Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1885-11-28

| Springfield 1t the time thought l therefore
! consented 70 stay, but did not care 70 60 70
bed The old gentleman 60! out some , Mn' naS
| and then he began TO talk.
ATS painful story In copnectfop With ny
sSe So SoGd xs .h
She. brooke and they were married. He was
good fellow. but rather shiftless and errstic:
"co e esVs Ts re
ana go 70 Texas to see what was 70 De Done
there there, With bis capital. He started and Wa
u was In that smash mp" I said. becoming
| quite interested.
..y xoh. Il was horr,olsr sighed the old man nan:
george was In the forward car, the smoker, and
was mangled almost beyond recognition. We've
where you found my d asH e1 0 identlfied
.nein aud brought them on with me nom CEN
bu was pretty difficult o1 70 p1es
owing To q diamond ring on the finger"
"A diamond ring" / exclaimed in astonish-
ment, what kind Of n diamond ring?"
Gan old-fashioned thing. one that's been in
poor georges family for generations He was
proud OF 1t and always carried it around with
was 1t, asked, ga ring with one large stone
Of hne water with star-shaped clusters of bril-
why, ofcourse, it was."
round the finger?"
certainly; you must have seen it."
~ nave seen it, said.
We,l soon settle that question: remarked
N!Is Snerorookes father, going to the drawer OF
l had given to Col. Pike, of st. joe and had
afterwards been claimed by the unfortunate
young man who was now slowly recovering
from MS injuries at Centerview.
you can"
We'll, George was an odd sort of chap. No
one llKed him until he knew him well. He was
a.uar1T,eIsoms. But he was Very good fellow,
This answered exactly to the description of
the man at Centerview in the doctors hands. 1t
was now my turn to tell my story, and l natu-
rally had a very attentive listener. The tender
h near oId gentleman interrupted before had
George isn't dead" he cried, bursting into
tears, land Annie will be happy again. must
not tell her until morning. But how came
TINS diamond ring to be found when this Col.
train:'
THAT confess do not understand advise
you 10 say nothing at present to your daughter.
Let us first be certain that it is the right man.
The shattered hopes might kill her. Come with
me to Springfield and we'll start for Centervew
tomorrow night. am much interested in
this matter as you are. After you have idenfi-
fed your scn-ll-law we'll make inquiries about
Tue remains that you buried. and on the finger
OF which the ring was found"
Two days later we were at Centerview by the
oeoside OF George Sherbrooke. He was making
favorable PROGRESS. He smiled feebly when he
saw his father.in-law. and thanked me with a
grateful look when handed him the ring He
was not strong enough to talk, and it was de-
clded that his wife should not be told of his eX-
istence until saw her.
The news must be broken very gently, and
by and by she can come here and nurse him. -
l now devoted myself to inquiring as to the
circumstances of the identification o! the
crushed bodies and charred limbs that Were
found after the accident The hand, learned,
on which the ring was on, was discovered re-
duced to a cinder damned in between some
shapeless trunks at the end of the baggage car.
The front part of the smoker and the hinder
part OF the baggage car had been literally
mashed into pulp, having fallen at an acute
angle at the top or the locomotive. fire having
done the rest l then arrived at these cOnclll-
sons, that "Col Pike, of ST. Joe,' had, after talk
Ing that drink with me, concealed himself
under the trunks in the baggage car, with the
ring on his finger. He did this in order that
might not See him again. 4 mere way station
like knobnoster was no place for him to get OFT
at. He wished to slip away at some town
where he could meet his pals. Besides it was
not such great haul after all, and not worth
running away for. He Il professional conf
dence man; had seen me pick up the ring, and
thought it good opportunity tosecure such /,
prize, on which he had already fixed covet JUS
eyes when George Sherbrooke wore it. Then
came the crash and the end OF "Col. Pike, of st.
joe"