The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1900-10-03

priceless value. Inc stone
was a large opal, which reflected
many various and brilliant hues, but
far more precious than the beauty Of
gems of gold was the magic power
hidden in the ring of making its wear
er beloved by his fellow-men.
The nobleman, 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
in the possession Of his own family.
So he bequeathed 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 succeeding generations.
The inheritor CT the ring was always
sure to be beloved by all who knew
him, and was, besides, to be consid-
cred as the head Of the family without
regard to birthright
After being handed down in this
way through several generation, the
ring came at last into the possession
of a father who had three sons, all
equally obedieat and loving AID all
equally dear to him. Many times did
the father try to decide in his own
mind to which of his sons he should
bequeath the ring, but as he loved
them all equally he could not choose
between them.
Being one aay alone with his eldest
son he promised him that he should
inherit the ring, and at another time
to the second son, seeming to him the
most worthy, he made the same prom
Use, and even did the same another
day to the thil son. Soon after this
he was attacked by an illness, and
feared that his end was drawing near,
yet he was still unable to decide to
whom he should really leave the ring,
feeling so unwilling to- deprive two of
his sons of that to which all seemed
to have an equal claim. At last, in
the midst of his perpleNity, a new
idea struck him, and he sent secretly
al order to a jeweler to make two
rings after the pattern of the magic
ring, and to spare no expense or pains
to make them exactly like it.
The jew eler was very skillful, and
succeeded so well in his task thas
when he brought the two rings he had
made, and showed them to the noble
man with the original ring, the latter
could not discern which of the three
was the true one. He paid the jeweler
q large sum of money for his work,
and dismissed him. Then he called
his eldest son to him, and took a ten
der farewell of him, bestowing upon
him his blessing and one Of the rings,
which the son Of course supposed to
be the true and only one. He next
sent for his second son, and spoke pri-
vatcly in the same way to him, giving
him also q ring; and SO with the third,
and soon after this he died.
His sons buried him with great
pomp. aI1 when the funeral was over
the eldest son spoke to his brothers
and to the friends who We're assem-
bled and claimed to be the head and
ruler of the faL lily, as being the pos
SCISSOR of the ring. He was happy in
the feeling that, besides bestowing
upon him this power, his precious ring
would cause him to be so beloved by
all that no one would envy him the
position he claimed, end he resolved
in his own heart that he would he so
loving and kind to his brothers and so
good to all around him that he should
always STOW himself worthy of his
fathers choice.
Great was the astonisllmcnt Of the
other brothers, and all were amazed
when each showed his own ring and
told of his fathers last words to him
and made the same claim that the eld.
est had made.
Then arose an eager discussion; the
rsnrs wern examined, and it was
found impossible to distinguish the
magic rirg from the others. and the
brothers determined to bring the mat
ter before the judge. The judge ques'
toned al the brothers closely, but
each one affirmed exactly the same
thing. that the father had privately