Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1886-10-20
AN ERRATIC RING.

Express train, Tillingbury7 If it's
the last Cunarder you're after, you
needn't hurry so tremendously, that's
just off; I've come from making my
adieux to friends.,'
TiliingbuTy laughed and waited for
the speaker. "I'm bound for no.
where in particular" he said: 81 was
only thinking"
''Thinking, were you? / never knew
your thoughts to race SO before"
81 never heard before that | was to
be heir to million"
Lightfeld uttered an exclamation.
"You don't mean that the old fellow
has done it?"
"No, not done it, you know. He
hasn't keeled over yet, and | don't
wish him harm, of course. | can't be
in a hurry decently, but he's going to
do it. 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
If I behave WE'LL"
cts doubtful if you do" retorted
Lightfield, with q laugh.
Tillingbury asked where his friend
was going.
"To an auction; will you Gomez"
"Why, yes; but / feel like buying
verything at frst-hand this morn
ing"
80, 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 off it's sometimes rare fun"
Mr.. T. realized that here was an op-
portunity to safely give vent to the
hilarity of his mood.
The office was crowded, the bidding
lively.
He had hearty laugh when g. man
of six feet unfolded q boys cap; when
g. solemn old gentleman solemniy took
of the wrappings about a fantastical-
ly-ornamented parasol which in it's
cover he had decided must be a walk
ing stick; when dude leaped back
from sudden collision with sPunch
and Judy" unwarily sprung; and when
a young man noted for extreme diff.
dence unsuspectingly displayed to view
an infants wardrobe.
'Try your luck, insisted Lightfeld,
and TillingOury, quoting the saying
about precious things in small pack
ages pitched upon what looked as if it
might be small jewel-box.
GA vivid imagination" laughed his
friend, when he heard this suggestion.
1t was a jewel-box. Tillingsbury was
elated.
81 have the prize!" 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 g. universal shout of
laughter go up from all about him?
There was in the box massive we'd
ding ring.
But even Lightfeld could not get a
second glance at it, and it was not un-
til its purchaser was by himself that
he looked attentively at what
had caught his eye alone in
the first hasty examination. Inside
the ring was q date, 1928, and
there we're letters. 1t was these letters
which had startled him, .'B. Z. to M.
A. B." his own initials-and whose?
A change came over Tillingbury-a
new wrinkle Of some kind, his friends
said, and they concluded that he was
posing for bis future part of Fortu-
natus. An old address upon brown
paper was often In his hands when he
was alone. He had picked it up
quietly from the floor Of tho express
Office; it read, "Miss Madye A. Biddle.
Spruce ST. eet, PHILADELPHIA
Ti1liuuburv,s d,7tv uoc oxr;doo+lr =
restore the ring to it's owner.
But no Miss, Mrs. Or Mr.. Biddle
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 g. Miss Madge A. Biddle.
s'I-r think I'll tell my friend, and
ah-well-and call again." he STAN
mered, looking at the angular, red
headed damsel who presented herself.
an unwilling candidate for the wait
ing ring. Then he asked If this Miss
Biddle had ever lived at = Spruce
Street. The next instant his relief
was infinite, and he sped away as if
he had Mercury's winged slippers on
But he would run nc more risks of
duplicates.
Six months passed; IL was August.
Tilling bury was at a watering place.
There he found two Miss Biddles. The
first seemed very wealthy; she had an
air of haughtiness and was surround
ed by admirers. T. learned that her
initials were M. A. B., but even this
did not open the way to a man of his
diffident temperament. Miss B..
looked upon him with lofty scorn; she
also had just become engaged to Mr..
Daniels, who was always on hand.
How could she be approached on the
subject of wedding ring?
IL it had been the other; the little