The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1885-04-10
happiest Young fellow in England, with

others, shortened the way to lunches
ter, the county town. 1t was a dull
place enough, except on Thursday,
which was market-day. To-day, how
ever. w9s Tuesday-the normally dull
est day in all the seven. 1t was there
fore with some surprise that, as he
went along Westgate street towards
the Cross. he came upon~the tail of a
little crowd, mostly of boys and girls
from the back alleys, but with other:
among them hurrying in the same di-
rection as he, and shouting, while the
corners were blocked up by knots OF
women, and the tradesmen were, by
one consent. standing at their doors.
What's up to-day" Stephen asked
one of these.
.'Oh, it's only the soldiers" answered
the man. "A regiment on the march
bound for foreign service against old
Boney, hear say. wish, for my part,
they'd gone another road; the red
coats do a sight more harm than good,
unless they stay for month i that's
another pair of shoes. Do you want
anything in my line, this fine dayf
Hark-there they go!'
As the shop-keeper spoke, flies and
drums far down the street shrilled and
ratified into the 1.-The British Gren-
adiers." Stephen could see the glitter
ing points of the bayonets; and the
ragged tail of the march broke out into
cheer.
Poor fellows!" thought he. "And
men among them with Patiences OF
their own. no doubt; it makes one
ashamed to be happy when one thinks
of war. And l might have had to beat
a drum or carry a musket myself if it
hadn't been for old Tom Blackthorn.
To think that should have been able
to paw him back for half he's done-it
seems like dream. But for the better
half; no. that's beyond paying" He
stepped into the best matchmaker and
| jeweler' in the town. 81 want gold
ring-quite plain said he, with more
of shyness than man of mark in Mill
port ought to have felt when conde-
scending to make purchase in dead
alive Manchester.
But the man did not smile. What
ever he might have felt once on his
own account, he had become callous to
such things; even plain gold rings We're
only in the way of trade. SO he pulled
out drawerful, large and small, real
gold and sham, thick and thin.
Stephen had already, with his meas
uring tape, marked upon his own little
finger the point where the right ring
should 90 to fit the finger it was made for.
Having chosen the thickcst and the best,
he was about to order it to be engraved
on its inner surface with the posy he
had chosen, when his eve was caught
bv another, which he had rejected for
being, perhaps, half shade less thick
than the other. and which happened to
to be already engraved.
He took it up to read, and he started
to see the words
"Lore UiU find out the acay."
There was, of course. nothing Won
derful to findsany common posy on any
common ring. But it so singularly Gas
he fancied) leaped with his own thoughts
as he had come along the road, that the
finger of Fate seemed to be pointing out
the one ring in the world for the finger
of Patience Elackthorn. The very
words he had thought of-the words of
her own very song; and as it were
writing themselves for him, without
going through the cold-blooded process
of being engraved. 1t was as though
his own thoughts had flown before him
to thu shop. and had stamped them
selves, fresh from his heart. upon the
ring. Lovers are always finding such
adventures, and always thinking them
peculiar to themselves.
81 will take this said he. The
ieweler, who seemed taciturn fellow.
nodded, as if bridegroom's fancies
were matters of course, and the pur-
chase was made.
1T was really very wonderful
thing" thought Stephen, at seems
too strange to believe-linding a ring
with just those very words. I'm glad
there must be something out of the
common in this ring: just as there's
something out of the common in the
whole story. l shouldn't have believed
such story if I'd been told. Still.
though. when one comes to think of it,
it isn't likely Patience Blackthorn
would be married with common
ring"
That was the whole of Stephens bust
ness in Manchester that day. Having
had some cold meat and glass of ale,
for his walk had made him hungry, he
set off to return to Legs Croft by the
same road he had come. fut he had
not reached the fifth milestone when it
occurred to him that, as he was taking
a holiday from his holiday, ne might as
well go home by way of the church
where he was to be married. Of course
he had seen the church of his native
village many hundred times before;
but then it had been only a common
steeple, now it was to become sacred
building indeed.
To get to Legs Croft by way of the
church one had to leave the road, as
have said, the fifth stone from the town,
and follow a path that led through soma
open fields to the top of some low hills,
whence on one side one could
see the lazy smoke and the minister
tower of Manchester, and broad river
beyond; on the other, the network o:
low, wooded slopes and narrow valleys
in which We're hidden Leys Croft and
Welstead, and many another ancient
farm! His back turned to the minister
and river, Stephen looked toward the
woods and pastures. all in their gold
and green, aud smiling as if the land
scape were alive and Tapped in the ut
most luxury of peace and verdure. The
chimneys and the turmoil of Millport
had broken his familiarity with the
view, and he was able to regard
the scenes in which he had been
born and bred, and had learned
tn love with Travelled eyes 1t