The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1879-10-18
THE RIDDLE OF THE
RING.
A Roundabout Romance in Three
. laa Chapters.
BY W. W. FEM, AUTHOR OF "HALF-
HOURS OF BLIND MANS HOLr
IDAY," ETC.
CHAPTER I.

can persuade these tailors that | am a
broad-shouldered man. Well, it must be
altered, and at once, too; for Pve no time
to spare, and haven't decent coat to
my back. Pll walk round to Tripper
with it on, and show him what an ass he
is; that's the shortest plan
Such, and many more to the same eff
feet, we're the half-muttered musings of
Mr.. John Farley, as surveying in long
cheval. glass his well-knit figure, he put
himself in various attitudes, whilst try
ing on bran-new fashionable-cut frock-
cut coat, buttoning and unbuttoning it
several times, raising and extending his
arms, swelling out his chest, and other
wise testing the ease and fit Of the gar,
ment. We, chronicling this history, and
peeping at him as he completes his toilet,
can hardly confirm his assertion that he
is driven hard for decent attire; for his
handsomely furnished apartments in Jer-
myn street, opening one into the other,
were strewn about in all directions with
articles of wearing apparel, intermingled
with a heterogeneous mass OF bach
elor-like appurtenances, together with
several large packing cases, portman-
teaus, and leather bags. Shooting-coats,
morning-coats, dress-coats, lounging-
coats, top-coats, waistcoats, indeed, all
sorts of coats, were to be seen in every
direction-lying on the sofa, thrown
upon chairs, bulging out from half-closed
drawers, and hanging in the wide-open
wardrobe; disorganized battalions of
shoes, boots on and off trees, interspersed
with skirmishing slippers; of varied and
marvellous fashions were likewise ranged
In irregular array in several quarters of
the dressing-room. There was walking
stick or two in every available corner;
two umbrellas on the floor, and one of the
wasp-like proportions lying straight
across the center-table, alongside the
elossiests of hats, on the edge of which
rested the spotless gray kid gloves that
had lust been taken out from the six
dozen pair cedar box which stood slant
wise perilously near the inkstand, amidst
books; papers, a vase of flowers, bronze
statuette, and paper-weight. Several
cigar-boxes, one open, with the contents
scattered over the sofa amongst some
choice..colored shirts, pile Of wooden
socks, and cambric pocket .handkerchiefs
crushed down under a dumb-bell, its fel-
low kicking about in dangerous proxi-
nifty to newly framed and glazed proof
engraving of Frith's Derby Day. stand
against the wall; French novel turned
down open OH an ivory-backed hair-brush;
the contents of gold mounted dressing
ease; bundles of Russian cigarettes; and
the farther agglomeration of atoms there
collected together, and distributed at
random over the dressing-table, writing
table, and chimneypiece-lent, as it were,
the finishing touches to a scene of hope
less disorder, clearly indicating the reck-
less carelessness of the young, good-look-
Ing proprietor.
Less scrupulous and more audible
calculations followed his first remarks,
Is, after taking up his hat and gloves and
umbrella, and going half way downstairs,
he suddenly returned. Passing hastily
from room to'room, and searching eagerly
amongst the chaotic elements above hint
I'd at, he said aloud:
what the deuce have | done with it?
I could have sworn put it down on my
dressing easel Everything is in such
pre- eeious mess, and have no time to put
things straight; and how on earth all this
Is to be packed by tomorrow night il be-
yond mel
Then he tossed and tumbled things
one over another, making confusion
worse confounded. At last halting alb
uptly in rush from one table to an
other, he clapped his hands upon the in
uer breast pocket of his coat, saying:
Ridiculous idiot that l am; why I
have got it in my pocket all the time, of
coursep and he again strobe downstairs,
and this time out into the street.
Judging from the leisurely manner in
which he strolled along the shady side of
Pail Mall, we, watching him, should
scarcely again feel inclined to indorse the
assertion that he had no time to spare.
He did not look as if he had vast
matters of business to get through
between this and tomorrow night.
He would not have a casual
observer the least idea that
there was any necessity for haste in his
actions. Very deliberately, too, he walked
into Mr.. Tripper's the well-known tailor's
at Waterloo place, and explained the
error that artist had fallen into with re-
gard to his manly proportions. With
equal deliberation he then bent his steps
N the direction of Trsfal lgar-square, after
requesting that his coat mig hit be sent for
in the course Of an hour, when he would
have returned, he said, from executing a
commission at Messrs Mellish's, the jew
elers in Cockspur street. But, as he
passed the University Club, he was
seized upon by an old college chum, one
Tom Boscombe, whom he had not seen
for some time, and who held him in con-
verse, and insisted on hearing all about
his schemes for the future, over glass of
sherry and biscuit at the club. Far
ley was not whit less open to the
charms of social intercourse now, on the
eve Of his departure for fresh, but by
no means first, start in life, and when
his time was SO precious, than he had
ever been; and by degrees, and under