Iowa voter. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1867-1874, 1871-11-30
The Story Of a Ring.

In the year 1861, young man, then
living few" miles from this city, went
into the Missouri State Guard as a soldier.
At Springfield, and on the reorganization
of this branch Of the army, he took ser
vice as a Confederate Afterwards he
Joined company in Col. Up. Hays regi-
ment, and participated in the battle of
Lone Jack.
Before leaving home, however, his moth
er gave him an old fashioned gold ring,
which had heart upon it, and the letters
"R S." engraved upon this heart. She
placed it on her sons hand with a wish,
or, rather, a prayer, that he might go
through the war safely, and get safely back
TO his home again.
It is not known that either the ring or
the PRAYER acted as charm, but the young
man went unframed through many bloody
fights, being hit in but one Of them, the
wound then proving to be only a mere
scratch.
In 1864, the young man was very sick
| of fever at Clarksville, Texas. During
the delirium attendant upon it, and while
he was tossing to and fro, the ring slipped
| from his finger and was lost. The closest
search failed to find it, and it was given
up for good There waited upon the
| young man, however, very pretty and
amiable girl, who seemed to be sorry when
he got well enough to rejoin his command.
When he left he laughingly told her that
IL she would find his ring, and he lived,
he would come back and marry her. II
this promise was made with any degree OF
! sincerity, it was soon forgotten in the ex.
citement and care Of soldiers life, and
only at rare intervals, perhaps, did he re-
call the sick room and the ministering
angel
! When the war was over, the young man
! returned to his fathers farm in Jackson
| County and went to work in good earnest.
Two years ago his mother died, and once
more the loss of the ring came back to
him with redoubled sorrow He deter
mined to write to the lady who had nursed
him, and to inquire of her whether she
was married or not, and whether she had
ever seen or heard anything of the present
| his mother had made him.
The letter was written IN August, 1869,
and in March. 1870, what was his sur
prise to receive an answer from the iden-
tical girl he had left in 1854, and to whom
he had made light promise of marriage
She was still single, she said, and waiting
| for him. And what was stranger still,
only five days before she wrote She had
found the lost ring. The manner of find
ing it was as follows The father of the
young lady had determined to make some
repairs in his house, which repairs neccs-
STATED the taking up of the floor of the
room in which the soldier had been sick.
After doing this, and while digging
away some rubbish beneath, the
workmen came upon the ring. 1t had
| slipped through a crack in the floor, and
had been lying there safe and sound, for
nearly five long years. The lady took pos
session OF it at once, and wrote immedi-
ately to its owner, as we have stated above.
Perhaps she looked upon its recovery as
an omen, and perhaps it was. At any
rate 1t was little romantic with all it's at.
tending circumstances.
The correspondence thus commenced.
or rather renewed, was continued with an
cver.increasing ardor on the part of the
gentleman, until in the end he made new
and All impetuous offer of marriage. With
out that the story would be incomplete
Last week, with money in his pocket. a
good home in Jackson County, and a great
happiness in his heart, this young soldier
now somewhat older and more settled and
sedate-started for GAINESVILLE, Texas. the
home OF his Observation-Disclosures CITY
(Mo.) Times.