The Camden journal. [volume] (Camden, S.C.) 1866-1891, 1878-10-03

| StlQlngt tueH d Sieo1 iaio S'oe 49,
itself almost before the sun was OBJ
scured.
Everybody FASTENED to shelter. Philip
Henry looked down at his light summer
shoes, and stepped into doorway. Ol
course, ,Sthe shower would not last long
The rain came down in buckessful
Watching it absently, it did not occur
to him at first to observe the featsses OF
his locality. A: last he saw the shree
gilt balls. !
A pawnbroker's establishment some
times holds rare curiosities, and, the
rain still falling heavily, Henry obeyed
sudden impulse, and stepped within:
The owner was fat, black k-whiskered. and
smclled of garlic. He was arrsfging
some rings on cushion.
sAre those rings to be sold 2 asked
Henry, carelessly. :
Oh, surely my friend
+ : Suddenly the cool, blonde : face
dSshed
That circlet of rubies will you let
me see it p I
The man permitted.
4 once owned this ring. Will you
tell me who brought it here ?!
1t is not stolen, eh p cried the old
pawnbroker, in alarm.
oh, no. shall not claim or take it
unless I pay for it. But I sboule like
to know who brought it here
Henry was trembling. though he.made
an effort to conceal it.
is very nice ring The man
hssitated. "A young lady brought it.
She pawned it with me, but the. time
has run out. I put it in the window
for sale.'
1t is very nice one, as you say.
The young lady did not care for the
ring, l presume? '
Perhaps she did, though. She had
been crying, remember. She was in
trouble, thought. 1 often see people
in trouble, SIR
DO you know her name.9'
Yes. Miss Bertha Farley, No $40
A--h street.
What is the price Of this ringT'
You may have it for fifty dollars. 1t
is worth twice the money, SIR
Henry did not speak. again. He paid
for the ring and left the establishment.
Half an hour later, Bertha, sad, pale,
and weary, opened the door to band
some and prosperous young gentleman
very unlike any visitor who had en-
tered her door Of late.
Phillip
'1ser,hal Can this he y"u e'y
Before the girls white, tired, melan-
choly countenance all his resentment
faded into thin air Before she could
speak he had drawn, her into his arms
and kissed her dear, thin cheek.
we have been very unfortunate
Phillip
1 see. Why did you not answer my
letters from California p
I never received them. / have had
no word of news Of you for over year.
Nor 1 from you. And l had con-
cluded that you had repented Of your
engagement
'Repented II Oh, Phillip, i
seemed so hard when you seemed to go
too. Papa died, and hen the property
went piece by piece-the ere was no ON
to manage rightly. I did not care tina
We were no longer rich, but to suffer
Bertha, did you need tor pawn m!
ringP'
Phillip, my mother was ALMOST starv.
ing. She was sick and weak, and the
dCotor said she must have nourishins
food. | had none for her. wept ovel
my dear ring beiore let it 90; but there
was no other way; it was all l had thai
was valuable | did such violence tc
my feelings to put it to such use; bu
1 vas desperate, l promised myself tt
{ redeem it soon, but I have had no money
since
'Don't-don't, my darling, look 81
broken hearted Poor bird how ,rue
the world has been to youI Bertha
see-here is your ring
This blessed rain drove NE into th'
shop where it was. From what tn
pawubroker said, l gathered hope tina
you were not, as had b"li evcd, indlffer
ent and tickle. l had sr.ch an angry
miserable heart, child, " hen I found it
To think that you shor.ld barter ava,
the ring which had sy'mbolized my faitl
in you 1t looked bad-did it not
Bertha 2
Yes
But he said you had been crying
This turned my thoughts. never sa7
you cry, brave, happy little thing tha
you used to be! 1 wondered what wa
wrong. Then the shocking though
that you might be in need came to me
and drove, here, l saw the great, ric
house. Bertha, so poor, suffering in thi
house.
But we cannot, eat the house 2 sal
poor little Berth a.
Child, it world easily sell, in thes
hard times, ev' m
WELL said nineteeu-year old Bel
tina, how could l sell a house! An
mamma kno,5s less about such thing
than | do
Poor little thing! You could haV
let it for enough to live on in comfo