The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1878-03-14
TWO HAIR RINGS.
A story with Neither BBeglnAins OF
End.

End.
FRAGMENT TOLD ON THE TRAIN.
Yes, sir, it's a queer thing about
that ring, as there's mate to SOM m'eres.
l dunno as 1 ever told any one how /
come by that ring, which the way of it
was little peculiar, but I don't mind
telling you if you'd like ts hear it.
All right, then, sir; put your feet
up onto that box O. mine if you can ride
any comfortabler that a-awav. Thankee
sir, Ldon't care if DO, seefn's you offer
it. You carry better cigars nor mine, l
suppose, but then you see, sir. mine is to
sell an yours is fer your own smoking,
wonderful difference that makes-you
bet.
".Well, as yeu see, sir; my bi5ness is
riding up an down the line sellin'
newspapers, weekly and monthly pubs,
yaller backs and sich. Make much
at it Well, yes, gOodish pile in the
long run, but not very much st a time,
sir. Well, an so in the course of my
route, you know, see sight O. different
people-course nOthin' naturaler, you'll
say-but HhHt ! mean is, see the diff
rance in 'em. Now a good many reg
lars we have, goin' up an down, an fer
all I hardly speak to any of 'em, nor
them to me, 'cept in the way of maxim
change or sich like. Still l believe l
could tell you as much about the nature
of them fellers as their own families
could traps more. That comes O. takin'
notice. HoWs'ever that haiti't the story
of this here ring, tho bearin' on it.
''The first time ever laid eyes on this
yere ring was about-lemrne see-yeep-
about seven years ago. I was new on the
line then an took a powerful sight of
notice O what was goin' on, tho p'raps
l take just as much now, on'y in a diff
ferept way
cit was in the fall O. the year, Jest
about this time, mebbe a little earlier,
mebbe a little later; any way the drop
PIN leaves was thick on the track where
fer miles it runs through that stretch O.
woods as we'll come to presently, an
recolleck of standin' on the rear platform
watchin' them futterin', red an brown
an gold-colored, some of 'em, an the
draft of our FLYNN Forty ketchen' 'em
an tunblin' 'em over an over, till, way
in the back distance with the sun q
shiRin' on 'em they looked like red-hot
Goals a bobbin' along after US, tryin' to
ketch i up fer to have it out 18th us fer
disturbin' 'em. Queerish kind of fancy
| that, too, come TO think of it, but that's s
the way they looked to me, any way.
'"There's s. little shanty about midway
| in them woods-we'1 come 10 'em soon
now, an you can see for yerself-as the
train hands call Stump Station COS
| there haint nothin' there sides the shanty
| but stumps. Sometimes the shingle-
weavers and bark-peelers as camp out
way back in the woods come out there
| to board the train, or to git provisions
which is expressed up to them from The
| city, an sometimes in the shootin' season
a city feller or two come up to hunt, git'
off there, but it haint no reg lar station
an nobody stays there an so it's very
seldom we stop.
But this time I'm telling you of, anc
while l was standin' out there on tht
platform tryin' to calculate how Ions
it would be at the rate I was maxim
money (times was better then) before
could say some words had in my minC
to say, as soon as I was well enough
fixed, to a certain little dark-eyed gal
as l was sure was waitin' patient anC
expectin' of me to say 'em. Don't minC
tellin' you this now, you see, sir, CO..
that came cut all right long ago, an
Pve never had cause to be sorry fol
sayin' them words, but kinder thinl
they was the most sensible ones l eve
said. Well, as | was standing there
out comes a young teller as had come VI
with us from Philadelphia. He was :
nobby-looking feller, dressed out al
regular in shootin' coat, peaked hat
high top boots, dogs an guns, an bi,
hamper in the baggage-car; quiet ant
civil, reg'lar blooded gentleman you't
say at first sight, an he was very coed
lookin' with his wide open blue eyes
and brown, curly hair and beard, bu
still didn't Juitelike i'm not but wha
he was pleasant an decent enough t
me, but whenever he spoke his upper
lip had fashion of lifting up, kind c
snarly like; an when he laughed, whic
he did o'en au' easy, it was q reg la
out an out snarl, an looked jist lik
one of them ere dogs you've mebbe see
with their upper teeth stickin' out owe
the under ones--they can't bite, no ways
but they're fearful on a snarl. But
had my notions that this feller could bit
too, as well as snarI, if it so pleased hin
and / says to myself, thinking of hin
t You'll bear watching, you will, al
keD a eye on him accordin'.
; g Well, sir, that gent wore on the Ii
tie finger of his left hand this same ideI
tical hair ring. It took my notice viii
a-talkin' to him, though being made OF
, O. two kinds o hair, an one sort I
swear was off his own curly pate. S,
5 by and by, talkin' o. one thing al
l another, works around to rings, q,
finally made bold to say to hin:
! "'That's a Gurus kind OF a ring for
. gent to wear, sir
s' He locked at it, twisted it aroun
careless like, turned kind o. red an
: laughed little-snarl still showing oil
plain-an' says:
'F' Yes, rather a neat thing; do 20
|, , fancy it?'
J "iDon't understand you, sir say
What might you mean ?
t "'I mean SAYS he, if you like 1T yC
] NAV have it; IN rather tired of it mysel
and with that he pulls If of an hands
I over.
E q Much obleeged to you, sir says
| but wasn't meanin' to ask for it, n
by no means.
"' Oh, he says, it's of no consequence
= if hadn't give it to you I'd give it
:. some one else,' and with that he tur
It about and walks into the car, and pu
d the ring on my finger, thinking it won
r. make pretty keepsake to give my lit
e gal-and when we came to Stump Stati
: my gentlman gets out, dogs and gu
\ and baggage and snarl and all, an tina
the last ever see of him.