Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1888-11-03

no audible reply. Nelly had no parents, he
said, and depended entirely upon her own
hands for support.
"But s'pose she expects to bea grand lady
some day, and get rid of all that, he bitterly
added, to which also I made no answer
| The house in which the girl lodged WAS out
at Simon square. I found her seated in the
kitchen, beside her landlady, with basin Of
bread and milk to which a little warm water
and sugar had been added, on her knee. She
was pretty girl, and looked moro beautiful
as she blushed and put aside her dinner and
led me to an empty room next to the kitchen.
! A fine gold ring, set with gems, sparkled on
the fourth finger of her left hand. As soon
as we were in the parlor and the door closed,
said:
Il want to see that ring on your finger"
| She started back and covered the ring on
her finger with her right hand, as if to guard
it from every attack.
"You are not-not one of the policeY' she
slowly faltered at last
81 am, and you are charged with stealing
gem ring from "a gentleman" and
/ coughed, as the word nearly choked me, "a
gentleman named Horace Ravensberg"
'No, no! not with stealing it!' she passion
aueiy exclaimed. he coulo LOU say l
stole itr'
"You did not buy 1t, did your
/ "No; he bought it and gave 10 me when
when'- and bushes had to supply the words,
''we were engaged"
/ "He gave it youl Was there any one pres
ent at the timer
''Oh, no; but he cannot mean to say that be
didn't give it me-" and she fairly burst into
tears. He asked it back. but l felt sure he
was only joking, and didn't give it,"
/ Have you any letters of his to prove that
he gave it to you, or that you were ordinary
loverss" l asked beginning to be ashamed Of
my work
"No, that's the strange thing. He came
here last week and got them all away. He
said, as we were to be married SO soon,
didn't need to keep bis letters, as the writer
of them would be far better That was before
he quarreled and asked for the ring"
'Why did you quarrelf'
81 don't know why he ouarreled. I'm
afraid he's getting tired Of me, for he's
grand gentleman and I'm only poor ms
chinist. But l can't give him up now. If no
doest't come back to me or marries any one
else, I'll just go and drown myself He said
he would marry me-he knows he said that
and that he got the loan of all my savings to
help 10 furnish the house, as his grand folks
would never hear of him taking me-"
''Whatl do you mean to say you lent him
money!" | exclaimed, getting more and more
indignant. ''How much was itf'
''Seventy-thrce pounds altogether. 1t has
taken me five years TO save it, and often
have worked ell night twice a week to get
the extra shillings. First he got e5. then he
got $50, and then he got the rest"
"And did you get 10 receipt or !. O. U.r
''Oh, no; that wasn't needed, for it was all
to DO his at any rate"
She had no proof to offer-not line nor a
note nor letter-but l thought OF her bank
book, and found confirmation so far, for
there was withdrawal of 95, then ESQ and
then Els. There was nothing in the girls
manner or words to convey the slightest
doubt of her truthfulness, and few Ques-
tions us TO the date of her receiving the ring
convinced me that that had been bought for
her with her own money, after Ravensberg
had been obliged with the ESQ loan. She
could not tell how she had been SO fascinated
except that he was SO grand and distinguished
looking, and had such delightful mustache
and curly fair hair. She did not mention the
small check trousers, but l suppose they
counted, too. She did not know how he
lived, but supposed he had an allowance OF
his father, who was a merchant in Glasgow.
She would not charge him with obtaining
money under false pretenses, for she was
firmly convinced that there was 10 guile or
pretense in him, that he loved her with all
his soul, and that he only waited an oppor-
tuniry to marry her and raise her to his own
elevated position. She would not give up
the ring except to him, and only if he de-
clared that be did not intend to keep his
promises and pledges, in which case she
frankly admitted she would kill herself, as
she could not bear to see him marry any one
else Under these circumstances got her to
go with me to the Central, where, after
good deal of persuasion, she consented to leave
the ring till it should be settled who the owner
really was She was then allowed to go off
to her work, upon getting security for her
appearance. Her cautioner was the working
tailor, John jenkins, who came flying to the
Office the moment the message was delivered
to him.
~ told YOU oil along he was villain" he
said TO Nelly, but she only retorted with an
indignant defense of her lid glove dandy,
and left the common working man to settle
tears in the tailor's eyes as she disappeared,
and be turned to me with haggard look
which said more than if he had spoken for az,
hour.
Women see some men through colored
glasses, which make bad seem good and good
bad" he simply remarked. ooh, I'd give
everything have III the world if anybody
would take the colored glasses of her eyes"
=, l.. We Y
suppose" remarked.
He raised his head and fixed on ne a flash
ing look, which made me quito forget the
plalnness of his face.
Its not that wish her myself, but be-
cause wish for her happiness. don't care
who size gets, but I'd like him to be a man,
not miserable coward and cheat, like yon
thing But she never will be convinced till
its too late, and be sadly departed.
When Ravelsberg was sent for be refused
to withdraw the charge Of theft unless Nelly
Stephens gave up the ring. He had never
made love to her nor promised to marry her.
and, though he had walked with her and
visited her, it was only because he could not
get rid of her. She was always trying to
trap him into a marriage, and he was not
surprised at her saying that he had given
her ring as a token Of engagement. He
had never borrowed money from her-he
could swear that-and he would as soon
think OF jumping off the Dean bridge as Of
making such common wench bis wife.
IL think you said that you wanted the
ring for another lady, or that you had
bought it for another, didn't youi" l a.
length interposed
That's it; you've hit It," he answered
with jerk.