Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1885-03-10
A DIAMOND RING.
THE PRETTY ROMANCE OF ITS LOSS
AND FINDING.
How Jewel on Fair Hand Lost In
New York Hotel Room Introduced
Cupid TO Two Young and Loving
ilcarts--The story In Detail.
Prom the New York Times.

From the New York Times. FE
"There was bridal couple put up here a
few nights ago." said the proprietor of on up
town hotel last evening, " who owe their
first meeting " an Incident, or rather series
of incidnnts, which occurred in the very
toom where they slept last night It's a
very pretty story, all told, and will lay away
over any ordinary feat Of the imagination
Through pure luck and active reasoning
faculties young fellow has won the prettiest
little sweetheart one could wish. He is him
self smart and handsome, and holds a respon-
sible position as agent for large hardware
firm III the West He has stopped at my
house when he was in town for three years
and over. .. ga.
"The first act in the romance am telling
you occurred about a year ago, and the scene
was laid in room No. rs, second fioor, 'front.'
a bell boy came to me on the evening In
question and said the gentleman in No. 26
wished TO see me at tmyconvenience. went
up stairs and found Jimmy-we always
called him by his first name here. ] found
him sitting on his sofa admiring neat little
diamond ring, which flashed in the gaslight
like an electric spark. II was a lady's ring
and must needs have had very slender
little finger to fit it, 1t occurred to me that
the ring was for his intended, and that he
was going to tell me all about il. IL is quite
natural, you see, for AN enthusiastic young
lover to make a confdante Of friend. 1t
somehow boils over in 'em and will out
Why, had a man old eBough-but never
mind that. I'll finish the first story before
begin another
az smiled, first ut the ring and then at
Jimmy. eAhv said I, s'Allow me TO congrat-
tunate young lady might be. He laughed
pleasantly, said he was cut out for a batche-
lor, just as all young fellows do. Then he
went on to explain about the ring. IL SEEM
sofa and it had slid down into the lining In
feeling around for il he had fshed out the
ring. We examined II tor some mark OF
identification, but found nothing except a
simple letter s. engraved on the inner side.
That was certainly rather a small clue to the
owner, but we used it for all it was worth
We searched our register for over year
back, taking every name opposite room No.
26 which began with an 5. We had about a
dozen Smiths, two or three Shorts, ShaDks,
and other names to the number of3O or more
We wrote to each to know If they had lost a
valuable ring, and asking them to write and
describe it if they had. Only about half a
dozen answered, and none of them had lost a
ring.
"Jimmy went from here to Philadelphia
and then to Washington. 1t was about three
weeks before he showed up at the hotel here
again. OF fcourse he inquired about the ring
the first thing. If ever we discover the fair
owner he said, as he started for room No
rs, preceded by bell boy with his sachel
and pitcher ice water-.if ever we discover
the fair owner of that ring l shall claim
the privilege of personally presenting it 50
her"'
"'Twenty-six,' said the clerk to a boy who
had stepped up in response to an electric call
from one of the rooms. 1t was after III O'Clock
and i was smoking my customary good
night cigar i'm the office The boy came back
down stairs minute later two steps at time.
He said 26 acted a little wild and wanted me
to come up tight away.
Before 1 could start Jimmy came running
down himself H.. FH'..r f..
"sHeve you got your register for lsS2? he
asked nervousIy. ! said That had.
"'Then we'll soon know who that ring be-
longs to- he added. ...
ave got the lSs2 register and he turned to
June 8, running his eye hurriedly up and
down the numbers of rooms. James Shep-
ard, wife and daughter was scribbled op-
posite rooms Nos. % and 26, with the address
in full, large manufacturing town in one OF
the New England states.
"'The letter i'm that ring stands for Shep-
ard shouted Jimmy, hilariously
"You see before going TO bed that even
ing he had made preparations to shave. The
mirror before which he was 10 perform The
operation reflected the light of gas jet on
either side. Plainly cut in one corner of the
glass he caught sight of the inscription,
June 3, 1882 From the inscription to a dia-
mond was an easy step in train OF Thought,
and from a diamond to the jcweled ring
but natural conclusion that the diamond in
the ring was the same that had cut the glass,
and still more natural that the date on the
glass was the date of the cut 1t then be-
came almost certainty that the person who
occupied room No26 on June }, lSs2, and the
owner of the ring We're the same. -...
"Well, Jimmy started East the next day
and took the ring with him. 1 got a letter
from him few days later saying that Miss
Shepard was the owner 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 when in town.
hadn't heard from the boy since till he stopped
here on his wedding trip last week. His
charming young wife wore that diamond ring
on the daintiest of little white fingers. As
said at the outset, they would have none bu
room No. 26. On the mirror, just beneath
the June 3, 1882 they left February 3, 1885,
their wedding day."
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