Sacramento daily record-union., 1888-11-03
MY OPAL RING.

The deed was done, and certain
amount of self-congratulatory relief made
itself evident to my mind Again had
gone down to my daily monotonous duties
in the Brown Paper Office lat wretchedly
inadequate stipend, seeing the country
wealth and my abilities gentleman OF
certainly aristocratic appearance = and
shall we say intellectual features but
with a considerable number of unpaid
bills at his lodgings, and tastes far too ex-
pensive for the sordid pay furnished by
z cheeseparing Government. At p NJ. l
was the betrothed lover of Miss Mabel
Plumley, who was Of age-and little
Overland sole mistress of various admir-
able investments producing $4,000 year.
She lived with her aunt-a woman of
gorgeous and florid taste in costume and
surroundings-on the Bayswater side of
Hyde Park. The eligible family residence
was her own for the remainder of long
lease, of which seventy five years were un-
expired. Stocks, shares, house property,
and some unimpeachable old-fashioned
foreign bonds formed the basis of her
wealth. A careful study at Somerset House
of her late uncle, Jabez Plumley, the
wholesale grocer's will, had informed my
official mind of these most interesting
facts. To do myself mere justice, however,
| must add that, until had been rather
Pris with Mabel at Lady Jorrox's garden
party at Hendon, ! did not study the
financial aspect of the matter. For
Mabel had personal attractions. She was
twenty-six, blonde, large, languishing,
and lazy" as Lord Byron beautifully ex-
presses it, of regular features, azure eyes,
and of (apparently) most equable temper.
She was somewhat of gourmand, and
think | won her heart by my almost juve-
nile fondness for strawberries and cream,
of which we partook largely and lazily
while the rest of the party played lawn
tennis, which my fair one disliked and as
all the other fellows as well as all the other
girls were enthusiastic in that line, and we
both hated the game, we had another taste
IN common as We ate our strawberries and
cream, and satirized all the othe people.
After this we met ON several occasions, and
on this particular day took my courage
in both hands, as the French say, and pro-
posed. | was accepted.
| had procured from a conGding leweler,
with whom | had had some outstanding
transactions, and to whom | gave some
hint of my hopes for he was cautious
mani, very handsome diamond and pearl
ring, which ! slipped on MabePs taper
finger. She glanced at her well, ,jeweled
hands, and drew off an opal ring of curl
GUS fashion. "Wear this, dear Fred for
me-" she said at was my dear uncIes,
but ! should like you to wear it now we are
engaged" | can't say | much appreciated
the romance of the gift, for old Plumley
had been one of the most prosaic, not to
say disagreeable, wholesale grocers who
ever lived, and it flashed across me that
there was popular idea as to opals being
very unlucky stones. Alas how forcibly
the popular notion was illustrated in our
case this story will tell.
However, the ring was snowy, and, as
my friend the jeweller-who, in view of
future events, was most complacent-as-
sured me, valuable one, so | wore it,
much to Mabel's satisfaction, and vowed |
priced it more than anything possessed.
1t was set in quaint and original fashion,
and certainly unique ring
Neither Mabel nor | were particularly
poetical or rhapsodizing lovers, and in very
matter-of-fact fashion it was settled we
should be married in the following spring.
Mrs. Lester, her aunt, was very well salts
fed with me, and many an admirable little
dinner we three shared-all equally appre-
eiative-in my fance's house at Bayswater,
Of which, with secret complacency, felt
myself prospective master. My colleagues
at the b. 2. Office envied me, and the chief
of the department condeseeuied to take
rather more notice of me than he had
done. So mercenary is human naturel
was asked to heavy dinners with some o
the leading men in the various rooms,
and more attention was paid to me in a
month than for years my refined aspect
and brilliant talents had of themselve;
only suficed to procure. More important
than all, found it far easier to procure
advances, at interest of high character, il
is true, on my note of hand, for | had
taken the precaution to obtain and show
an official copy of the late Mr.. Plumley':
will. Mabel's ring, too, was not unim
portant piece of evidence.