The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1890-01-18

| men WOre butlr SuOCklllpS OubSluS ticlr
trousors-so Ap told her mother-and
their coats were short and belted like
Tony's Sunday one. Tho ladies were
beautifully dressed, and some of them
wore little jackets like the mems coats.
One of these ladies was so pretty that
Tony and Ap lost their hearts to her,
and all the young men in the party
seemed to be already in the same condi-
tion of mind.
This young lady was eager to make a
collection of the fossils, and had put on
thick boots, and before beginning to
pick over the shale she pulled off her
gloves. If there was any hand in the
world whittier than hers, at least Tony
and APP had never seen it, and on one of
her lovely fingers was something they
could not keep their eyes away from-a
ring with stone in it-a stone of satin
whiteness, over whose surface played the
most lovely colors, like those in the
rainbow coal, only much more soft and
radiant, and seeming rather to float
around it than to be really in the stone
The young lady who wore this ring
was very energetic and venturesome.
She dug among the shale with her pret-
ty pink fingernails stood on tiptoe to
pick the sulphur off the walls, and even
went back as far as the third row of pill
lars.
Tony saw her starting off in that di-
rection and followed her, for she looked
as if she meant to walk straight through
the mine. One of the young men fol-
lowed, too, looking as if he meant to go
wherever she did.
When she saw him she jumped behind
pillar and pretended to hide, and then
the young man ran around the other
side of the pillar, and Tony heard a
sound of tussling and laughter, and out
ran the young lady trying to get her
hand away from her companion.
At length she did get it free, and they
both walked back to the opening togeth-
er, outside of which, in the broad sun
light, the rest of their party, with Ap to
help, were still fossil-hunting. Tony
stayed behind, for his eye had just light
ed on some fine specimens of rainbow
coal, which he thought he would gather
for the pretty lady, and so engrossed did
he become that, when at length he
looked up, all the tourists had gone, and
Ap stood alone in one of the great door
ways calling to him.
As he stopped to pick up one last
piece of coal, he saw little glittering
object at some distance before him. He
picked it up, and in a moment saw that
it was the ring with the rainbow stone!
The young man must have pulled it
Off the pretty lady's hand when she was
trying to get away from him.
Tony's first thought was: 'What
treasurer and he ran eagerly to show it
to his sister, but before he reached her
the thought quickly came, 81 must re-
turn it," and third thought quickly
followed: "Ilow can it be returned?"
When Ap saw the ring she gave lit
tie scream, and understood at once that
the lady had dropped it.
run, Tony, rum she exclaimed:
''they've started down already"
Tony ran a short distance, but soon
came back, saying the carriage had got
too far ahead; he could never overtake it.
"Perhaps the lady will miss the ring,
and come back for it, said he.
No" said Ap, ''she won't, for she put
her gloves on before she got in the
wagon, and she'll never see that the
ring isn't on her hand till she gets
home"
Tony was thinking hard.
There's only one way" he said, at
length. Il can get through the opening
before they reach the breaker, and I'm
goin' to do it,
so, Tony, don't, don't, cried Ap, hold
ing on to him. "Whatll mother say and
father? You know they've said you
mustn't never do such thing; you
might get lost or kilt"
"Ap," said Tony, ''I'm goin' to do it,
that's all there is. You just run up and
tell mother what took me. That pretty
lady's got to have her ring"
You'll carry lantern, won't you?"
pleaded APP.
''No, there aint no time for lantern
from behind the third pillar. Ap stood
watching him with a dismal feeling of
anxiety, then turned and scampered as
fast as she could over the rocks and
water, and up the hill, to tell mother.
Tony had started on run, but soon
came to stop. The ground began to
slope away frightfully, and the darkness
was like black curtain hung close
before his face. Turning, he could still
catch glimmer from the far-away
openings that looked no more than little
spots of brightness. Another step, and
their twinkling light could not reach
him.
He held the ring tightly clasped in his
hand; but remembering the necessity of
having both hands free to feel his way,
he bcthought him of his pockets. Alas!
Tony's pockets were like the bottomless
pit, and were vain things for safety. So
he put the ring in his mouth, and started
bravely forward on his dangerous way
in the darkness.
Bravely, indeed, but rashly, consider
ing that he could not see thing, for
haste being the one idea in his mind, he
did not wait to be cautious, and STUN
bling along with arms outstretched came
plump against the sharp corner of a
pillar. gave his nose a fearful blow, and
almost swallowed the ring.
This would never do. He must go
slowly and surely. But in what direc-
tion should he move next? He felt safe
while touching the pillar, but to let go
and venture forth was like jumping off
a high cliff, or casting ones self into the
sea. When would he sver touch another,
and what pitfalls might lie between?
The air was chilling and smelt sui