The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1885-05-14
A LITTLE ROMANCE.
INTERESTING STORY or A RING AND
A MIRROR.
a Novelette, In . Nutshcll-The Narrative
Related by . New York Hotel Pro-
tprietor-lsOlMance Of Room
No. 20

- NOSelett0 III NutsncIi-Ane Nafr0t1vo
Related by New York Hotel Pro-
prietor--lsonance Of Room
New York Times interview
there was bridal couple put up here Q
few nights ago" said the proprietor OF an
uptown hotel In New York, .who owe their
first meeting to an incident, or rather q
series Ut incidents, which occurred in the
very room they occupied last night It's a
very pretty story, al told, and will lay over
any ordinary feat Of the imagination.
Through pure luck and active reas oning
faculties . young fellow has won the pref
test little sweetheart ono could wish He is
himself smart and handsome, and holds re-
sponsible position as agent for largo hard.
ware firm in the west He has stopped at
my house whom DO was in town for three
years and over.
"Iho first act In the romance l am telling
you occurred about year ago, and the
scene was laid in room No. 26, second floor.
'front.' A Lsll boy came to me on the even-
ing 10 question and said the gentleman in
No. 70 wished to see me at my convenience
! went upstairs and found Jimmy-we al.
ways called him by his first name here, /
found him sitting on his sofa admirinR q
neat little diamond ring, which flashed In
the gaslight like an electric spark Il was d
lAdy's ring and must needs have had very
slender little finger to GIL it. II occurred to
mo that the ring was for his intended, and
that bo was going to tell me all about il. II
u quite natural you see, for an enthusiastic
young lover to make q confidant of friend.
II somehow bOils over in 'em and will out.
Why, had q man old enough-but never
mind that. Ill iinish tho first story before
begin another.
Il smiled, first at the ring and then at
Jimmy Abr said /, allow me to congrat-
ulate you.' and was about to ask who the
fortunate young lady might be. He laughed
pleasantly, said he was cut out for q bache-
Tor, just IS all young fellows do. Then hs
went on to explain about the ring 1t seemed
he had dropped some loose change upon the
sofa and It had slid down into the lining In
feeling around Tor it be had fished out this
ring. We examined It for some marx Ut
Identification, but found nothing except the
simple l0tter IS" engraved on the inner side.
That was certainly rather q small clew to
the owner, but We used it for all it was
worth. We searched our registry for over q
year tank, taking every name opposite room
No. &c which began with an s We had
about dozen 6Mit4s, tw9 Or three Shorts, .
Shanks, and other names to the number u
thirty Or more. We wrote to each to know
if they had lost q valuable ring, and asking
them to write and describe it il they had.
Only about half . dozen answered, and none
Of them had lost . ring.
Jimmy went from here to Philadelphia
and then to Washington. It was about
three weeks before he showed up at tho hotel
here again. Of course, he inquired about
the ring The first thing If we ever dis
cover tho fair owner, he said, IS no started
Tor room No. %, preceded by . bell boy with
bis sachel and . pitcher Of Ice water, II
ever we discover the fair owner Of that ring
shall claim the privilege Of personally pre-
senting it to herr
'Twenty-six,' said the clerk to boy who
stepped Up in response to an electric call
from ono Of tho rsoaAS It was after II
o'clock, and was smoking my customary
goodnight cigar in the Office The boy
came back down stairs q minute later, two
steps at Time He said 26 acted little
wild and wanted mo TO come up right away.
Before could start Jimmy came running
down himself.
Have you got your register for 1887 he
asked, nervously. / said that had.
Then we'll soon know who that ring 10
longs to, be added.
We got tho 1882 register and he turned to
June 5, runains his eye hurriedly up and
down the numbers OF rooms. James Shep-
ard, wife and daughter was scrubbed oppo-
site rooms Nos 25 and Is, with the address
in full, large manufacturing town in one
Of the New England states.
ssThO letter S in that ring stands fol
Shepard, shouted Jimmy, hilarionsly.
You see. before going to bed that evening
he had made preparations TO shave, The
mirror before which he was to perform tbs
operation reflected the light Of gas jet on
either side Plainly cut in one corner Of the
glass b. caught sight Of the inscription.
June 5. 1882 From the inscription to q
diamond WAS an easy step in Q train Of
thought. and froM diamond to the jewel
found in the same goom vas another. 1t
was but q natural conclusion that the 1ia-
mond in the ring was the same that hal
cut the glass, and still more natural that the
date on the glass was the date OF the cut. Ii
thep became almost . certainty that the
person who occupied room No 26 ON june
5, 1851, and the owner Of the ring vere the
same.
well, Jimmy started east the next day,
and took the ring with him. got letter
from him few days later saying that Miss
Shepard was the over Of the ring and OF a
pretty face and most charming manners as
well, Her parents, he wrote, were very
grateful for the return Of the ring, and had
invited him to call again yben in town.
hadn't heard from the boy slBc~ till he
stopped here on his wedding trip last week.
His charming young wife wore that diamond
ring Oh the daintiest Of little white fingers
As said at the outset, they would have
none but room No. u On the mirror just
beneath tho June i. 1882 they left 'Fsbru.
AIRY 3 lSSJ-their wedding day"