The Press., 1912-02-07
The Filigree Bracelet An Oriental Tale By CLARISSA MACKIB Copyright by American Press Ans0-
 citation, 1911.

On the third evening after the tour ist steamer Neptune left Constantine pie the little group of people whom congenial interests had drawn togeth- CT out of the hundreds of passengers aboard the big ship gathered their seven chairs in friendly proximity.
 Professor Trayle laid his hand on the soft white wrist of his daughter, Madeline II notice that my daughter is wearing her filigree bracelet this evening, and it reminds me that there i is story connected with its purchase in Constantinople."
 "Goodr' cried MT. Hanford, and his wife echoed approval in her quiet voice. we have had the story of "A Carpet From Mazandaran' and also the alluring tale of The Crystal BalP and what Miss Gray saw in 1t. Let us have the bracelet story, and mind you omit no details. Miss Trayle"
 "It's really the plainest sort of story" protested Miss Trayle. T, had planned, when my turn came, to relate the wonderful adventure father had with the bronze teapot"
 "Ah, my dear, that is my very own story" laughed the professor. 'I see that MT. 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 ap- plies to both sexes"
 They all laughed as Alexander Felton spread the ancient bit of carpet which l he had found in a remote interior province and Madeline Trayle with a single graceful movement sank to a seat upon it's silken texture.
 Father and I 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. l may as well 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 I spent there revealed that there was not another bracelet like Emily Drake's in all Constantine pie unless it was worn by some fair denizen of the city. Thus spoke the shopkeepers in the bazaar.
 Father has a friend who is inter- ested in the raisin industry, and this gentleman has a 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 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 1t. It did not need his cleveEdGle of its having once belonged to the sdl- tan's favorite, who tired of the bauble and gave it to a slave woman, who in turn sold it to our peddler. He asked a ridiculous price, and father paid it without a murmur.
 we had not proceeded more than a hundred yards before the peddler was at our horse's heels, begging for another word with my father. Of course father had spoken to the man in his own language, and now he un- derstood the babel of sounds that poured from his lips. AS the sounds were accompanied by an outstretched palm knew the man wanted money for something, and I saw father toss the peddler twenty plaster piece and listen with interest to a long recital, i accompanied by much gesticulation. | Yes, indeed, father, you did appear 1 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. It was a good story, well worth 30 piasters, father, dear. do believe you secured a bargain in that story!" Madeline smiled mis- chievously up into her fathers Hue9ul | countenance.
 Remember, you're sitting on the | carpet of truth, my dear," he warned ! laughingly.
 "It was a good story" protested l Madeline.
 "Ah, do tell itp' cried Mrs. Hanford I impatiently.
 Please do," chimed in the others.
 'The story went that the sultan I bought 1t from a fortune teller, who I predicted that whatever woman wore 1 it on her arm might marry the richest l man in the world. One can well im-i agfne the supercilious incredulity of ! the sultan and the disdain with which ! he waved the story teller aside. We'll, 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 hastened to my \ stateroom and scrubbed it vigorously ' with sOaD and water until 1t h0Nam0 quite clean and bright.
 'EIts incredible how filthy some of \ that native jewelry is," remarked Miss l Gray, with a shudder of disgust.
 Apparently they believe that cer- tain amount of soil laid on the article increases it's interest and naturally it's 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!" scoffed luis aunt.
 That's what amp maintained MT. Clayton emphatically. I'm the most dyed in the wool Yankee that ever eVer"-
 Manufactured a wooden nutmeg" finished MT. Hanford quietly.
 ''Go on with the story, Miss Trayle," urged Miss Gray impatiently. We've interrupted you times enough. Arthur, keep stillv'
 Well, scrubbed the bracelet clean outside and inside and wore 1t the next day when I went ashore. We had been spending the morning in the Su-