How are the powers of the paw revealed through the author's word choice?

W. W. Jacobs's masterful diction suggests that the paw is a frightening, sinister force with which no one should tamper. When he provides Sergeant Major Morris's initial descriptions of the paw, he wants to create the impression that this character is somewhat reticent about discussing the object and drawing the White family too much into its intrigue. When Mr. White inquires about the paw Morris had mentioned on a previous occasion, the Sergeant Major responds: " 'Nothing,' said the soldier, hastily. 'Leastways nothing worth hearing' " and "it’s just a bit of what you might call magic, perhaps." Jacobs also indicates that he says this "offhandedly." Furthermore, Morris later states that "it’s just an ordinary little paw, dried to a mummy."
The Sergeant Major's nonchalant attitude, however, does not put the Whites off, and they persist in asking questions about the object. At this point, the reader is naturally also intrigued and wants to know more. Jacobs's smart vocabulary gradually reveals the true nature of the paw. Sergeant Major Morris states that "an old fakir" had "put a spell on it so that three separate men could each have three wishes from it." The wording alludes to a supernatural power. This power, however, brings no good, as is made clear by Morris's later responses. When he confesses that he had made three wishes, "his blotchy face whitened." It is obvious that the Sergeant Major is overcome with dread when he refers to the paw's potential. 
The Sergeant Major throws the paw into the fire, and when Mr. White retrieves it, he tells him to "better let it burn" and that he should not "blame" him for what happens if he decides to keep it. He tells Mr. White to be "sensible" and get rid of the object. These words are a clear indication that the paw spells trouble. Mr. White does not heed the sergeant-major's advice and rather requests him to tell him how to make a wish. After explaining the method, Morris again admonishes, "but I warn you of the consequences" and tells him that he must "wish for something sensible."
After the sergeant-major's departure, Mr. White's wife wishes to know if her husband had given him anything for the paw. Mr. White states that Morris refused to accept any payment but that he relented at Mr. White's insistence. He then says that the sergeant-major had again pressed him to get rid of the paw. 
In spite of Sergeant-Major Morris's repeated insistence, the imprudent Herbert mocks their departed guest's dire caution and asks his father to make a wish. Mr. White, although doubtful, foolishly wishes for two hundred pounds. He later tells his wife that he felt the paw move as he made the wish. This ill-advised action results in the most tragic of consequences and leaves the White family broken and devastated.
When the representative of Maw and Meggins, Herbert White's employers, arrives to inform his parents about his tragic accident, both his parents realize with a devastating shock that the paw's powers were real. Mrs. White's "face was white, her eyes staring, and her breath inaudible" while her husband had "a look such as his friend the sergeant might have carried into his first action." Furthermore, when the two hear that the compensation for Herbert's death is two hundred pounds, the trauma is too much to bear, and Mr. White "put out his hands like a sightless man, and dropped, a senseless heap, to the floor" while Mrs. White "shrieked." Jacobs's wording here makes the ruinous effect of the paw's powers most apparent.