Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1877-11-03
MAJOR HAMEOND'S RING.
TESTIMONY From THE NB-TRI-
JHI.H or TRJ Tn IND LOVE-.

s.WI ats this" cried Miss Uammo N
hr'ak NJ OIe letter just hardei ~ her by
ale better than mine"
Small wonder AT that. iudCeI seeing that
hsEg'e J. aged about eighteen, and the Dtner
HiNty I've at the V ~ least. q pieaSant-tDOk
irg, W. ii preserved spinster, with br wa,
7. sOlC face and sauSsg curls over the tore
heal Maggie, handsome modern giri, sits
down Ind reads:
MADAM-The par.shiOners OF St. Cri-pin,
Gig le>ham, in vestTy assembled, have de-
termned TO rebuild their parish cnIrch,
Pronounced unsafe by the surveyors Con-
tricUtons are earnestly requested. Tue al
teratlOHs will neca> state the removal of
many vaults and graves; among others, that
"ftle Hammond family 1t IL the wish OF
the church wartens Ia respect the wishes of
SUrv v'Ts and Others In the GispDSal of the
rtmai.s. ANY directions you may have 10
W. on Will be good enough fD communal
cave TO the undersigned. Your most humble
ana ObedIent servants,
THOMAS TRUsCoTT,
WILLIAM BOSSER,
Churrhwsrde1S.
The two NJ sses Hammond VI irgaret an
tilrnl are lolnl pToPrletors OF the com'or-
stla estate OF Westb1ry, near Gl2glesh8ul.
and OfIue handsome mansion thereto b.
lor ging. Maggie. the young girl, is a dis
tant CDusin-al hoUgh she calls them saun- 9
and lives with them. There i also a young
man, Ralph Grant, somewhere about lie
place. Of whom more anon.
Old Tom Hammond the father Of the two
maide sisters, was born In the year 10,
and might have seen The heads over T, fnple
Bar after the rising OF i1i5. He liyei jill
1SN. He had married late in life, and left
only these two daughters. Thus two genrr-
StiOns bridged over a space OF time generally
occupied by many successive lives, a. in the
case OF another branch OF the family, the
fOurder OF which, Major Richard Hammond
1.-THE uncle of the two old lad ies), who had
been AT the capture of Quebec when General
Wolfe was killed, being the great-grand IA
ther Of Maggie Lsuierdaie and IA pm
Grant. Major Hammond was the elder of In 2
two bro the r., and should have iEheriJed the
Westbury estate; but be offended his father.
General John Hammond, by what was called
low marriage, and was disinherited in con-
sequence
Tom Hammond had done his best To
remedy his fathers injustice. as far he
could v itbout iDjuriEg himself and his own,
by making settlement of the estate, In
failure of ms own issue, upOn the lawful de
scendants OF Major Hammond, his brother;
providing that if the issue OF his elder bro
Their should fail, the estate should go TO the
issue of younger brother Henry, who, by
the way, had been well provided for by the
snail estate of Eastbury. This broth r
Henry was now represented through the fe-
who now also held the EastbuTy estate.
the descendants of Major Hammond are
now confined TO these two young people,
Magic and Ralph. Tney are both rphans
a. without means, their fOrebears having
been mostly IN the Differing and official
liEes. Ralph is a lieutenant in the artillery.
al q b S battery is now in II a.; but he -
home on sick-IeavS, and he has taken advar-
tag OF his furlough TO win The affections Of
DIS lair cOuS n. As the WeStburg eSta 2
would come TO he eventually divided b.
tween them, II was consider a most fOrtu-
nate thing that the young people had come
10 understand 2. Ralph was 10 leaV,
the service when he was married, a nd taxi
the home farm. BY and By he would ia /
naturally into lis position as country
squire; and it was arranged that eventuai y
ne should assume the name of Hammo1u
hopiE TO continue the old line.
This preamble being necessary. let US r.
turn 10 the comfortable Old fashioned dr.. -
ing room at Westbury.
Nv hat do you Think If that, Ellsn?" crlel
Miss Hammond aVing read over once N ire
the circular 10 beTse with sub Ia ii enpI =
Els. Miss Ellen was sitting looking into tn.
FIRE. her great WOODEN knitting pins and
bright cOlored WOODS lying idle on her lap, ;
herself
.Do you hear, ELEM" cried Miss Ham
mend more sharply. What do you think o:
tnat letter from rfuscOt,??'
al don't Ike the idea al all, Margaret. No
not at all. Why can't they leave our an
cestors alone? And / am sure / always
self"
LA. don't talk about that, Ellen, and you
hve years the younger" said Miss Ham
being done, We must make the best of It.
Ralph had better go and see to it."
VERY well, sister, as you like" sail Ell
len- Presently she resumed "Sis:er, I've
been thinking that this would be a good
chance TO Try TO get back Uncle Richard
elder sister. II don't understand"
"Gou must have heard our father talk
about IL The family ring that ought To have
gone with the estates-a ruby and sapphire
that General Hammond brought home FRO N
Cey on"
Il on .ht 70 know all about it, Ellen. dare
say; but you were 80 much more with my
poor father, and had mo.e patience with his
stories"
my father often tried to get the ring, and
had offered to give Major Hammond a large
sum for IL. But lac was veXed with father
for suppiantiHg him, that he vowed he never
should have IL; and they say, sister. thai Ts 70
liner than IL should ever tall into his brothers
hands, be had u buried with him, upon his
finger. Our father always said that If he had
chance he would have the coffin opeced To
see"
Maggie, who retire ated TO a sofa. and buried
Eer head IL novel, reused up al this. and
Joined in; hope you will, auntie. l do
hope you'll have II looked for
Il con know my dear" said Miss Ham
TnOnd- Il don't approve OF violating tue
sanCtity OF the tomb
With the elder Miss Hammond a phrase
was everything; she delighted TO bring
thing within the compass OF a we,l-rounded
phra e. upon which she would then make a
stand-invincible. So Maggie threw up her
head In a kind OF desp pair and ran OIL TO look
Tor Ralph, who when last heard Of was smok-
ing cigar on the terrace.
"Ralph!- said Maggie as soon as she had
found him, and had submitted to q very
smoky kiss-they were in the heyday of their
even when fisvored with tobaccoTs Ralph!
auntie Il going 10 give you commission
10 go and see about vault al 81 CriSpin's
where some of our ancestors lie"
IL know, >" saiC Ralph; they are going to
pull the old place down. All right; I'll do
It"
Then Maggie went on to tell MIN about the
ring, and how Miss Hammond would not
have IL searched for. But IL is very val
usbie ring-a family one, too. IL would be
agreai pity To miss II, IL iIs really there"
Ralph agreed.
"well, then, mind you look for 1t, sir; only
don't say a word TO auntie, or she'll put "a
stop 10 IT,"
lin fly" said Ralph, with a knowing
wink. aud Attempted "A renewal or the oscu-
IaIoIy pros ess, bat Maggie escaped him this
tine, and came fleeing IL at she dining
room window painting into the presence OF
her auIts.
Since she first left the room visitor haG
AZ. sared-a Mr. 20 J1les, distant 4, lative,
Who Lad inherited some Of the family pop
eTiy. "a before ex lisiued; tail. gram looking
man, with thin, iron gray mar, carefully
brushed OF his temples.
The aEnts were looking rather Serio1s. not
60 say Il Igntenei. and both started guiltily
when they saw Maggie.
Leave Us, my dear, please" SAID Miss
Esmmo.d gently.