I Was Told That There Were Hundreds Of Acres Of
This Earth All Round The Place - Earth So Rich In
Iron that
many a man's mouth had watered at the sight of it; also that
every effort had been made
To induce the owner of Abbotsbury
to allow this rich mine to be worked. But, wonderful to
relate, he had not been persuaded.
A hard fragment of the red stuff, measuring a couple of inches
across and weighing about three ounces avoirdupois, rust-red
in colour with purple streaks and yellow mottlings, is now
lying before me. The mineralogist would tell me that its
commercial value is naught, or something infinitesimal; which
is doubtless true enough, as tens of thousands of tons of the
same material lie close to the surface under the green turf
and golden blossoming furze at the spot where I picked up my
specimen. The lapidary would not look at it; nevertheless, it
is the only article of jewellery I possess, and I value it
accordingly. And I intend to keep this native ruby by me for
as long as the lords of Abbotsbury continue in their present
mind. The time may come when I shall be obliged to throw it
away. That any millionaire should hesitate for a moment to
blast and blacken any part of the earth's surface, howsoever
green and refreshing to the heart it may be, when by so doing
he might add to his income, seems like a fable, or a tale of
fairyland.
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