piasters, father, dear.
do believe you secured bargain
in that storyw Madeline smiled mis-
chievously up into her fathers rueful
countenance.
Remember, you're sitting on the
carpet of truth. my dear" he warned
laughingly.
at was a good story" protested
Madeline.
"Ah, do tell it,? cried Mrs. Hanford
impatiently.
"Please do" chimed in the others
THE story went that the sultan
bought it from a fortune teller, who
predicted that whatever woman wore
1t on her arm might marry the richest
man in the world One can well i'm
agine the supercilious incredulity Of
the sultan and the disdain with which
he waved the story teller aside. Well,
never mind whether father and be-
lieved the story or not. The bracelet
seemed to possess an added attrac
ton for both Of us. and will confess
that as soon as we reached the Nep-
tune that afternoon l FASTENED to my
stateroom and scrubbed 1t vigorously
with soap and water until it became
quite clean and bright.
'It's Incredible how filthy some Of
that native jewelry is" remarked Miss
Gray, with a shudder of disgust
Apparently they believe that GER
tain amount of soil laid on the article
increases its interest and naturally
its value" laughed her nephew. Ar
thur Clayton "I'll confess to one fad
Of mine when I'm travelling around
these parts and
yankee! These parts!" SCORED hi
aunt.
That's what ami! maintained Mr..
Clayton emphatically. I'm the most
dyed In the wool Yankee that ever
ever
Manufactured a wooden nutmeg"
finished Mr.. Hanford quietly.
go on with the story, Miss Trayle.'
urged Miss Gray impatiently. "We've
interrupted you times enough. Arthur
keep still!'
"Well. scrubbed the bracelet clean
outside and inside and wore it the next
day when l went ashore. We had
been spending the morning In the Su.
lehman mosque and were standing on
the steps waiting for our carriage to
convey us to the hotel for luncheon
when father suddenly saw Mr.. JusseF-
men, the raisin exporter, and dashed
down the steps to intercept him, leav-
ing me alone.
'Then from the shadow Of the tall
columns beside which was standing
there emerged the tall. lean form Of
a man clad in spotless white, with
fez on the back of his dark head. He
was man Of middle age. l should
think, and his hair was iron gray, and
there was the saddest expression in