The Warner weekly sun. (Warner, Brown Co., Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1885, 1885-03-20

said I to her Us put this little old fash
Toned ring on my finger. Does ii not
look aneer and cunning? Perhaps it IL
All old relic or talismnn, and may have
been worn centuries ago by q pions lady
who had received it from her
Knight. utarting for the Holy
Land I tried to take the ring
from my finger again, but ]
could not getit off; for / was a little
ieshier then than now, " said Charlotte,
smilingly. "My governess insisted on
my keeping the ring as a souvenir. /
accepted the present, and the ring has
been on my finger ever s.noe. Some
time afterward, when / was contemplate
ing it's strange workmanship, / succeed
ed in pulling it from my finger, and was
much surprised at seeing engraved on
the inside some words, which, though
nearly rubbed out by the wear of t1ms
were still legible. Now, Your Imper-
ial Highness, what do you think were
the words engraved upon it? / think
when you hear them you will take some
interest in the ring"
"Ahi and pray what were they?"
"The words engraved upon the inside
were, Empress of Russia This ring
had undoubtedly been presented by an
Empress of Russia to the relatives of
Mrs. Wildermatt, for / was told that
both this lady and her mother had for
merly belonged to the household of the
Czarina, your most august grandmoth-
er." "This is really remarkable" said
the Grand Duke, thoughtfully. at am
quite superstitious, and / am really
inclined to regard this ring, if / should
be happy enough to receive it from you
as a pledge of your love, as an omen Of
very suspicious significance"
In answer to this second and even
more direct appeal to her heart, the
Princess took a small piece of bread.
played carelessly with it, ami managed
to pass the ring into the soft crumbs.
Then she dropped it playfully on the
table quite close to the plate of her
neighbor. And, after this adroit exhi-
bition of her skill rs an actress, she
continued 10 cal as un5oneeTneaaiiy as i
she haG performed the most trivial
action of her life.
With the same apparent cocsness and
indifference the Grand Duke picked up
the bread inclosing the ring, took the
latter out of its ingenious envelope and
concealed it in his breast, for it was too
small to fit any of his fingers. 1t was
this %ring-both the pledge of Charlotte's
love and the suspicious omen of his
own elevation to the imperial dignity
which Nicholas wore on a gold chain
around his neck to the very last day OF
his life, and which, if we r not mis-
taken, has aver descended with him in
to the vault of his ancestors.
Three years afterward, in 1917,
Princess Charlotte, then only 10 years
of age, and in the full splendor of beau
ty and happiness, made her entry into
st. Petersburg by the side of her hus-
band, whose eye had never looked
prouder and whose Olympian brow had
never been more serene than atthis hap
piest moment of his life. As he looked
down upon the vast multitude who had
iocked together from all parts of the
vast empire to greet the young Princess
with shouts and rejoicings, and then
again upon his fair young bride, per-
haps the inscription on the ring re-
Cured to his mind; for, bending his
head close to the ear of Charlotte. he
whispered; NOW Empress of the heart.
and some day, perhaps, Empress of the
realm"
At this moment the procession
reached the main entrance of the Win
ter Palace, where Alexander l.. the
Emperor, came to meet his beautiful
sister-in-law and conducted her into
tho s%umptuous drawing-rooms Of the
magnificent palace of the Czars.
Who would believe tbfS eight short
years afterward the brilliant young EN-
peror had breathed his last, and that
Nicholas and Charlotte would succeed
to the throne of Russia? Truly the in
scription Of the engagement ring ha
proved prophetic.