The Bellefontaine Republican. [volume] (Bellefontaine, Logan County, Ohio) 1855-1905, 1899-12-26

S:2
Many years ago there lived in an east !
ern land nobleman who owned ring
of priceless value The stone was a
large opal but far more precious than
the beauty of gems was the magic power
hidden in the ring of making its wearer
beloved by his fellow men.
The noblcman who was the happy
owner of the ring never removed it from
his finger and was resolved that after his
death it should also remain i'll the pos
session of his own family. So he be-
Queathed the ring to the one he loved
best among his sons, with the condition
that he in turn should bequeath it to his
favorite son, and so through all suceed-
ing generations. The inheritor of the
ring was always sure to be beloved by all
who knew him and was. besides, to be
considered as the head of the family
without regard to birthright.
After being handed down in this way
through several generations the ring
came at last into the possession of IA
ther who had three SONS, all equally obe-
dient and loving and all equally dear to
him. Many times did the father try to
decide in his own mind to which of his
he loved them all equally he could not
choose between them.
Being one day alone with his eldest
son, he promised him that he should in
herit the ring, and ut another time to the
second son, seeming to him the most
worthy, he made the same promise and
even did the same thing another day to
| the third son. Soon after this he was at
tackled by an illness and feared that his
| end was drawing near, yet he was still
| unable to decide to whom he should real
| ly leave the ring, feeling so unwilling to
| deprive two of his sons of that to which
| all seemed to have an equal claim. 1T
| last, in the midst of his perpleXity. a new
| idea struck him, and he sent secretly an
! order to II jeweler to make two rings aft
| er the pattern of the magic ring and to
| spare no expense or pains to make them
| exactly like it.
The jewcer was very skillful and sue
| ceeded so perfectly in his task that when
he brought the two rings he had made
| and showed them to the nobleman with
| the original ring the latter could not dis
| Germ which of the three was the true one.
He paid the jeweler a large sum of mon
ey for his work and dismissed him. Then
] he called his eldest son to him and took q
4
him his blessing and one of the rings
which the son of course supposed to bt
the true and only one. He next sent fol
his second son and spoke privately in the
same way to him. giving him Also a ring
| and so with the third. and soon after this
he died.
His sons buried him with great pomp
and when the funeral was over the eldes
son spoke to his brothers and to the
friends who were assembled and claimed
| to be the head and ruler of the family a!
| being the possessor of the ring.
Great was the astonishment of the 9th
| er brothers and all were amazed whel
each showed his own ring and told of hi
fathers last words to him and made th
same claim that the eldest had made.
Then arose an eager discussion. Th
rings were examined, and it was foun,
impossible to distinguish the magic rim;
from the others, and the brothers deter
mined to bring the matter before tn
judge. The judge questioned all tn
brothers closely, but each one affirme'
exactly the same thing, that the fathe
j., had privately promised to give the rim
to him alone and that upon his deathbe
he had sent for him and had actual
given him the ring.
| MOI one IueIn was WllllnS 10 DeileN
a that the father had deceived him in th
, | matter, but each was more inclined
p suspect his brothers of bringing forwar
false claim, supported by rings whic
Q they pretended to be the true one. Blu
! even this they were very unwilling to bt
] lieve. for the brothers had always live
in mutual love and trust.
+ The judge was at first much perplexe
5 and exclaimed angrily: "Do | sit here
the seat of Judgment to unravel all til
| riddles that foolish people may bring me
cannot pronounce which is the tru
| ring and who is the true head of the fan
lily. But stay" he continued. you tie
me that the true ring possesses the mag
power of making its owner beloved. Th
must decide it, then, for the false ring
can never have such power. Now. sa
which of you is most beloved by the otl
er two? Speak. You are silent Do tt
rings, then, only work inwardly upo
yourselves, so that each one loves himse
best? Oh, then you are all deceived an
deceivers too. Doubtless the true ring
lost, and your father has bestowed upo
each of you false ring.
so if you wait here to hear my sci
tence you wait in vain. but if you see
my advice | will gladly give it you. NJ
| counsel is this: Return TO your home al
| cease your strife. Each one has receive
? | ring from his father Let each one b
:. lieve his ring to be the true ring, and
/ | order to prove to others the truth of h
! | claim let each one strive to make himse
J the most beloved. Let him show Il sc
, | tie, generous spirit, noble forgetfulne
of self, sympathy with others, trut
| fidelity, modesty and, above all, piety t
ward God SO will he who excels mo
in these virtues be the most beloved, al
j so will all see plainly who is the own
of the true ring"
! The brothers returned to their hon
and followed the wise counsel of Il
Judge. They Wed with each other
showing an amable, unselfish temp
until, by the constant practice of the Vi
!, tues which the judge had recommend
\ to them. they grew so unselfsh that Il
= dispute about the ring was forgotte
j and they passed their lives together
harmony and happiness, and so the d
eeit of their weak and unprincipled f
ther had better result than it deserve
New York News.
Not the Same Shakiness.
James doesn't go to church often, b
a his mamma took him there last Sunda
Now she wishes she hadn't.
He sat dpmulely enough until the tenC
who INDUCED in dreadfully ineXcusaE
tremolo. had finished his solo. Then
spoke up.
mamma" he asked in shrill whisp'
| axrbot ma EoS tho mans voice Sla kp 81