Semi-weekly south Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1883-1889, 1886-12-10
THEY SHARED 1T.
The Property Which Depended
Upon a Wedding Ring.


"Exprcss-train, TillingburyP II it's
the last Cunarder you're after, you
needn't hurry so tremendously, that's
just of; Two come from making my
adieux 70 friends"
Tillingbury laughed and waited for
the next speaker "rm bound for mo-
where in particular" he said; 81 was
only thinking"
thinking. were youP / never knew
your thoughts TO race so before"
81 never heard before that l was to
be heir TO a million"
Lightiield uttered an exclamation.
"You don't mean that the old follow
has done it'"
"No, not done 1t, you know. He
hasn't keelcd over yet. and l don't
wish him harm, Of course. can't be
In hurry decently, but he's going to
do 1t. He has nearer relatives, but he
is outrageous against these; says that
they have treated him abominably. and
that, If | am only second cousin, shall
rake In the whole pile some day il 1 be-
have well"
ITS doubtful II you do" retorted
Lightiield, with laugh.
Tillingbury asked where his friend
was going.
ITO an auction; will you Gomez"
"Why, yes; but l feel like buying
every thing at ilrst-hand this morn
ing"
20, this is the widest kind of lark.
They are going to sell off the un-
claimed packages at the - Express
Office. The fellows buy them under
cover, you know, and when the strings
come oil it's sometimes rare fun"
Mr.. 7. realized that here was an op-
portunity to safely give vent to the hi
lariiy OF his mood. The Office was
crowded, the bidding lively.
He had hearty laugh when man
of six feet unfolded boys cap; when
n solemn old gentleman solemnly took
off the wrappings about Enthusiastically
ornamcnted parasol which in its cover
he had decided must be a walking
stick; when dude leaped back from u
sudden collision with a "Punch and
Judy" unwarily sprung; and when u
young man noted for extreme diff
dcnce unexpectedly displayed to view
an Infants wardrobe.
TRY your luck" insisted Light
Gcl1 and 1YIlinuh,r,, nuotin,, ,ha .a,
ing about precious things in small
packages, pitched upon what looked
us II it might be a small jewel-box.
az vivid Imagination, laughed his
friend, when ho heard this suggestion.
1t was iewel-box. Tillingbury was
elated.
II have the prizcr' he cried.
A curious and half-envious group
clustered about him as he opened it
with an air OF pride.
What made him shut down the lid
so hurriedly, while the unmanageable
blood swept up to the roots of his fair
hair as he heard universal shout Of
laughter 60 up from all about himp
There was in the box massive we'd
ding ring,
But even Llghtheld could not get a
second glance at it, and it was not un-
til its purchaser was by himself that he
looked attentively ut what had caught
his oye alone in the first hasty exam
inatlon. Inside the ring was a date.
1923, and there were letters 1t was
these letters which had startled him, the
"B. T. to M. A. b." his own initials
and whosep
A change came over Tillingbury--a
new wrinkle of some kind. his friends
said, and they concluded that he was
posing for his future part of Fort
unatus, An old address upon brown pa
per was often in his hands when he
was alone. He had picked it up quiet
ly from the floor of the express office;
1t read: "Miss Madge A. Biddle,
Spruce street, Philadelphia"
Tillingbury's duty was evidently to
restore the ring to its owner.
But no Miss, Mrs. or Mr.. Biddlo
lived at that number on Spruce street.
To be sure he had the directory, and it
occurred to him to go through the list
and make inquiries for the young
ladies, and he began to do it.
He found Miss Madge A. Biddle.
"I-I think I'll tell my friend, and
-ah-well--a call again" he stam-
mered, looking at the angular, red
headed damscl who presented her
self. an unwitting candidate for the
waiting ring. Then he asked il this
Miss Biddle, had ever lived at No. =
Spruce street. The next instant his
relief was infinite, and he sped away
as if he had Mercury's winged slip
pers on.
But he would run no more risks Of
duplicates Six months passed. II
was August Tillingbury was at a
walering-place. There he found two
Mis-; Biddlcs. The first seemed very
wealthy; she had an air OF hautincss
and was surrounded by admirers. Il.
learned that her initials were M. A.
b., but even this did not open the way
to man of his diflident tempera-
ment. Miss b. looked upon HIM with
lofty scorn; she also had just become
engaged to Mr.. Daniels, who was al
ways on hand. How could she be ap-
preached on the subject Of wedding
ringp If it had been the other; the
little Miss Biddle--but she was simply
Annie. How pretty she was, though
slight, graceful and delicate. II he
had not vowed himself to ''Madge'
he saw that it might have been Annie
--thnt Is, so far as his own will could
decide the matter. 1t was too late fol
that, however, and Annie made tht
incest friend. Perhaps she had I