Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1872-01-10
From the Ksn,.s City Times.
The Story Of a Ring.
ONE OF THE RoMAsors OF rus WAR


In the year 1861 a young man, then liv.
ing few miles from this city, went into the
Missouri State guard as a soldier. At Spring
field, and on the reorganization ofthis branch
Of the army he took service as Confederate.
Afterwards he joined company in Col. Up.
Hays regiment, and participated in the bat
tie Of Lone Jack.
Before leaving home, however, his mother
gave him an old-fashioned gold ring, which
had heart upon il, and the letters "R. g."
engraved upon this heart. She placed il on
her sons hand with wish or, rather,
prayer, that he might 90 through the war
safely, aud &c, safely back to his home
again.
1t is not known that either the ring or the
prayer acted as a charm, but the Young man
went unharmed through many bloody fights,
being hit in but one Of them, the wound then
proving to be only mere scratch
In 1864 the young man was very sick of
fever at Clarksville, Texas. During the de.
rium attendant upon it, and while he was
tossing to and fro the ring slipped from his
hnger 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
very sorry when he got well enough to 70.
join his command When he left he laugh
ingly told her that if she would find his ring
and he lived, he would come back and marry
her. Ifthis promise was made at first with
any degree Of certainly it was soon forgotten
in the excitement and care of a soldiers life
and only at rare intervals, perhaps, did he
recall the sick.room and the ministering an.
gel.
| When the war was over the young man re.
turned to his fathers farm in Jackson coun-
ty, aud 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
troubled sorrow. He determined 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 surprise
to receive an answer from the identical girl
he had left in 1864, and To whom he had
made slight promise of marriage. She,
was still single, she said, and waiting for
him. And what was stranger still, only five
days before she wtote she had found the lost
ring. The manner of finding it was rs fol.
lows The father of the young lady had
determined to make some repairs in bis house,
which repairs necessitated the taking up Of
the floor of the room in which the soldier
had been sick. After doing this, aud while
digging away some rubbish beneath, the
workmen came upon the ring 1t had slip
ped through q crack in the floor, and had
been lying there, safe and sound, for nearly
five long years. The lady took possession of
it at once, and wrote Immediately to its
owner, as we have stated above. Perhaps
she looked upon its recovery as an omen,
and perhaps it was. At any rate it was a
little romance, with all its attending circum-
stances"
The correspondence thus commenced, or
rather renewed was continued with an ever
increasing ardor on the part Of the gentle.
man, until in the end he made new and i'm.
petuous offer of marriage. Without that the
story would be incomplete. Last week with
money in his pocket, a good home in Jackson
county and great happiness in his heart,
this young soldier-now somewhat older aud
more settled and sedate-started for Clarks.
vile, Texas, the home of his betrothed. Who
can doubt Of the result2 He will remain
there probably month, and return again to
Missouri with his bride. When he does we
promise to give his name. Until then it i,
impossible, for the condition of secrecy
was attached to the information before We
Sould obtain it. The circumstances, however,
are just as we have narrated in every particu.
lar, aud furnish another to the long list OF
romantic incidents that have grown out of
the war.