The Cairo bulletin., 1912-03-08

calculated. Nobody who knows you
would ever think that, old man
But. say"
"See here. Dicky boy, I'm In dead
earnest" he interrupted eagerly.
Don't you remember my one fad
gems? Got enough tied up In them
to build two apartment houses as big
as this. Best amateur collection in
New York. IL do say II. But haven't
anything like one of these ruhies, and
neither has any one else-no one else
In this country, anyhow. There's
nothing Ike them in all New York,
from Tiffanyss down to Maiden Lane,
and never has been. never saw any
thing like-near like any OF them
except the one in the Russian crown
Of Anna Ivanovana That's bigger,
but It hasn't the same fire"
just laughed at him. why, Bill
ings. these pajamas were sent me by
a friend In China, and assure you"
Assure? What can you assure
what do you know about it?' said
Billings rudeiy. what did your friend
know, or the one he had these things
from-or the one before him-or the
one still before that? Pshaw!" And
he snapped his fingers.
With his hand be- swept up the lit.
tie caps and the long, wirelike threads
that held them and shifted the hand
full curiously.
Hin! Funky sort of aromatic smell
--balsam, cedar OIL or something like
that" he muttered half aloud. That
accounts for the preservation. But
still"
He crossed his legs and pulled
thoughtfully.
Tell you how I figure this out,
Dicky," he said finally. These night
les your friend has sent you are aw-
fully rare and old; and for delicate.
dainty elegance and that sort OF thing
they've got everything else in the silk
way showed OFF the clothes-line. But
as to these jewels. you can just hSt
all you've got that whoever passed
them on was not wise to them beip :
under these covers"
Here he got to looking at one OF
the buttons and murmuring his ad.
miration-regular trance, you know
BY Joye!" / remarked, Just to stir
him up bit. And he unloaded a
great funnel OF smoke and continued:
my thc0.y is that during some
danger, some mandarins' war, likely,
somebody got cold feet about these
jewels and roped them In with these
bits of silk--see how different they
are from the rest of the stuff! Then,
when the roughhouse came, these pa
jamas were swept along In the sack
ing-sort OF spoils OF pillage, you
know 1t was a clever method OF con
cealment--clever because simple---n
hiding place unlikely to be thought OF
because right under the eye. You re-
call Poe's story OF The Purloined Let
ter%"' ''@ ft'
asked Billings how much he
thought one Of the rubies was worth.
l had In mind how devilish hungrily
he had looked at them. But he sighed,
then frowned and answered impatient
":
That's It.! That's the trouble about
ail the rare and beautiful things on
thp life' Always some debasing,
pFohi5itiye sordid money value. DAM
mit!"
He squinted at the stones again and
let the weight OF one rest upon his
niger. He shook his head, signing
Well. they're over twenty carats
each, and therefore, Of course, many
times the value Of first water dia.
nonds. After you get above five
carats with real Oriental rubies, dla-
monds are not in It."
With an abrupt gesture he pushed
the things away and rose His pipe
bad gone oft, but | noticed that az
did not reiteht IT, | held the gems
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