The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1893-02-10
A TWELFTH.NIGHT RING,

/ A TW ELETH.NlGHT KING.
Just those three letters, "a. V. E.
evidently cut with diamond ring in
| the mirror, and staring out on it, as
Jack Smith stared into it. He had
been staring into it, in brown study,
for the last half hour, before those three
initials took form there, and flashed out
on him.
or course he knew they were cut in
the glass all the time, only he had just
happened to notice them.
But what one knows, and what one
,, feels, are not always the same thing !;
and somehow Jack, in his dilemma, felt
these letters a sort of message to him.
"a. V. E." he repeated to himself.
"All hail that ancient greeting meet
ing me oddly enough here, when I am
just looking for her."
And then:
"All hail How goes the charm of
this very Twelfth-night That when
one has won the Twelfth night ring
and surely, though 1 have cut no
Twelfth-night cake, I've found GER
tain magic little ring-when the one
who has the ring looks intently into the
mirror upon Twelfth-night, a face
the face-comes and looks into the
mirror over ones shoulder"
1t was hardly the orthodox hour for
spells, with the sun still slanting yon-
der on the icy lake under his window
yet, for all that. misty face, with faint,
Elusive features, did seem to be gazing
at him out of the glass. With laugh
ut himself, he drew q letter from his
pocket book-a little letter, worn by
the number of times it had been pulled
out of its envelope during the last few
days.
The envelope bore the post-mark of
this far-north town of Plattsburgh. The
letter said If not to this John Smith,
| give to some other of the name:
~ couldn't stay to meet you. Johnny.
, know you will understand what it means
when you find am not there to meet you with
the others. enclose the little ring; we have
both outgrown it since the day you took it
off your finger to put it on mine. After awhile,
you will come up here and see me, if you
like. but now am going home. am just
|
On your arrival in New York, and tell you at
once that you are free. But don't forget that
| shall always be glad to see my Cousin
Johnny, and that am. as used to be long
ago, just your affectionate
"LlTTLE AMY"
A curious letter, and a curious en-.
closure tiny ring, with mere spark
of diamond in it. John Smith, ESQ.
New York Hotel, Broadway, New York, :"
was the address.
1t had been delivered to the wrong
John Smith just as he was leaving tn 70
New York Hotel for run up the Hud.
son. In the hurry of departure he had
overlooked it, and afterward, though
sure he was the wrong John Smith, he
had not known what to do with it.
The small, empty circle had a pa.
thetic air to him, as if little Amy's
hand might look lost without it, Per.
haps the girl was just putting brave
face on the matter, as sighted girls
will when their lovers weary of them.
Big, broad -shouldered Jack felt he
should like to take the poor little
things part, and punch the head Of
faithless Johnny.
1t was that feeling which had brought
him on to Plattsburg, from his careless,
ight-seeing stay in New York. He
mad said to himself that he might as
we'll see something Of winter, now that
he was east, his idea of the Yule season
being the green one of the California
coast. There was really nothing to
>eep him back from following up the
'ery slender clew the post-mark of that
letter held out to him.
Up the Hudson, on to Albany, thence
across to the rocky verge of Lake
;hamplain; under o clear and spark
ing winter sunshine, it was charming
Quincy, even without the hope of an
venture at the end Of 1t. And now,
ere was Jack at Plattsburg, at Fou-
het's Hotel, which had beckoned him
YER from the railway station. And
ere the mirror in his room, overlook
ing the lake, had given him its mes
age.
"A. V. E." The A. might stand for
Amy. The diamond spark in the ring
might have cut these initials hare!
1t was the very slenderest clue. But
Jack presently found himself following
it up. Amy had stopped in Plattsburgh
on her way home, she wrote. Surely,
nowhere in Plattsburgh could she better
stop than at Floquet's.
A moment later and Jack was turn
ing over the hotel register. He had
not far to look before he found the en-!
try, ".Miss A. Y. Elliot, Cedarcliff. i
Then he made good search to find il
there were no other A. Y. E on this
point; satisfying himself, he asked
where one might find the village oi
Cedarcliff.
There was no village, only country.
house. The Cedarcliff folks always
stopped here from the trains till sent
for. Yes, if the gentleman wanted q
sleigh he could have one, with driver
who knew the way round by Cumber.
land Head. H.! !! il Il il - :
So, presently, Jack was speeding out
through the broad streets overarched
with elms, leahess, but sheathed in
icioles, and flushing in a million jew.
elled points in the evening sunshinS
The great white lake flashed too, the