Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1877-01-06
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A BRILLIANTADVENTURE;
Or.
Via, DO you take ; our oIdDad for!

The time was about a fortnight before
Christmas. There Were many travellers.
and | had q compartment in the early
TIDAL train to myself. My destination
WAS Paris, my errand to convey from
my father IA London ieweler and sill
vtrsmith) To his agent in that city a very
valuable brilliant RING. The diamonds
III il are worth five hundred pounds il
taey are worth = benny" my father had
said to me: 80 | hope You vii! take
special care OF the ring. Ned, and neither
lose II on the way nor ALLOW yourself to
be robbed of it" smiled II little SUI
perci!l,"u-iy as my father spoke. As il
.lweIe at NJ! likely that | should either
.ose i or allow it TO be stolen from me.
| WAS just turned one-and-twenty. and
father had no right 10 speak to me As il
/ were still a boy.
had got the ring in an inner pocket
IF my waietcoat. rs | TOOK care to assure
myself from time 20 time. ! Lad not
Seen It since my father put 1t into Il little
Nclvet-liuc'l box. i'll which it was still
shut NJ. When | had finished my first
cigar and had got through the morning
news, the thought struck me that 1
might ~ wei have mother look ut the
ring There could br "o harm in that,
you know. / TOOK the box out of its
hiding place au,l opened it. My eyes
were 3izz.rd Is | looked. T&ere laid
t"c darling in its nest ut purple velvet.
Nhu could have resisted the pleasure Of
taking it out and trying it on? Ger
tatn!y not / First on II finger and
then on another | tried it. Had It been
made tor the third finger of my right
naud. it could not have fitted me better.
Ii looked simply exquisite.
NJ" | CAME 10 tIInk OF It. WAS there
o. could there be u safer hiding-p!ace
Tor the ring than my finger: nad only
to keep my glove on and not a sou!
would know anything about 1t. II WAS
tar safer there than III my pocket. In
such i case to hesitate was folly. /
placed the ring on my ringer. and pat
the ctupty box into my pocket. AS |
was alone. there was no occasion to put
my g.uNe on Just then 50 | nluSea MI
>ut'-e6, AMI watched the inanl -cOiored
Fal9 u AG"t that flashed from the nrl!-
Ilants. anh Wondered what great swell
niger It was destined I" decorate. How
wished nat could cAI! II nl!ur-
there WAS no Aasm IN daAk.rns the
eyes q thc t-',ct collector villa II lie
"A7 "Att 4 railway "1Ici''' bu' l loon
care 70 pun on my S!'Ne AND button IL
bei0te A.ghttng from the tram. y
quarter q an hoUt Ister we were steam
la2 S"-.tIE ont OF Dover hatbor.
4~e.e Were not more Than & dozen
Passengers on Geek. me Jay vas eoiu
SH'. S'S"'' Win just euousu sea ou ~
max IHe 'oSase uhP!eaSaht 10. oso
sailors On4E Two ladies' were visible
Que vas STOUT nluo!t.sgea person
VINO WIS eating shu uFlhNlnS nearly the
"A':e "aE across -e'luehl!s An o!o ssit
Inc other Was-well, SIMPLY the most
Charming creature had ever Set eyes on
II point OF tact. routd not keep my
eIrs - Aer. l passed her ana repasseu
h-E as paced the deck trom end.
and every time | passed ner l looked At
her. What lovely gray eyes What
superb yellow hair! But as for the com
p.rx!on. it would need a poem to de,
scribe lis WIld-roSe tintS. Once OF
twice her eyes met mine lust for a mo-
neat. ans It struck NE that thew were
full Of p wistlul sadness. So tar as !
could Judge. she was entirely alone. We
were abuut hall-wav across when, q
passed her for the t;ftleth time. she
spoke. Would monsieur have the
goodness 10 ask the steward to bring me
I;trIe ,cu.c?" She spoke in French
As the synv saws, Her voice WAS low
and Swee. was too futtered 10 an.
sw-r her. l could oalv bow and grin,
AMI make a bolt tor the stewards den
OF conrs- | took the cnrnar To her my.
salt You shcn'i hayasaan how nra,fi
" she thanked me. She s;pped at il A,
a canary might do if that bird was in the
habit OF iriHhipr brandy. Il hone thar
naGemOisplae :. somewhat revived "
ventured to observe presently.
Yes. very much revived. thanks to
monsieur. BUT | am not mademoisclla
am madame. am 4 widow She
pressed her handkerchief 10 her eve, A.
She spoke. How Interesting. nav. how
touching. was this simple confession ,
Tnc wisttul sorrow in her eyes WAS at
once accounted ior. Would that it had
been nv happy lot to comfort her,
there was a camp-stool close by.
Presently l ventured 10 draw it a littl..
nearer and to lit down on it. blushlng at
nv temeritv TO do 20. She did not seem
at all offended, and we were presently
in the midst OF an animated conversation
There was no hunte51. about madame.
On the contrary. she was candor itself
She had only been three days il London.
she told me. She had been staying with
Sir Henry Fitz Evans, who had charge
OF her husbands Interests in England
She was now going back into seclusion-
going back to the cottage in which she
had 'tweIt ever since her dear husbands
death. She would not be able to 90
forward by the tidal train. having a bus
ines, call to make in Calais. She would
e. forward by the evening train. AL!
this was told me with charming frank
ness. There was no reason why / should
not wait and 90 forward with her bv the
evening train-if she would allow me to
d. 50. When | threw ont 4 hint to that
effect. she offered no objection. She ad-
m!tted at once that she was fond of So
ciety, and then she looked at me and
Wei, | could almost have sworn that
she HlIoLGd. | had already told her that
| Wa, bound to Plris on a special errand
Tor NV father; but | had not SAID Il word
abo,: the ring, Lrr had she even seen
It. had pat on my gloves before leav-
iug the train at Dover. and | still wore
them. y little while longer and we
found ourselves at Calais. When we
landed, madame admitted that she was
hungry, and that luncheon would be a
desirable feature of the programme. Ac-
cordiugIy, while she went about her
business. | took a roittu'e and drove to