THE BLACK BEADS

Dominion, Volume 22, Issue 264, 3 August 1929, Page 26

THE BLACK BEADS

Jean peered into the window of the little curiosity shop. She had really come to see an exhibition of aeroplanes in the old Lanarkshire town, but the collection of queer old treasures which the antiquary’s shop contained, was much more to her liking than any aeroplane. Rummers, with the white rose of Prince Charlie engraved on their glass, Buddhist spirit gongs, grandfather clocks, and spinningwheels—what strange stories they could tell if they could talk! There was • one thing to which • she took a great fancy, a necklace of quaint and old-fashioned design. If It were less than a pound, she could afford to buy it, not unless. _

She entered the shop, and the owne? came forward to serve her —a tired, shabby woman, with the

same worn-out air of her wares. “I should like to look at that string of beads In the wln d o w,” Jean said. The trinket was lifted out on the counter. The setting was tarnished. It did not look of much value; like black tears thv dull beads blinked up at Jean. Still, there was something about the necklace that appealed to her and fascinated her. She felt she must have It. She bought it at length for fifteen shillings, and was

pleased with her bargain. The shopkeeper was pleased, too. She had not expected to receive so much money. Jean went back to Glasgow, and wore her antique necklace quite often at her little parties. After a while, the clasp became unsafe, and she took it to a jeweller to have it mended. He seemed strangely interested In it, and at last asked Jean if he might buy it from her for one hundred pounds. Jean, a Scots girl, and a canuv one, refused. She took it home to her father, and told him Of the offer. When he was next visiting London he took the necklace with him with an astonishing result. Eventually it was sold for such a large sum that Jean gave the owner of the old curiosity shop the sum of one thousand pounds. It had its tragic story, this necklace of black pearls that hung like a dripping of dark tears. It was supposed to have belonged to an unhappy Queen of long ago. Just before her death the executioner told her to take it off, and he put it in his pocket. Though its existence was known of, it bad vanished for many years, to be brought to light by a girl’s fancy for an apparently valueless antique.