The Albany register. [volume] (Albany, Or.) 1868-18??, 1873-03-14

and promised my mother all she
desired. | believe now, as firmly
as I believe in my own existence,
that the losing of that ring was
just as important a part of the pro-
gramme Of life as the birth Of that
blessed baby above. II | hadn't
lost the jewels, that baby would
not have been born, at any rate"
"Growing interesting" interpol-
ated Bob, drawing long breath.
81 don't exactly see the analogy
between emeralds and babies; but
that isn't of the least account, SO
long as you take care to keep up
the mystery to the end"
81 slowed the ring away in my
inner vest pocket, by the side Of
various and sundry valuable bust
ness documents, and never thought
of it again until it occurred to me,
on the corner of Broadway and
Barclay streets, that | had better
attend to my mothe's errand before
attempting to transact my own busi-
ness. So I hailed a stage and start
ed for Tifany's. By George there
was the prettiest girl inside that
'buss that | ever laid my eyes on"
"Carrie, suppose ?"put in Tom,
with a knowing look.
"Just hold your horses, my Chris
tian friend," | replied. "It is all
very mysterious from beginning to
end. Don't interrupt me again.
If you do, you will destroy the
conditions,' as the Spiritualists say.
Oh, that face oh, that cunning lit
tie hand oh, the inimitable grace
with which she said tThank you,'
as | handed up her stage fare !
True as you live, Bob, notwith-
standing | am a married man, since
that time | have never closed my
eyes Of q night, or opened them Of
a morning, but this radient coun-
tenance was the first and the last
to smile upon me-"
"To say that / am astonished,"
said Bob, with the gravity oftwen-
ty deacons, "would teebly express
my feelings Of the present moment"
81 thought best not to notice
him, SO continued
"a short distance on, a gentle
man with whom | had all import
ant business engagement happened
to enter the stage. This was the
second time | had put my hand in
my vest pocket since started once
before on the train, on q similar
matter of business.
81 got out at 2'iffany's. Leaving
the little darling, who had SO pro-
vokingly robbed me of my heart,
still in the bus.
"Imagine my surprise and hor-
ror when, upon feeling in my pocket
for the ring, ! found there was no
ring there! 1t didn't take me long
to go through my clothes, you may
well believe, but that is all it
amounted to IF 1 only could have
told mother that had been robbed,
| Ishould have felt quite comfortable;
but the idea Of owning up to my
own carelessness was a little more
than | was equal to.
"7o make my story short, | spent
all that day vainly endeavoring to
gain some tidinga Of the tormented
little thing. Failing to know
which particular vehicle | took ON
my trip up town, | had every South
Ferry stage in the city carefully
examined, and every driver ques-
toned. | advertised and advertis.
ed, and moved heaven and earth
almost, for my mothers sake Il
didn't care three straws about It
myself) to find it. II was no use,
and | finally gave it up.
"Not so mother. If she wasn't
q thorn in the flesh about that time.
no poor fellow ever had one. /
always felt that Job had it pretty
rough; but there's no account ii
the Holy Writ that Job ever lost a
five thousand dollar ring belonging
to his mother.
"Three months rolled by, and
during that time my maternal par.
ept never let up on me q particle.
Ii the dead Of the night she would