The Bad Lands cow boy. [volume] (Little Missouri, Dakota [i.e. N.D.]) 1884-1886, 1885-04-16
I'm. RING IND. T'HEHIRR0R.
J A !; ,,,, 2 q Room 40, ae.

N There was q bridal couple put UP y
here a / ew nights ago, said the propriTi
etorr Of an up, town hotel in New YORK,
sawho owe their first meeting to. an Incl.
dent, or rather q series Of incidents,
which occurred in the very room they
occupied last night. It's avery pretty
story, I'LL told, and will lay over any or.
binary feat Of the Imagination. Through
pure luck and active reasoning faculties
young fellow has won.the prettest
little sweetheart one could wish Heis
himself smart and hand ome, and holds
responsible position as agent for IS
large hardware firm in the West. He (;
has stopped Of my house when he was },
in town for three years and over.
a.The first act in the romance j am
telling you occurred about g year ago, /
und the scene was laid in room No. 26;,5
second floor, front. a bell boy came )
to me on the evening in question and
said the gentleman in No. 26 wished to
see me at my convenience. / went np-23
stairs and found Jimmy always
called him by his first name here:
found him sitting on his sofa admiring
q neat little diamond ring, which flashed
10 the gasight like an electric spark. II {
was q, lady's ring and must needs have
had q very slender little finger to e. it.
Itoccurred to me that the ring was fol
his intended, and tlsatshe was, going ia
feline all about it. II is quite natural,
yon see, for an enthusiastic young lover
to make conf dant of IA friend. "a IL
somehow boils over IN Fem and will out. y
Why. I had "a man old enough but
never mind that. I'll finish the first story
beforeI begin another. ISL .3;ss! 5s
It smiled, first at the ring and then
at Jimmy lih I said !, ALLOW me ia
congratulate you and was about ia
ask who the fortunate young lady might
be. He laughed pleasantly !, said he was [
cut out for old bachlor, just as all
fellows do. Then he went on to explain
about the ring. Il seemed he had drop
ped some loose change upon the sofa
and it had slid down into the lining.
In feeling around for it he had ,ished
out the ring. We examined it for some
mark Of Identification, but found nothing
except simple letter IS" engraved on
the inner side. That was certainly
rather q 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 s. We had
about dozen Smiths, two or thr ee
Shorts, q Shank, and other names To
the number of thirty or more.
wrote to each: to know if they hld
lost q valuable ring and asking them
to write and describe it if they! had.
Only about half o dozen answered, and
none Of them had lost q ring. Il
5# 9 Jimmy went from here to PhiIadel.I
phia, and then to Washington. It was
about three weeks before he showed up
ct the hotel here again. OF course, he +
inquired about the ring the first thing.
If we ever discover the fair owner, he {
said, as he started for room No. s26 pre-
coded BY q bell boy with his satchel
and pitcher. of ice water, If ever ne dis. /.
cover the fair owner of that ring, I shall
claim the privilege Of. personally
presenting il to- her." # ..S9
- S@.T wenty -six, g said the clerk to q bow
who stepped up IN resp nses to . electric
call from one Of the rooms. It was
after II. O'clock, and I was smoking my
customary goodnight cigar in the Office
The boy came back down stairs 20 4
minute laters two steps ut a. tine. X HI
said 26 acted q little, Wild and wanted
me to come up aight away. Before
] could start Jimmy came running
down himself. 5g HI 5i NJ z 3.y "a
Have you got your register { fol
1882 2he asked, neryously. I said thai /.
I had. )! 1''s:
n Then we'll soon know who that ring
belongs to, lie added. H. !
We got the 1882 register and lie
turned to June 8, running his eye hur.
riedly up and down the numbers 81
rooms. James Shepard, wife and
daughter was yerib billed opposite roomt
Nos. % and 26s aitA the address in full
q large manufa 5thf g town in one one 81 4
the New England States. 4; ist
The letter s in that ring stands 70,
Shepard, shouted Jimmy, shilariously,
You see, before going to bed that
evening he made preparations to shave
The mirror before which lie was "a 9
perform the operation reflected the
Light Of Q gas jet on either side. Plain
" cut in one corner. Of the glass II he !
caught "a sight Of tho inscription, /
June 8, 1882 From the in
scription TO q diamond was an easy
step IN q train Of thought, and from 4
diamond to tile jeweled ring found il ~ !.
the same room was another. It was
but natural concla fusion that the
diamond in thesring was. the same that
had cut the glass, and still mora
natural that the date on the glass wal
the date Of the out. It then became I
almost q certainty that the person who d
occupied room No.26 on June 5. 1889;
and the owner OF the ring were WEI j the#2
same. ~ a?
Veil. Jimmy started East the mex, \
day, and took the ring with him. i got
8 letter from him d few days later. saw
ing that Miss Shepard was the owner
Of the ring and of q pretty face and
most charming manners as well. Her
parents, he wrote, were very grateful;
for return Of the ring, and had ii yited
him to call again when in town.
hadn't heard from the boy since till ha
stopped here on his wedding trip last
week. His charming young wife wore
that diamond ring on The daintiest oi
little fingers. As I said at tie outset,
they would have none but room No. as. II
On the mirror just beneath the June 5.
1892 they left !. February 3, 1885,,
their wedding day Z New York Timess
Taking Leave. ii.
Did you ever hear two married NO. 4
men me taxi leave Of each other at the gate
on q mild evening This Is how th,ey
do it, Good Inv n - "a nnf1. Nv 4