THE BLACK PEARL.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 740, 12 February 1910, Page 10

THE BLACK PEARL.

The! story; of: onb ;of ;'.the. - cleverest;; de-. vices ever employed toimake money, easily and at. the! expense;', of .others,'..has • Been; ; told by . : a London ; correspondent:- bome timo-ago a gentleman of, excellent; ijiaijnei' and .address •• called!':upon' a .famous tVest ; End firm pf-j^wellers-,and ; .asked to be shown' spine unique particle appropriate as "a botrothal gift, to-the lady he was to He ,was not particular about :the- expense; what/he. insisted upon .was "somethlhg-'right out of the'.ordinary.,The ' head-;'of ' the ..Arm, -"scenting; a good cus-; tbiiier, -.produced ; a'black ; pearl ■,of excep;ti<fnal beauty, and rarity,.. and after sbmc- . bargaining tho article' changed hands for "^•2000.: 'Tlio purchaser .tendered a. cheque,: ' but said that he. wctold not-. dream of asking'the- firm, to accept it'until, it -had •been cashed, and -went : away - promising; to call for. the pearl on. the following day. \ This -he did,' and'the bank haviug ;at o'neo honoured; tho. cheque, lie departeu apparently . well • satisfied; .witli his' deal. lip-refused to'givo! an; address:, -ho was, ho said,' only -passing through London!: A few. months lator ho.- again ; ontered' the shop; , aiid ,was at ouce recognised, and; at his request,-.waited. ; iipon ,by the" head of the firm.'-' He thereupon, said .that the .lady for, whom iio had bought the.blaok .pearl ; had : since become,;■ his,' wife, - and he was now most', anxious, to obtain a match for it, so that_ the • two might; bb set'in a pair .of" earrings/:".:; . '.Tho jeweller, was keenly "interested, but lie had ta'xonfes the', extreme iinlikeli-; howl of a! quest for a second .pearl of tlie ; came' dimensions and quality being sue-, ccssful. Thestrangoivwho, by the' way; ■spoko . English "excellently,'• .but ; \vith. a slight l'rench accent, and was apparently a French-American, wasmuch chagrincq at this announcement; but-after some discussion the jeweller consented to. place an advertisement, with , a photograph ov tho pearl, in a trade• journal;-stating-! thai ,'up' to i' 3500 . would -bo paid for its. mate. A few weeks afterwards; when tho' trade was still keenly on the alert for a pear!, of the unusual description wanted) a second noted West.End. firm ! ;of jewellerslitid. a call'.-'from.-..a gentleman- who' spolto French fluently. Hc'said that,ho had fer sale 'a. large, black pearl of great' beauty. The firm was at once interested, and coin-' ■paring tlio jewel with'.the-'one' advertised for by its . friendly; rivals,,, found that the two- were an, extraordinary match..,- The price. -asked, 'was'. ,£3500; .-but.. a ■ pu'rchaso was effeoted. for ! •• Certain- that tho .pearl !would 'be 'accepted by tho .Advertisers the buying firm at,:onbe entered into negotiation vjth themi' believing' that. tho only difficulty .would- be tho'.equitable', cutting, up of tho margin of ,SSOO. There was, of, course, ..only, one 'pearl'-.in- the two (transactions;; and... the. two jewellers are now anxious lo hear something ,about the ingenious -French-; American. '.. . "i ■"'■■!