Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1869-02-19
sT0RY'l
~ ~, d THE LOST RING. q "' ., .. 50
, ..Mr Doc;kett p,st"1ii' @"8 - .aqi.
NlI. DOCNStt 1911 - .--.-. =. =.

| LVl11 A1NNs ,,.-sflU.s-.
..N,. noasla4t q,gpyii' ~oN ~ .gqdY. iI9r
"Yes madam. % '''''''''' 80 ~'''-''''' - d,
1t was an elderly woman on whose brow
care had furrowed many wrinkle. She was
dressed in homely garments, and the strug-
gleibetween perjury andneatncss which they
evinced would have been an interesting study
for a philosopher. Her eyes were red, as
though she had been. weeping; and when
she seated herself BY my desk, the pent-up
current Of her grief burst out afresh. q .H..
"What is the matter, my good woman
| You SEEM to be in deep distress. u remarked
in thetmost encouraging tones Icould CON-
mand. Il ...ebg''lt{ J. iH .ii"@nf.e '911y'gI
II am sir They say that the Lord is
near to them that are suffering, | am sure
he ought to be near to me- IT, ,.,. 8.
az dare say he is madam But you know
that affections are sent to us for our own
good, and we ought never to repine at the
discipline.of life however severe it may some
times seem to us.II sI,ia. seS ia f g,jsila
,,Ihad heard an excellent sermon the day
before-for it was Monday-on Tribulation,
and [ was Just in the frame of mind for Civ
ing others most excellent advice, which, per-
haps.. I should have been unwilling = 70 fol-
low if the dark waves Of trouble had rolled
over me. .ss5 - 2sss:sak5s,s 81. 400
81 try to bear it as well as can" she re-
piled, wiping away her tears with the corner
of her apron: 54..r.s ,..-...t .-.y 4
II don't know as | am acquainted with
you, ma'am;" I suggested for the purpose of
changing the topic any bringing her to her
business, Iis s.sH ~!
81 don't know as you are" she replied;
and she proceeded to give a very long, and
very. succinct account Of her previous history
beginning back some forty years, when she
was born among the White Mountains in
New Hampshire. .ss.sia.s,
i tried to check her, but it was of mo use
[ was patient as the case would admit, and
mindful Of the duty we owe to the weak, the
infrm, and the Ignorant; but my patience
was sorely tried. I will not punish the read
or with the long fine spun story she told me,
for few lines will Suffice to inform him of
the material facts. ria a. ~ ia, rsw., f.ss. 4
She was widow and her name was Marche,
She had an only son, who was employed in
an insurance Office, and received three dol
lars week for his services. He was good
boy, and loved his mother, as a son should !.
Upon their united earnings, they lived very
comfortably in an obscure street, where they
hired two rooms, Mrs, Marches catalogue
of her sons virtues was very edifying: He
never spent cent upon himself, never went
out at nights, and attended church forenoon
and afternoon. 4'-' ''' ' '''''' ''D IS r.
| An evil day had come On the Saturday
three weeks preceding. Mr.. Carman, the
president Of the insurance company, as lie
declared, had sent Philip. with a valuable
ring to the jewelers. to have the stone reset.
On inquiry the ring was found not to have
reached its destination. The jeweler had not
seen it. To make the case more complica-
ted, the boy denied having received the ring,
Mr., Carman had never sent him on such an
Grand n III d .sawa4oW 4 r
The boy had been arrested on the charge
Of stealing the ring, and was now confined
in jail. Mr.. Carman was ready to, swear
that he had delivered the valuable article in
to the hands of the boy, with explicit direc-
tons as to where he should carry 1T, and
what should be done. with it. nes,9aD I
,Itlooked like a bad case . The poor wo-
man was in deep distress. She was sure that
her darling boy was innocent. She knew he
wouldn't steal. I pitied her and promised to
do what 7 could for her son 4 d : :. s'3i'
when she had gone, + called upon Mr.
Carman. I found that he was ppe of those
still dogmatic old fellows who are never in
the wrong, who find it impossible to err, even
by design, and to make, everybody in the
wrong but himself, I tried to argue the
point with him, but he would not say much.
he told me the story; was sure he sent the,
ring BY tie boy, and BY nobody else
ventured to suggest that he might be
mistaken that he had sent the ring by some
other person: ,''''' 800. '-''' ~ 49,.
"Do you take me for a simpleton, sir ?
Do you think / don't know syhatI am about?"
he exclaimed, ,bestowing upon, me q look of
whitening contempt II sent the ring by
the boy SIR The boy has stolen it. And
nothing more need be said sif;;'' and he
turned to the newspaper he had. been read
ing. y.:I.i,V toL
I wasn't much pleased with, the, interview.
! was vexed with the naughty. overbearing
manner Of the old fellpW NandiI confess that
my piaue rendered me.tenfold more jealous
in endeavors to clear my youthful client, ', :,
I visited Philip at the jail. He was very
sad on his mothers account; on his own he
seemed not to care. "A more frank, OPEN
hearted boy never saw He told me his
story, and tho I questioned him pretty Sc
verely, he was consistent to the last. :,,...s
made bis case my own, and worked un-
eeasingly, o. it seemed to me then, for the
overthrow Of the naughty president of the'
insurance eompany;'a s much as for the ele-
walton of the widoy and her interesting son.
I visited more than a dozen jewellers shore ne
that afternoon and the next morning !; with
what results the reader shall learn in the de-
tails Of the trial, which came on the next
day., ,., ~ 4..s ....l d, 9ssi.ao5 !!i0 hn
Philip was duly arraingned, and his poor
mother sat by my side, weeping and sobbing