Cooper's Clarksburg register. [volume] (Clarksburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1851-1861, 1853-07-27
/" Ladies and gentlemen, allow me TO

stone, indeed shan's stay another mo-
ment.- An old thief wish tomb
stone had been down his throat Come
on. It's do"
" But, ladies and gentlemen"
They were quite deaf to the reman-
s.rances of Mr.. Shaw, and in a few mo-
ments the chambers -0ere quite clear,
with the exception of Mrs. Mary Gran
than. who was sobbing bitterly. She
then rose and looked at me hesitatingly.
Then she looked at Mr.. Shaw, and she
seemed to be struggling to say something.
She placed her hand in her bosom, and
drew forth ring. tied to a black rib
bon, and then with convulsive effort,
she spoke, az $500
''This-this ring is my only valuable
possession. 1t was given to me thirty
years ago, by him who is now no more.
My cousin John, who loved me. 1 have
clung to it in pain and sorrow. in difficult
tv and distress. have never parted
with it. Will-will neither of you gen.
lemen buy it of me. L shrink from its
going into the hands of utter strangers"
{" Humph." said Mr.. Shaw, "There
are a couple of sovereigus for it,
She took the money, and then, after
one long. lingering look and fervent kiss
at the ring. she laid it on the table, and
tottered from the place. was about to
follow her, but Mr.. Shaw held me back.
''Hold hold p'-he said.
"You are a brute. SIR said 1, ''take
our hands off me will buy the ring of
you and give it back to her. 1t breaks
her heart to part with it. see.''
81 shan't part with it," he said; 'you
are very hasty man, DOCTOR
was very aagry, and bounced out of
the office. 1 looked eagerly about for
Mrs. Granthsm, but could not see her. l
walked hurriedly across the square, and
as chance would have it, went in the
same direction she did. My first impulse
was to speak to her. and my second
thought was to follow her and see where
she went. She crossed Holborn and ira
traversed some of the long streets that
head in the New Road, where she arrived
at last, and finally paused in front of a
stone mason's yard.
l could have shed tears at that mo-
ment, for now felt why she had parted
with her cherished ring. She stayed
about quarter of an hour at the stone
mason's, and then she came out and
walked slowly away. L did not follow
her further, but went into the mason's
yard. and ssid 70 him
Ibid thatfady give you an order?"
"Why, yes sir, such one as it IS
She has got me to do stone for f2.
and she has paid for it. I'm to meet her
at the churchyard at Barnes tomorrow
morning at ten o'clock, with it, and put
it up. It's only to have on it the name of
John James Jordan, and under that, God
bless him.
l walked away with a sort of mist
about my eyes. and it was an hour before
l recovered my composure. 81 will meet
her, thought l. at the grave of her last
love, and | will be a friend to her if she
has never another in the world. She shall
have her ring again, it L force it from the
lawyer. She shall have it. I'll go and
get 1t at once"
suppose looked in very tolerable
passion when l got back to Mr.. Shaw's
chambers, for he got behind table when
he saw me, and said:
"Come. no violence
"Hark you, sir.' said 1, "you have
got the ring. There's your money.
Give it to me, directly. sir. Mrs. Gran
than. poor thing, is going to morrow
morning. at 9 O'Clock to place stone at
the grave of Mr.. Jordan, and intend to
be there and give her her ring"
"Oh, very well. Bother the ring-I
don't want it /; it amt worth half the mo-
ney gave for it. There it is don't bo-
ther me-"
took up the ring. then put down two
sovereigns. and casting upon him with
tall he hnI
did not seem much to care about, l left |
the chambers.
A soft. damp, white mist covered up
all objects. and made the air uncommon
ly raw and chilly, as on the following
morning. Just as the clock of the church
at Barnes chimed three quarters past
eight, L entered the church-yard.
The first thing then did. was to fall
over somebody's grave, for was looking
for Mrs. Grantham, instead of minding
where l was walking. when voice said
"There you go, again. violent as usu-
al. doctor" and in the dim mist. saw MIR.
Shaw, the solicitor, to my great surprise.
was going to say something, but that
moment was nearly knocked down by
somebody brushing past me. A CLEAN
of sunshine came out, and the mist began
to clear away, when a most singular
scene presented itself. A few yards of
was the grave ofMr. Jordan, and kneeling
by it was Mary. his first love, with her
child by her side. Mr.. Shaw stood to my
left, and at his feet there knelt a respecta-
bic looking young man recolleeted as
Mr.. Shaw's clerk.
"Good God Richards % said Mr. Shaw;
"i is that you? What is the matter %
"Oh. sir " said Richards, al have come
to ask your forgiveness. The spirit of