The Nezperce herald. (Nezperce, Idaho) 1900-1957, 1911-12-07


Yes. my boy. was an instructo
IN analytical chemistry. The student
who studied under me worked In tn
college laboratory. From my earl.
youth 1 had shown a fondness 70
chemical processes and before I wal
eighteen had made several discoveries
though none OF them so important Al
one made several years later.
Your mother was in the woman'i
college attached TO the university, an(
she and became acquainted
Your mothers parents being poor
as soon as she was graduated she &C
eepted a position as gOverness with I
very rich lady. whose children she
taught. A year after she left the uni
versity she came into the laboratory
one day to see me. and by her appear.
ance l knew at once that she was In
great trouble.
"T have come to you. she said.
'Shere being no one else In whom 1
dare confde. l wish you to advise
me- The lady by whom am employ
ed took a great fancy to me as soon
as entered her service and last
week. when she went away to be one
OF a house party consisting OF very
rich people like herself. left her most
valuable jewels In my care. They
have been kept in a safe In her bed
room. and she intrusted the key with
me. The day after her departure she
,4t-.-k.l4 -. - l,kko- a., uorI 49, .
certain brooch she wished to wear
with a costume It especially fitted
unlocked the safe. took out the brooch
and while packing It left the safe door
open. When / returned to the room
before locking the safe It occurred TO
me to see II the jewels were there.
A box containing the most valuable
ones had disappeared What shall dor
In tracking the thief could be
Of no assistance TO the poor girl. but
! had been making some experiments
with results that suggested to me a
possible temporary solution Of the
difficulty. There had then recently
been discovered the substance called
radium. which you win soon learn
something about at school Its infu-
.nce on other substances Is remark
lble- I had used Il in the laboratory
N the little glass receptacles called |
est tubes and had found that It had
-urned them a beautiful blue color. II
occurred to me that the shade was /
dmilaF to that OF sapphires- This
bought resulted In these riches We
low possess"
Howl Go on with the story"
1T led me to a series OF expert
nents- / exposed crystals Of different
olors 70 the influence OF radium, put
ing the crystals and the radium away
ogether in a dark closet The white
rystaIs had become topazes. the blue
rystals emeralds. and violet crystals
Tere turned to sapphires- had
earned the secret Of the constitution
I gems They were simply crystals
hat had been acted upon by radium-
4 told your mother that I might
uplIcate the lost gems II l only knew
heir shapes. colOrs and sizes. where
pom she told me that the owner kept
Of them to be used TO
lentify them IN case Of their loss at
heir exact size. She brought me the
and without losing a
loment / had crystals cut to match
lem and exposed the crystals to
ldium.
THE danger was that the owner of
le Jewels would call for them before
ley had been exposed long enough TO
lange their color Besides. those ] (
as making might not cChe out the
ght shade. resolved on an expe-
ent As soon as any Of the crystals
scame gems I took them to a jeweler
I'D exchanged them for those whose
DIOR matched the originals and had
lose I received cut the exact shape.
the lady remained away q
Ificient time to meet these require {
ents, and she never knew that her
ms had been stolen"
But was that honest. dadT ii
Had the gems been spurious It
Ould not have been honest. but they
ere real The originals had been
ade in natures laboratory. just as 5
made these In mine"
How did you make so much out Of i
p o
4 simply manufactured gems and i
ID them without imparting my secret.
It IN time a chemist In Germany 4
ade the same discovery as ], and q
ose scientists over there used to give a
their discoveries TO the world He =
blished the secret, and henceforth g
gems became Of little value. Con Y
luently they are no longer priced By
= rich. They are as beautiful. now :
It they are manufactured BY man. b
they were when nature was their 4,
~ maker. but value depends on 2,
fly. and since gems are no longer y
,e they are no longer valuable" 81
What has taken the place Of these 70
fashioned ornamentsY' =
Those substances which nature used y
manufacture them. Recently there
; been a craze for radinm and GER D
y like substances discovered since
lium became known. The richest
,pIe now think nothing OF spending =.
million or so on q BIT Of radium 30
nnged as 70 be worn as an orna- Of
nj Eorfunaa hare konf naco with III,