New Ulm weekly review. [volume] (New Ulm, Minn.) 1878-1892, 1886-10-27
AN ERRATIC RING.

needn't hurry SO tremend ously, that's
Just off; I've come from making my
adieux to friends"
'Tillingbury laughed and waited for
che speaker. "Tm bound for nowhere
an particular" he said, II was only
thinking"
Thinking, were you? never knew
your thoughts to race SO before
Il never heard before that I was to
s1oe heir to Million"
Lightfeld uttered an exclamation.
* You don't mean that the old fellow
.ihas done it,"
mo, not done it, you know. He
hasn't keeled over yet, and l don't
wish HIM harm, of course I can't be
In a hurry decently, but he's going to
do it. He has nearer relatives, but he
us outrageous against these; says that
they have treated him abominably,
land that, if am only second cousin,
Il shall rake in the whole pile someday
IF behave WE'LL"
'1t's doubtful if you do" retorted
.-Eightfeld, with laugh.
Tillingbury asked where his friend
was going.
@"To an auction; will you conner"
s'Why, yes; but feel like buying
everything at first-hand this morn
ing."
''Oh, this is the widest kind OF a
zark. They are going to sell off the
unclaimed packages at the--Express
Office. The fellows buy them under
cover, you know, and when the strings
come off it's SOM etimes 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 a man
OF six feet unfolded boys cap; when
g. solemn old gentleman solemnly
took off the wrappings about a
Enthusiastically ornamented parasol,
which in it's cover he had de-
.cided must be walking-stick; when
dude leaped back from q sudden
collision with a. "Punch and Judy"
.unwarily sprung, and when young
man noted for extreme diftidence un-
ssuspectingly displayed to view an IN
fants wardrobe.
@"T1y your LUCK insisted Litchfeld,
and Tillingsbury, quoting the saying
about precious things in small pack
ages, pitched upon what looked as if
ut might be a small jewel-box.
"a vivid Imagination" laughed his
friend, when he heard this suggestion.
It was jewel-box. Tillingsbury
swas 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
$50 hurriedly, while the unmanageable
Blood swept up to the roots of his fair
hair as he heard the universal shout
.of laughter go up from all about him?
ding ring.
But even Lightfeld could not get
second glance at it, and it was not
until it's purchaser was by himself
that he looked attentively at what
had caught his eye alone in the first
ahasty examination. Inside the ring
was a date, 1923, and there were let
tiers. It was these letters which had
startled him, 'B. T. 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 his future part of Fortuna
aus. An old address upon brown
paper was often in his hands when he
was alone. He had picked it up quiet
1y from the floor of the express office;
it read, "Miss Madge A. Biddle, Spruce
Street, Philadelphia"
Tillingbury's duty was evidently to
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 a Miss Madge A. Biddle.
ell think I'll tell my friend, and
:ah-well and call again." he STAN
anered, looking at the angular, red
headed damsel who presented herself,
An unwilling candidate for the wait
ling ring. Then he asked if this Miss
Biddle had ever lived at No. spruce
Street. The next instant his relief was
M1efnite, and hesped away as if he had
Mercury's winged slippers on.
But he would run no more risks OF
duplicates.
Six months passed. It was August.
Fillingbury was at watering place.
There he found two Miss Biddles. The
FIRST seemed very wealthy; she had an
AIR of haughtiness and was surround
led by admirers. T. learned that her
initials were NJ. A. B., but even this
did not open the way to a man OF his
~diffident temperament. Miss B. look.
led upon him with lofty scorn, she also
Ahad just become en- gagged to Mr. Dan
sials, who was always on hand. How
could she be approached on the SUBJ
ject OF a wedding-ring
IL If had hann tho other. tho Ett1o