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About The Corvallis gazette. (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899 | View Entire Issue (June 8, 1894)
THIS UUKVALLJ humaI i LIMITATION. For all philosophy my teach. Only so far can knowledge reach. All that we know, from breath to breath. Is Life and its great question Death. . Frank D. Sherman in Lippincott's. PASTE OR DIAMOND? "Yes, it belonged to poor Turenne,' said Wyse as he pulled the ring from lis finger and banded it to us for in spection. "He left it to me by his will, nnd I keep it in memory of one of the best actors and one of the best men I ever knew." Meanwhile the ring was passing from hand to hand, and the universal verdict was that none of ns had ever seen a finer 6 tone. "Tnrenne was rather a wealthy man, " said one of oor little circle, "bat I didn't think he could have afforded or would have cared to spend so much money on an ornament as that ring must have cost." "He waited it for some special pur pose which afterward fell through," re joined Wyse. "I know all about it, for I bought it for him myself. I had quite a little adventure on the occasion." "Tell us the story," we cried. "Well," said Wyee, taking a pull at bis cigar and settling himself back in his chair, "it is a good many years ago now. I was playing high comedy char acters at the old Princess, and as I had been working very hard I set off for the south of France as soon as the season closed. It happened that Turenne, who bad proved himself a true friend to me, wanted a good diamond for a purpose I needn't trouble you with, and before I set out on my travels I told him that if I met with a particularly fine one at a moderate price I would bny it for him, and he, being too busy at the time to at tend to the matter himself, gladly con sented. I was staying at Nice when there came to the hotel one of those tall, loquacious Americans who are now bo plentiful all over Europe. There seemed to be nothing objectionable about the man, except that he was vnlgar and eternally talking about the United States. "On the evening after his arrival a few of ns happened to be sitting in the billiard room, and by some chance or other the conversation turned on the subject of diamonds. " '1 don't know much about the busi ness myself,' said the American, 'but I'm told by good judges that thar's about as good a stone as you'll see in a day's round.' "So saying he drew a ring from hia finger and handed it to me, who hap pened to sit next him. ' It was indeed a magnificent brilliant, set in a ring of a peculiar pattern. When the lamp was removed, it 6eemed to gather into itself the light out of the semidarkness and glittered like a bit of broken glass in the sunshine. ' What is it worth?' asked one of the men present. " 'That I can hardly tell yon, an swered the American, 'seein a friend at Buenos sent it to mo direct, and I had it cut myself. But I'm tired of it and seldom wear it.' " 'Would you sell it? I inquired ont of curiosity. " 'I might,' answered the American, 'especially as this European trip is clean in me out faster than I expected, and I don't want to go home to Vermont skinned as neatly as a cod. Yes, yon may have that diamond for 80 of your money, stranger, and dirt cheap at that, I should say.' "I looked at the stone again, and the longer I looked at it the more I liked it. Eighty pounds was quite as much as my friend wished to pay for a stone, but what if I could get one for him wqrth 100 for 80? " 'Will yon trade?' he asked. " 'I am not a judge of diamonds my self,' said I, returning the stone to its owner. 'I'm afraid I couldn't buy with out taking a lapidary's opinion as to its value.' " 'All right,' said the American care lessly; 'it you care to bev it, we can go round to a jeweler's in the morn in. And if he puts a lower value on the stone than I did you can bev it at the price be names, if yon like to buy. I can't say fairer than that.' "The offer did indeed eeem a very fair one, and I went to bed that night deter mined to secure the jewel for my friend if the expert reported favorably on it. "Next morning the American and I strolled down to the shop of the chief jeweler of the town, and when we en tered the place I first of all paid my footing by purchasing some trifle, and then taking the ring from the hand of my new acquaintance I placed it before the jeweler and asked him to give me an opinion as to its value. " 'A ver' fine stone, sir,' said the Frenchman. 'I congratulate yon on the possession of so fine a diamond. ' " 'It is not mine. It belongs to my friend here.' " 'Ah, if that be the case, then I con gratulate heem,' said the polite trades man. " 'What do yon suppose it is worth?' I asked. " 'Oh, it is difficult to say,' said the Frenchman, shrugging his shoulders. 'Von gentleman sinks von price mor' for him; another sinks' " 'Yes, but what would yoa give if yon were to bay it? Would yoa give 1,800 francs? "The jeweler did not reply for a few seconds. He popped bis microscope nee more into bis eye, held the ring np o the light, examined the setting and 'ell to making elaborate calculations itb a pencil on a sheet of paper. 'I do not often buy such large tones, but I will give yoa 2,500 francs or this one.' The Yankee did not reply, and the IFrenchman, assuming that his offer was becepted, placed. the ring on a little ledge behind him and opened his desk for his checkbook. " 'Not so fast,' said Brother Jona han. 'The diamond's not for said.' " 'Two thousand six hundred francs, was the Frenchman's reply. "The American shook his head. " 'Seven hundred-ight hundred!' 'Not' "Nine hundred 3,000 francs! That k my last offer. Pause, I beg of yon. honsiear, before yoa refuse It. It is a wren snm 3. 000 francs. ' And as if be Ivere convinced that no one could refuse uch a price he put the stone once more Imnnsr his own treasures and again urned round for his cnecK dook. 'Thunder.' exclaimed the xanKee, 'what do you ta"ke me for? I tell you I can't and I won't sell yoa the ring. It Was as good as sold to this British gen tleman last night, and it isn't mine to sell any more. Give me the ring.' "So saying the American took the ring rather sharply from the jeweler's hand and replaced it on his finger. The Frenchman next made me an offer for the trinket, but as I had not bought it for myself of course I could not sell it, and we left the shop. "My mind was clear now as to the prudence of giving 80 for the diamond. I had heard the best jeweler in the town offer 3.000 francs, or 120, for it. " 'Well, I must say you have acted most honorably, ' said I to the American when we reached the street. 'After all. a bargain can't be all on one side, and I bad never promised to buy the ring, so you had a perfect legal right to sell It to the Frenchman.' " ' You needn't say no more, stran ger,' said the Yankee as if be were tired of the subject. 'You can bev the stone now if you choose at the price we fixed on last night.' And he held the ring out to me. "But I had to get my letters of credit cashed, and I agreed to meet the Amer ican in the billiard room in an hour's time and conclude the transaction. "No one was in the billiard room when I entered it, for it was still early ; in the day, except the American, who I was standing by the empty fireplace. ' The transfer did not occupy more than i five seconds, and the Yankee immedi ! ately proposed drinks. These being dis : cussed, weseparated, and I saw no more j of my friend from the States that day. j "That evening after dinner I hap pened to be sitting not far from the fire place in the billiard room when I no ticed a small round object Iy-ingjjust inside the marble fender. Curious to : know what it was, I left my seat and j picked it np. It was a jeweler's ring ' case, not an uncommon article certain ly, yet hardly the sort of thing one of ten sees on the floor of a billiard room, j "Suddenly I remembered that the American had been standing close to the spot where I found it when earlier in the day I had exchanged my 2,000 francs' worth of notes for his diamond. ' An uncomfortable feeling crossed my mind. What did he want with a ring case? He bad been wealing the ring he sold to me. He might have kept a case for it of course and might have thrown it away when he parted with the ring. "I opened the case. The maker's name was inscribed in gilt letters in side the lid, and the address given was Paris. 'Paris! said I to myself. 'He said the ring had been bought in Brazil.' There was no real ground for suspicion, yet I was uneasy. I went up stairs and took out the ring. The pattern yoa see it is a peculiar one I remembered well. Somehow I judged or fancied that the diamond did not shine as brightly as it had done the night before. "Next morning I took the ring to a second jeweler and asked bim his opin ion as to its value. He examined the diamond carefnlly and laid it down on the glass case before him with one con temptuous word: . " 'Paste!' " 'Paste!' I echoed. 'Impossible!' -" 'Certuinly paste, and a very good imitation,' he replied, turning away. "My heart sank within mev Eighty pounds was a sum I could ill afford to lose. "With a faint hope that the second expert had been mistaken, 1 took the ring to the jeweler who had offered the American 3,000 francs for it. "He seemed pleased to see me, but as soon as he had glanced at the ring bis face changed. " 'This is not the same ring you showed me yesterday,' he said in a tone that made it plain that he thought I meant to cheat him. 'At least,' he add ed, 'it is not the same stone. This is not a stone at all it is paste. " 'So I. have been told,' I said sadly. 'Are yon sure the jewel I showed yon yesterday was a genuine diamond?' " 'I am certain of it,' he answered. "The honorable conduct as I had thought it of the stranger in refusing to sell to the jeweler, was now intelligi ble. The jeweler meant to keep the real stone. It was not difficult to see how the fraud had been managed. The swindler had had two rings made exact ly alike of a striking and peculiar pat tern. In one of them he had placed a genuine arid very fine diamond. This was the decoy. In the other he had put a false diamond, closely resembling in size and shape the genuine one in the first ring. The one he wore and offered to sell was the true stone. When he got it back from the jeweler, be had kept it and bad given me the sham one in ex change for my 80. What was I to do? "The first thing was to ascertain whether my friend had left the hotel. Of course he had on the afternoon of the previous day. Still the scent was so hot that I fancied I should have little difficulty in tracing him. Bnt when I found him my difficulties would only begin. Of course be would swear that he had sold me the ring with the stone which the jeweler had declared to be genuine. I might conceivably have sub stituted paste for the true gem as well as he. In any case, when I- thought of the difficulty of getting back my money from an American wandering about Enrope, my heart sank within me. Even if the police consented to help me, taking my word against his, even if the rogue were convicted, how was I to re cover the 2,000 francs? "These thoughts passed through my mind as I hurried back to the hotel. Certainly the prospect was gloomy 'I easily ascertained that the Amer ican had taken the train for Paris the day before, and I determined to follow him at once. I did not despair of find ing him, as be would probably put up at one of the good hotels. "On the way np to Paris I could think of nothing but my loss. This fel low I saw bad hit upon a very safe and profitable rriethodof swindling. In nine cases out of ten the cheated man would not discover bis loss for years after be had seen the last of the American, if indeed the trick was discovered at all, for the paste was quite good enough to deceive a casual observer, and the own er wonld of course be actuated by a pro found faith in his diamond straight - from Brazil. Had it not been for the incident of my finding the ringcase, which the rogue had accidentally drop ped, I should in all probability have un wittingly cheated poor Turenne out of his money, and he might afterward j have been supposed to be trying to ' palm off a spurious diamond for a real Mlllepeds. The little creature which possesses ( the distinction of having more legs than j any other animal is that which belongs I to the family of insects known as mille ', peds, or thousand footed. There are several different species of these, bat they all possess the common character istic of having segmented bodies, each segment of which is provided with its own pair of feet. These are set so close ly along the body as to resemble hairs, and when they move one after another with perfect regularity the effect is pre cisely the same on a small scale as that of a field of oats undulating under the influence of the wind. Some species of millepeds have as many as 850 separate and distinct legs. They are all per fectly harmless, unlike the centipeds, which frequently have the power of in flicting poisonous wounds. Brooklyn Eagle. The Old and the New. Powerful and large as are the great est of modern United States warships, they are all of low stature compared with the towering structures of 60 or 70 years ago. The United States steam ship Pennsylvania, built about 1828 and supposed at the time to be one of the largest warships ever launched, was 220 ! feet long and 58 broad. She carried 220 guns and towered aloft with five decks. I Her complement of men was 1,400.- j Detroit Free Press. . gem. In all probability the fellow made a living, and a very good one, by going about Europe and practicing this trick. "This idea sent off my thoughts on a new track, and by the time I had ar rived in Paris I had decided on my course of action. "First of all, I made careful inquiries at the railway station as to a tail Amer ican who had arrived from Nice by a certain train on a preceding day, und by the help of some 5 franc pieces I found the cabman who had driven him to his hotel the Continental. "This being ascertained, I chose a qniet, unpretending hotel for myself near one of the railway tiatiens; Then I emptied the contents of a light bag on my bed, and taking it empty in my hand went to a theatrical coatuiner's, and saying I intended to take part in some private theatricals I hired the cos tume of a French abbe. It was a part I had often played in a piece that had a pretty long run in London some eight years ago, and I had little doubt that 1 should be able to acquit myself in it fairly well. I got the proper dress, wig, powder and everything complete, and having put all the articles into ray bag I went to one ot the railway stations and took a return ticket for a station a littlo way out in the country. "To my disgust 1 found it impossible to get a compartment to myself. The train was too crowded, but I reflected that the trains returning to Paris would probably be much less crowded in the afternoon than those going into the country. "In this supposition I was right. I hung about the suburban railway sta tion till a retnrn train was about to start. It was nearly empty, and a dou ceur to the guard secured me the privacy I needed. By the time I returned to .Paris I was a stout, benevolent looking French priest in comfortable circum stances. My suit of tweeds I had placed in my bag, which I took care to leave at the railway station. Then I made the best of my way to the Hotel Continental. "I was just in time for the table d'hote, and as I took my seat I noticed with great satisfaction that my transat lantic friend was sitting not far off, and that he bad not a suspicion of my iden tity. Nothing, I knew, could be done until after dinner, so I waited through the tedious procession of courses as pa tiently as I could, and when at last they came to an end I followed the Amer ican and a little group of men who sur rounded him to the smoking room. It was not exactly the place for a priest, but I could not help that. "I sat down by a little round table near the American, but slightly behind him, so as to be able to hear the conver sation without joining in it unless I wished. From time to time I offered a remark, speaking of course in French, to the man who sat next me, but for the most part I smoked my cigar and sipped my coffee in silence. "As I expected, it was not long be fore diamonds became the subject of conversation. " 'I don't know much about diamonds myself,' said the American, speaking in his native tongue, 'but Fin told by good judges that thar's about as good a stone as you'll see anywhere round.' Almost exactly the phrases, I said to myself, which the fellow used to me at' Nice! " 'You kin take a look at it,' he add ed carelessly, drawing off the ring and handing it to one of the group. 1 bent forward, so as to see more clearly what was going on. One after another the men who were sitting near examined and admired the ring. The man next me was the last to look at it. " 'A friend 1 hev at Buenos Ayres sent it to me, and I had it cut myself.' "At this point I noticed that my neighbor had finished his examination of the diamond, and I touched him, inti mating that I, too 'would like to have a look at it. He handed it to me as a matter of course. "It was the very ring which bad been exhibited in the same way at Nice. I had the imitation one which had been palmed off upon me ready in my hand, and under pretense of trying the effect of the gem on my finger I easily substi tued the one fur the other, slipped the false ring on my finger, admired it, as in duty bound, and then palling it off handed it Back to my neighbor, who in turn gave it to the American. "I put the real diamond, which I had secured, into my pocket and finished my coffee hastily just as Brother Jonathan was making an appointment with a rich young Frenchman to meet at the shop of a fashionable jeweler next morning and take his opinion on the value of the gem. " 'And since it has taken your fancy,' said the unsuspicious American, 'yon shall hev it for the same sum the jew eler offers me for it. I can't say fairer than that now, can I?' "I went back to the railway station, got my bag, changed my hat and coat in the waiting room, slipped into the hotel and next clay set off for Cannes. "My only regret was that I was un able to make a study of the American's face when the Paris jeweler put a price on his beautiful diamond .next morn ing." Exchange. Classes 1 7 1 Methods of Tre tain Dr. James "Defectives" Pennsylvania, those members mental or phys: genital or acqui prised six classe ond, the deaf fourth, the leeu fifth, the iaebr ness has becom the epileptics, Dr. Walk toold es and- stated w .the best way to blind and deaf and feeble rain much claim to and since tbeiif from receiving schools it is onl.'d be instructed in A ed to their conu also a most eco public money, f. ing they give th blind and deaf porting in adult "To fit blind it is necessary while at school impart thorongl the few iudustri music, which n managers of th blind now insist ing, und in tui unpopularity aid understand thein "For thos.3 o. cannot maintai competition wi there should be industrial homes and labor, the d Ing being sepi' Whi-re such hon they are nearly h "Under the st. interest excited dresses of the gre; thea Dix, Pennsy undertook to in a for the insane at first institution commonwealth ' meat of the old We have now m people, but not er date them all. regulated that and be self suppo Dr. Walk thon feeble minded, sW to marry. Of ep same, as their d Inebriates should period, during w forced to abstain ment. he said, res nent cure. Philal AN OLD Pj On This Particular Do I The crowd had a and buggy in the The horse had ba "Tie a string one of the bystari something else to t it to fail." A string was r tightly round ono It had no effect. "Blindfold him A bandage was an effort roado to Came result. "Back him." "Ho won't bacM ated owner. "I t: "Try him with Tho ear of corn obstinate horse. "1 11 see if 1 can other way," said til of the animal. Ho took a whip beast with it till to have bim arrest Then he kicked ll All in vain. Finally a benevo' tleman forced his crowd and said: "1 bavo seen a horses started by them. Can you get ings?" A boy was sent td nitnre store for camo back present!! fal. It was placed1 dcr the borso unci touched to it. As the first feeble! and the smoke Lega legs the horse unbei. his head, took a cal nation, and when t burst into a big LlasJ about six feet, in fu faculties and witho! haste, and stopped ai And the elegant $23 worth by the fll curred to any ooay iq stuff. And then an old cd ed suit of secondhac wjtb half the brim spoke kindly to the mal, rubbed his nose: neck, climbed into t and said, "Git along And the horse md trot, with head high cago Tribune. .brown's major county was over 7 SfLSCROFULA Mrs. E. J. RoweU, Medford, Mass., says her mother baa been cured of Scrofula by the use of four bottles of RffiESTI ter having had much other treat- CaUiSS&f ment, and being reduced to quite a low condition of health, as it was thought she could not live. Cured my little boy of heredi tary scrofula which ap peared all over his face. . For a year I had &53' given up all hope of his fvXi5J?recovery, when finally I was S" Induced to use A few bo ttles cured him, and no symptoms of the disease remain. Has. T. L. Mathers, Matherville, Miss. OusbookeaBlooJand Skin Disease mailed free. Swirr Sfgqgic Co.. Atlanta. Ga. of special Midwinter Fair Tickets 1 " AT THE F0LL0WIGN ROUND TRIP RATES: TO STATIONS UNDER 150 MILES FROM SAN FRANCISCO, ONE AND ONE-THIRD one-way fare. TO STATIONS 150 MILES OR MORE FROM SAN FRANCISCO, ONE AND ONE-FIFTH one-way fare. For exact rates and full information, in-4 quire of C. K. FRONK, Agent at Albany, Oregon. Or address the undersigned. RICH'D GRAY, T. H. GOODMAN, Gen. Traffic Manager, Gen . Pass. Ag't San F-hakcisco, Cal. . e. p. rogers, Asst. Gen. F. k P. Agt., Portland, Or. town, sent free. C.A.S! Opposite Pa' el rceed,bl you Vmv'n ; contains the su of the latest fa , edge. Every pis nave it. Hefc D.M. Ferrv i Detroit, i wen.
