The Washington weekly post., 1900-09-04
Il DIAMOND RING.

The number of stones was given all the
way from one to ten. and almost every
railroad in the kingdom was mentioned
The l50 writer's were fakes and liars, and
the true loser had not answered me.
was bit nettled by this neglect on heI
part. She was not meeting my romance
half way. / advertised a second time, and
this time / gave date and day and train
Again got peck of letters, and at least
half OF them were from people who mad
answered before. As none of them could
describe the ring, / was no better off than
before. Indeed. / was worse off. A rail-
way official wrote me that in keeping an
article OF value found on the line / had
made myself thief and that he would
take great pleasure in seeing me behind
the bars.
/ was now In love with the loser OF that
ling. Sentiment had a firm grip on me
and l got all sorts of silly notions into
my head. must see the affair TO the end
at whatever cost, and the end must be my
marriage with the fair-haired Beatrice
That was the name gave her, and | put
her age at thirteen. without stopping "a
rehect that 1 was probably as old a man
as her rather. A third crop of advertise
ments went out, This time 1 called II a
hoop ring. and i got 200 replies from losers
OF hoop rings. In sending out the fourth
batch OF advertising | described The rina
WITH the exception of the initials The
something beyond replies. A detective fol.
lowed me TO my lodgings, and was insult
ing enough TO ask:
Look here. old man. what sort Of a
game are You trying to play on the pub,
lie with that ring?"
harefp
my anger at finding / had been doeged
But 1t Is my business" he insisted
u don't exactly twig your lay. BUT Pil
have my eye on you for the NEXT few
weeks and be prepared to make il hot
III you want TO know who I am. so
10 Brown a. Brown, solicitors"
help from them"
For half an hour after ne had gone
was 100 put out 70 feel much romance.
but 9s cooled off II came gently steal.
ing back, and was more than ever de-
termined 10 find my unknown love
with that independence which shoulI
Characterize the actions Of a fairly homes:
rsn' rrhiI ! adIertlsed .r for the fifth time.
cate with me in case she had lost anv-
thing. There were Just l07 "B. p" an
sweri but among them / selected one
which appeared to be genuine Thlg ''R
p" had lost double hoop diamond ring.
containing FIVE stOneg II had been lost
on railroad train. and was a birthday
gift from dead mother I was asked Ia
call al the chambers OF a certain g0Iicitsr
10 have. the ring further Identified. There
- nothing romantic about calling on a
seilcitor- mad been In hopes OF being In
Yited TO Sloan Square mansion or a
grand country seat. and / was dlsap-
pointed.
II was quite possible, however. that the
blonde haired heiress would be al the sole
itors and that all would be well. and so ]
was a stern-faced and aggressive looking
householder. together with slick-lo5k-
Ing villain whom I az once spotted for Z
detective. and young woman whose hair
was red Instead OF blonde The ring was
peegly soS sseatihed ~ he S5e.n-faeed man
Perkins. and her father and her maid were
before me. Perkins was a country squire
and on the night previous TO nv finding
the ring BIS daughters Jewels had been
stolen. The hoop ring was part OF the
OF course was ready 20 hand over ths
ring. but II wasn't 10 stop there That red
headed maid vas sure she recognized me
as the man who was hanging about the
grounds few hours before the robbery.
and that villain Of a detective was Onlv
too glad 70 snap the handouts on nv
wrists and hurry me on 70 fall. II took
me three days 20 prove myself a reepscfa-
bic character and an alibl. TheY had 20
give me my liberty. but II was gruGging!y
done. and the detective said he'd haze an
eve on me al the rest of nv days The
romano. had departed when Was loekei
up. came out Of fail detersninef on Sc
curing repaFati lion. Old Perkins had hello
ed the red-hsadei girl 20 conclude thai ]
was the ro0ber. and I wen; down 10 his
country seat 20 receive an ahtecf apology
or Dull his nose He no, only refused an
apology. but threatened 70 kick me on ire
grounds, and the Fed-headei girl declared
thar ! had a east IN my left eye. and ~
that cast she would swear % me In any
court as a man who would not stop Al
murder There vas one more thing 20 bs
cleared up. ! wanted 20 find out about
"R p" herself Was abe the blonde
haired blue-eyed girl Of my dreams. and
Was she worthy ~ my invs7 I hsa rot
long 20 walt 7 vas walking from the
country seat 70 the village when a dog-
cart knocked me down and rolled me All
over the road. and the driver halted 70
cali me- a tramp and threaten fne with shs
Law. The driver was "R p" Her hair
was blszehsd her ese6-ess eoloTed. ard
her nose turned nn. she had & big mouth
bad teeth, and milky eyes. ard when she
drove on she wbistief like 3 man
tresyright. fts. b. c. D L<.st