The Grenada sentinel. [volume] (Grenada, Miss.) 1868-1955, 1919-10-10
CUT DIAMOND
q Jane Bunker

could hit bottom with her nose. We
made profuse apologies and dropped
for safety into the nearest chairs. ]
waH ciutching vigorously at The arm
of mine, when she fastened her gaze
ON a ring l wore, reached out and took
my hand.
She said, "What n very curious
ring-it looks as though it had q his
tory" turning 1t for different angles
to draw 1t of.
l said it had, and she asked me to
let her take it of and try it on. 1 had
curled my fingers over hers to prevent
it. for I hate to have people trying on
my rings. 50. | shook my head and
replied. "That would break the spoil"
She dropped my hand instantly:
said. excuse mel didn't know It wae
that. though l felt the speil-the occult
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. l touched IL. You
know l think 1 feft it that frst time
we met when we bought the slippers.
though / didn't see the ring. I felt
something occult all AROUND you. You
/, are under the protection Of very pow.
erful influences" ----<W
Well. Of course. I hadn't meant any.
thing so serious as that when [ spoke.
but seeing that she was very much In
earnest I let 1t pass and told her the
story Of the ring. II is a pleasantly
romantic tale. the curious escapes from
perils and sudden deaths coincident to
the rings possession giving you the!
feeling that it's lucky.
Mrs. DeiariO listened. and when j,
had flashed she burst out. I'm mad
over gemS-simpiy mad! It's been the
dream Of my life to own them In hand
fuls. You cant imagine the influenced
they have Over me. l could sing-l,
could dance. They thrill me through
and through. People don't generally
think 1t. but gems are alive" ,
W. had some discussion on this
rather fippant on my part, and 1t was
this incident that started US talking,
gems and gem values. a subject that.
had been my pet delight since child
hood when l learned the story Of the
ring that vas one day to be my own,
A few days later she came to my
stateroom with a very mysterious air.
said she had some stones she would
like TO have me value for her, and pro-,
duced a package Of tOpazes. She said,
she had bought them In q little town.
in Belgium. +,
l ran them through my hands. held
a few to the light and in less than
sixty seconds told her they were worth;
from ninety cents 10 IA dollar apiece. .
She was in high feather over it. say.
ing she'd paid only a frame each for
them. She next asked me to appraise
the dia mOnds in a ring she wore. i
gave her the value Of the stones and
the probable price that had been paid
for 1t. She appeared 10 much inn
pressed by my knowledge that she fat
teringIy said as she rose to leave me.
"Tl know where to come If I ever
need expert opinion on stones-and /
may some day"
I didn't think anything Of this at the
time-people always say it to me out
of pOIiteness-and I no more expected
her to call on me as q gem expert
than / looked for her to call me as a
physician or a lawyer or anything that
l professionally wasn't. She knew j
was a writer, for was pegging away
at Belgian Byways" as hard as ever
/ could to get it ready in time for
Blanks magasine-so much that I had
to tell Claire frankly she mustn't both
er me while / was working. l remem-
Der that l was quite sharp to her one
morning. saying l should not be able
to go out on deck with he till after
noon. and after had left me. look
Ing rather sad. 1 had to rush to my
stateroom for my forgotten penknife.
and there was Claire.
j confess 1t surprised me to see herr
there without invitation. but she ex-;
clsed it by saying that she thought Il
wouldn't mind-she'd grown so tired
Of her " stateroOm and Mrs. Delario:
was always talking about people shei
didn't know-and wouldn't /, just QUIT
Of pity, let her tie In my berth a whileE
MY suitcase was open In the BERTH
I toOk-it out and slowed it; and them
Just out of pity l laid Claire down I'M
its place and stayed with her. That
n triling act probably changed the.
course of my life: but I'm telling the;
story as it unwound it's length and;
cOiled its entangling meshes over the,
straight and narrow path my feet,
were treading.
1t was because Of u common I'M
terest in Claire that / saw a great
deal more of Mrs. Delario than I other-i
wise should have done. 1t was on the,
last day out that she first mentioned
her own children to me, saying that
one reason why she'd been willing toi
take the responsibility of Claire was;
that she was so IKE her Lila, u g1r!
6f thirteen In a boarding school: and
from Lila she went on to Eugene, wh0i
couldn't meet her at the steamer, IN,