The times., 1899-11-05
FREAKS OF LOST JEWELS.
They Illustrate the Pervcrsity of In
nnimnte Ohierta.

animate Objects.
(From the New Yoyk Tribune.)
Apropos of the story of the recovery Of
Beatrice Harriden's engagement ring
which has been going the rounds of the
newspapers, some curious tales of the find
ing of other lost articles are told. Miss
Harden some thirteen years ago, while
boating in Oquaga Lake. lost the ring.
Search was fTuitless. Returning to her
Philadelphia home, she was married ard
the loss of her engagement ring was ell
most forgotten. This summer a party OF
her friends were spending some weeks at
the same resort. Tramping across the
fields one day. they caught a large turtle,
carried it home, and began preparations
for making it into soup. In its stomach
the long lost ring was found.
A Brooklyn woman, while gathering
flowers in her garden, dropped her engage
ment ring. Tireless was the search, but
in vain. One year later, while superin-
tending the transplanting Of some tulip
bulbs. the ring was dug up, none the worse
for its long burial.
a New York literary woman, while Wis
iting at a Long Island summer resort, lost
on the beach a neck chain charm, stone
she had herself found in the Rocky Noun
tains. After some days Of waiting. she lost
hope of seeing it again, and returned home.
The following summer she again visited
the same watering place. While walking
on the principal street she saw her charm
on a fashionaby dressed woman Over
come with surprise and delight she quite
forgot all else. and, springing forward, eX-
claimed, You have my charmH
You are crazy, madame! What can you
mean? Cannot two women have charms
alike?' said the man accompanying the
woman addressed. The latter had stepped
back, fearing they had encountered mad
woman.
"Oh, but ] know what ] say; she has
my charm" persisted the first speaker.
Then regaining her composure, she began
to realize how strange she must appear to
these people, and explained how she had
lost the charm the year before, and how
there could not be another just like it in
the world
"She is right" said the woman who held
the charm. 4 found il here one year ago
on the day you lost it. I am pleased to
return it to its rightful owner"
Westchester woman went sieighing
wearing a pair of beautiful earrings given
TO her by her husband. When she returned
one earring was missing Sleigh, robes,
clothing, everything was searched in vain.
She was inconsolable; she would have moth
ing to replace her earring; she wanted that
one or none. She would look for it the
next morning. in spite OF being laughed at.
going over every step Of the way Travelled.
Seven miles away, at a little farmhouse
at which she had stopped the day before,
close to the step at the door, lay her ear
ring, sparkling in the sun on its bed of
glistening snow.
The queer disappearance of a valuable
jewel almost caused nervous prostration to
a salesman in one of the big jewelry stores
Of this city. A man. Enthusiastically from
the West, came into the store. He had,
he explained made great deal of money
and as he was returning home he would
like to take some gift to his wife Would
they show him some of their finest jewels.
One of the firms most trusted employees
was summoned to wait upon him. In show
ing him an unset stone it slipped from the
pincers and Immediately disappeared from
view.
At once both men began to look FOR it,
but in vain. Then they went into the ri
vate Cffice, and thorough search was
made into shoes, pockets, clOthes-all 10 no
use. The wouId-be purchaser offered to
pay for il. but the firm said no so 10 prove
his good faith. he bought something equal
ly valuable The matter dropped
Never had the firm for a moment a sus-
piciOn of the salesman. But he broeded
over il; it was a cause of constant worry
to him. Where could the stone be- What
had become OF it After all did they not
suspect him? Were they only kind be-
cause of his long service?
At last he could stand it no longer. and
asked for a long vacation, thinking IL he
got away he would be able 10 forget the
loss. In looking over some clothes pre-
paratory to his contemplated trip. he came
upon long-forgotten waistcoat. Search
ing in the pockets for anything that might
have been left there. he felt something
hard between the cloth and the lining On
ripping the hem. out dropped the diamond.
Speaking Of it afterward. he said that the
only solution he could reach as to how it
had got there was that in slipping from
the pincers it had rolled into his pocket,
and cut its way through the lining into
the hem Of the garment where it had lodg-
ed all this time. He took his vacation, but
in much gayer spirits than he had antici-
pated.