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.