Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1871-11-25
n A. $780,

In the year 1861, young man, tnen
living few miles from this city, went
into the Missoari State Guard as sol
dier. At Springfield, and on the reor-
ganization of this branch of the army,
he took service as a Confederate. AZ
terwards he joined company in Colonel
Up. Hays's regiment. and participated
in the battle of Lone Jack.
Before leaving home, however, his
mother gave him an old-fashioned gold
ring, which had a heart upon it, ana the
letters ''R. S, engray ed upon this heart.
She placed it on her sons hand with a
wish, or rather prayer, that he might
90 through .tbe war safely and get safe
ly back to his home again.
1t is not known that either the ring or
the PRAYER acted as 4 charm, but the,
Young man went unharmed through
many bloody fights, being hit IN out
one of them, the wound then proving
to De only mere scratch.
In 1864 the young man was very sick
of a fever at Clarksville, Texas. During
the delirium attendant upon II, and
while he was tossing to and fro, the ring
slipped from his finger and WAS lost.
The closest search failed to ind it, and
it was given up for good. There wait
cd upon the young man, however, 4
very pretty and amiable girl,who seem
ed to be sorry when lie got wellpnough
to Irjoin his command. When he left
he laughingly told her that if she would
find his ring, and he lived, he wonId
come back and marry her If this
promise was made with any degree of
sincerity, it WAS soon forgotten III the
excitement and care of n soldiers life,
and only at rare intervals, perhaps, did
he recall the sick room and the minis
tering angel.
When the war was over the young
man returned to his fathers farm IN
Jackson county and went to work III
good earnest Two years ago his mo-
ther died, and once more the loss of the
rinr came back to him with redo6bled
sorrow. He determined TO write to the
lady who had nursed him, and to in
quire OF her whether she was married or
not, and whether she hGd ever seen or
beard anything Of the present his mo
ther had made him.
The letter was written iii August,
1869, and in March, 1870, W lSt was his
surprise to receive an anSYcF from the
identical girl he had left in 1864, 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 finding it was rs fol-
lcws The father of the young lady
had determined TO make some repairs III
his house, which repairs necesSitated 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 workmcn
came upon the ring 1t had slipped
through a crack in the floor, ana had
been lying there safe and sound for
nearly FIVE long years. The lady took
possession Of it at once, and wrote inn
mediateiy to its owner, as We have sta
ted above Perhaps she looked upon
its recovery as an omen, and perhaps It
was. AZ any rate ii was little roman
tic with all It's attending circumstances.
The correspondence thus commenced,
or rather renewed, was continued with
an ever increasing ardor on the part OF
the gentleman, until in the end he made
a new and impetuous offer OF marriage.
Without that the story would be incom-
plete. Last week, with money in his
pocket, good home in Jackson coun
ty, and a great happiness in his heart,
this young soldier-now somewhat old
er and more settled and sedate-started
for Clarksvillr, Texas, the home of his
etrothed.-Kansas Ciy Times