The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1877-01-11

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something positively humorous. and Jack
burst into a hearty laugh. The laugh
was not altogether at Smiths or Jones
expense. He confessed to himself tina,
he was, perhaps, the best subject for the
joke of all the three. ITO think" he
murmured, THAT every mothers son OF
us, that Smith and Jones and Heaven
knows how many more, have each gone
and bought ring this Christmas, hoping
to win over the dear little heart of tho
Sccretary's daughter, and whecdlc her in
to an open expression of preference
Why, at this rate, the little woman car
set up Il jewelry shop;" and Jack toOE
up his mournful whistle.
"HrighO" he sighed. "Well, l sun
pose she'll turn up her lovely little nos,
at each and all of them" and he wen
under lamp post, and taking from hi.
| vcst-pocket morocco case, drew from
thence plain little circle of gold, upor
which single pearl was modestly mount
ed. Jack looked at it and sighed again
II wish l had the money it cost" h,
said, lit would help Higgins considera
| bly,, and buy little trlnkct of some sor
for poor little Belle" Then sutlder
thought seemed to seize him, and he wen
on at a rafting pace, plunging his hand.
deep in the pockets of his pea
All this while Smith had been in an cs
Enlistment that always after reminded
him of the Spanish Inquisition. HI
twisted and turned and wriggled upon the
upholstered stool, and wiped away the
Precipitation that started to his forehead
He held between his fingers a ring, and
looked upon it with moodiness that
amounted to ferocity. He appealed
desperately to the clerk, who sometimes
bowed, perhaps shook his head, shrugged
his shoulders, or smiled pityingly. The
clerks manner was polite almost to
reverence, but not at all cOlloquial, and
mis- gaze seemed vaguely absorbed in
something going on across the street. The
whole place was as still as the grave, the
people going about apparently on tip-toe,
and the voice of Smith, as he hagglcd
over that miserable diamond, sounding
like trumpet in his ears.
At last he bought the ring, knowing
that it was off cOlor-that when certain
ray of light touched it, it was decidedly
yellow; but, as he said to himself, what
could he do? If he had had the money,
he'd have gone up to Titfany's and ram
sacked the whole establishment for stone
that would have bctittcd Princess. But
his salary was hypothecated-hc liked
this word SO much better than shorter
syllabled one-his salary was hypothecatcd
for months ahead, and the ring ha6 to be
bought with borrowed money as it was.
In the meanwhile Jones had journayed
down town to a good friend of his in the
,iewelry line, and had told him frankly
his desire, and what money he had to
humOr it. The ring was prcsent-to Il
lady-a friend-nothing more than frie..d
as yet-although he hOpcd-but that didn't
matter. Jones had stammered out these
bits of information, and suddenly his
friend seemed seized with fit of inspira.
ton.
"What you want, JONES' he said, clap
ping him on the shoulder, "is regard
ring. Regard. rcgard-dont you see,
Jones? II for ruby, G for emerald, 6 for
garnet, for agate. for ruby again, and
Il for diamond-rcgard, don't you see,
boy? That leads pleasantly up to other
things
And while Jones hcsitatcd, the ring was
inclosed in a snowy little case and coaxed
quietly into Jones' pocket, his business
friend telling him little business joke as
they walked affcctionately down the store,
and waving him Il jOcular business fare
well as he went off the step.
At about this hour the young lady who
was the unconscious cause of all this bit
terness of spirit was about lighting the
gas in the second-story back-room, prepar-
aDry to retiring for the night. Miss
Sophy did not usually occupy this bed
chamber; it was kept as a state apartment
for guests. Mrs. May had family object
ed to putting their only and precious
daughter in the little third floor 'front.'
room, when this roomy and spacious apart
ment would he vacant half the time. But
because Sophy arns their only and precious
daughter, Mr.. May ovcrrulcd this objec-
ton
I'm not going to have the child
looking out upon that row of tenements
at the back of the house," he said. IL
never look there myself, and l don't in
tend that she shall. What we can't help,
we'd better know nothing about"
This policy Of Mr.. Mays was well
known and respected. Even if Jack had
not been deferred because of the sccrcta-
rvs beautiful daughter, he would never
have thought of asking that gentleman to
contribute to the purse for the unfOrtu-
nate Higgins. Mr.. May had repeatedly
impressed upon the minds of his friends
and acquaintance that he would rather
not know of miseries which it was out of
his power to alleviate.
When Mr.. May leased this house up
town. the back of it was really nicer than
the front, for it looked out over pretty
trellises and graperies and flower plots,
and little Sophy spent many an hour
watching the goats browsing upon the
tender green pasturage Of the vacant lots
beyond. The second-story Darkroom
was the most cheerful in the house, for it
held the rocking chairs and bird cages
and flowers and sewing machine and all
the pretty accessories that betoken the
familiar abiding place of the gentler sex.
Mr.. May had his easy -chaii by the table,
and of a genial summer evening delighted
in that outlook upon the western sky.
But all at once an army of men began to
dig in the vacant lots that held the goats
and the green heritage, outside the fences
of Mr.. May and his neighbors, and be-
fore one could scarcely take breath to
realize it, tall row of houses reared
themselves under their indignant noses
indignant, because it was an outrage to
put up these tenements upon property of
that kind. Double-deckers, too! Four
families upon . floor! "Monstrousw
said Mr.. May, and Immediately interdicted
Sophy from that side of the house. 1t
might as we'll have been a lazarettO, as FIR
as he was concerned himself.
Upon this Christmas-cve in question
SOphy was to sleep in the guest-chamber,
because two young friends of hers were
already snugly slowed away in her room.
Mrs. May expected some friends of her
own the next day, and exhortcd Sophy to
creep into the big bed without disturbing
its drarcries or disarranging the various
in worsted and embroidery
that adorned tie room.
There had been no callers that evening,
as invitations were out for Christmas
night, and the young girls had enjoyed
the big parlors all to themselves. They
swept the velvet carpets with their long
silken trains, their plump white fingers
toyed with the piano keys; they waltzed,
they sang, they gossiped with their dis
tractingly and carefully disordered locks
close together, and exchanged condolences
wherein the names of Smith and Jonos