One Dodge that Failed.

Otago Witness, Issue 2205, 4 June 1896, Page 52

One Dodge that Failed.

To the private office of a prominent jeweller the other day entered a middleagud woman, richly caparisoned in flounce and furbelow, and evidently forming part of tho dough that makes the upp«r crust. She held in one band a diamond earring. The jewel was large and brilliant. With entire coolness of demeanour she said : " I lost the mate to this. Will you be kind enough to tell me what it will coat to obtain another exactly like it ? " The jeweller eyed her keenly, aud then said : " Madam, where did you lose your earring?" Tae effeot of this simple question upon the woman was surprising. Sbe was evidently unprepared for the query, and there was certainly something in it thai disturbed her. " It makes no d ff -reuce where I lost it," she answered in a decidedly sharp tone. " What will ib enst m» to ob am another exactly like tbis P" and she held up the sparkling stune. "Did you advertise tor the ono you lost, madam ? " ptrsislud th* jeweller blandly. - "What has th»t got to do with the matter ?" "Well, madam," wan the smiling reply, "if you advertise for the eairiog which you lo^t, you might recover it, and then you would not be placed under tbe necessity of ascertaining what it would cost to replace it. A<lrert>iso first, m.daiu; and if you do not recover the jew.-l, come iv again, and I will answer your questions," Saying this, the jeweller politely bowed the now fie'uting and fuming woman to the door. " Why will women lie iv such small affairs ?" said the jeweller wearily, "and why wi>l nearly every purchaser of a diamond look npyn the merchant with whom be or she deals as a rascal P 'lhat woman hmn'fc lost an earring.She has purchased a pair, perhap3 ou trial, and she will go to nearly every jeweller in town with that pretty lie and endeavour to get a price upon that stone. It is one of the finest of diamonds, and evidently came from one of our lending dealers, whom she insists in believing is engaged in a scheme to rob h«r. "The chances are tba 1 ; she will eventually get into the hands of some unscrupulous person, who will U-ll her that the stone is ' offcol mrod' and contains a fUw. He will show her a poor diamond of tb« same oize an the other, aud fix upon it a price wb'ch he knows is less than the fine brilliant could ba sold for. Thfl result will be that madam will send hec five brilliants bank in a rage and buy tbe inferior stone for twice what it is worth. " This evil hms grown to such an extent that it is sometimes impossible to. detect tbe fraudulent character of the stories brought us. As a result, big homes, except in rare cases, refuse to place prices upon jewels brought to them." Blind People Can See Many Things. Throughout my cvhote life, my blindness has had this remarkable feature in it : I always have before my eyes a brilliant light, so that the whole air around me seems, as it were, incandescent (says a blind writer iv thd Argosy). I appear to be walking in light. In this light I can call up at will all sorts of beautiful colours, which I see mingled with the radiauce and forming part of it. Th<is, my blindness bas always besn for me in a certain way brightness. As I grew older there came to me obher abnormal peculiarities, whioh have been mercifully sent as compensations. I can always tell when others are looking at mo, and I can generally tell whether they are looking at me in kindness or the reverse. My sense of hearing is extremely seusi'i* c, and through it I can rerid character in th« touos of the vnicas of men aud womeA around me. I can also discern character accurately in the touch of the hand. I have certain instincts for whioh I h»ve no ex«c!i name, which sometimes make me foresee future events. My senses of touch and smell are excessively delicate.