The Savannah morning news., 1900-07-15
WOMANS
WORLD.


This calamitous token, says the Times
Herald of that city, is a chain of tiny
amber beads woven into web of finest
Threads, with circuit measuring a yard
and third and one-third of an inch wide
on this yellow strand, done in beads of
darker tint, is an inscription which is i'm
bued with the cruel cause of curse
which. according to the story told of
This thing of omen" is Graded in a fol-
lowing cipher. The inscription is:
yet. so thou base deserted!-go and If
some happier dame has kindled in thy
heart the glow of love- deceitful flame! I.
This burst of righteous Indignation alb
rupty concludes in three double clusters
Of beads in the darker tint over a line
made of thirteen beads in still darker
hue; the figures 1873, two single clusters
OF beads over a line of thirteen, all of
deeper tint. finishing with a Greek cross
in a lighter shade.
The Interpretation of the cipher devel-
opes in the story.
Many years ago. 1921, a beautiful and
sweet tempered Kentucky maiden and u
handsome, brilliant young man of the
same state were betrothed Both fami-
lies belonged TO the most aristocratic
class of the blue grass region, and the
prospective topic for the smart sets Of
half a dozen counties. But alasi for
the pghted trust of the beautiful young
woman. A lovely girl came down from
the North, and her fair charms fascinated
the young man. Anguished and humil-
lated the Kentucky maid went into seclu-
sion. To ease the bitterness in her heart
she wove the amber chain, each tiny
bead representing a tear. She traced
her dismissal of the traitor in the darker
beads and added his retribution and the
visitation of his sin and it's absolution in
the cipher.
One morning the recreant lover found a
little box on his dressing table. He never
knew how it came there That he lifted
the lid and discovered the "evil charm"
is quite clear In the fact that each en-
bematic tear was reflected in his life.
1t would seem that to destroy the telltale
strand would have been his first impulse
But the talisman held him in thrall, ap-
parently, for his bride of the North dis
covered 1t among his bachelor relics, and
was instantly enamored of the yellow
bauble She wore it, gli<tering like a slen-
der shining snake in the folds of her
bodice drapery twisted In the coils of
her fair hair, wound round her neck and
arms. Within a year she faded. weaken
ed and died The bereft husband mourn
ed bitterly, lost interest in life, became
restless and troubled. The story has it
that however far he wandered and how
ever often he gave way or lost the fate
full strand, always it returned 20 him in
a startling way. Each year added a new
grief to his misery. Three times with
spaces of thirteen years between 1884
1874 1860, ell his hopes went into ashes
and he stood alone in life suffering
enormously" AZ the finish of the next
significant count, 1873. he died. NEARLY
fourscore, and death his only blessing"
With a few souvenirs the talisman went
TO distant relatives and carried miSfor-
tune to them. In 1886 and last year, de-
struction and death were visited upon les
hapess possessors.
So to Miss Lumm, the year 1900 is pc
Culiarly significant, inasmuch as she es-
capes the span of the curse. She is a
very distant relative of the immediat e
preceding owner and never met him. She
wonders why the thing of evil came to
her. But since its course was thus des-
tined she regrets that It did not arrive
last year or earlier, that she might
have made a study of its black art" She
had heard the story while visiting in
Kentucky few years ago, but had for
gotten it until the yellow mesh revived
the recollection. A Persian vinaigrette is
attached to the chain, and this, it is
said was added by a former owner while
visiting in Europe.
A solitaire diamond ring will no longer
be the proper token of plighted troth. The
engagement ring of the future is to be an
entirely different affair. If a man has
picked w an odd and ancient circlet with
history and a peculiar significance in
some out-of-the-way nook of the earth, so
much The better. If his travels have not
taken him in the way of such things he
may be able to find one in the houses that
import curios. Few OF these rings have
the ordinary finish of gold, many OF them
look as if they had ben buried for years.
Nevertheless, they are the proper things
this year for engagement rings.
sgnet ring of quaint workmanship Is
popular, and the japanese dragon is an
exceedingly effective design Some of the
emi-precious stones set in the Egyptian
manner are attractive. Others have the
Oriental richness of Turkish manufacture.
For those who do not fear the baleful eff
tects of the opal there are some exquisite
stones set deep in massive, curlously carv-
ed gold, end to make the effect more I'M
usual some of the opals contain the quartz
which, ia embedded in them when they are
taken from the ground. and which oIdi-
ndrliy is removed before the stone is pol
lShed and set.
some of these strange. mysterious look
Ing rings are really old some of them
only look so. A few of them have an
interesting history; they all look as If they
ought to have.
The history can be made. however by
the wearer, and undoubtedly these massive
rings with their rich, dull stones, have
fascination that the cleaning solitaire
does not possess. Moreover, they are less
expensive. A good-looking ring, without
stones or merely small ones for dragon 5
eyes, can be bought for from SIS to $50,
anu a really beautiful one, with an uncom-
IAon-lookng gem, can be bought for from
W 10 $50 Every man who has had TO
pay a diamond for his sweetheart knows
that $50 does not buy much of sparkler
Many women says the Chicago Times
'i'lald, have been stimulated to selfsac-
nee by the example of Florence Night
ihsale No greaIer disciple has she ever
pau than beautiful, piquant, self-wil ed,
ioNable Dorothy Pattison, who would
ave home 20 be nurse. even against
Her father will, and whose tender h arr
ever aIterward reproachod her, only TO
make her throw herself with greater en-
ISy INTO her work. however. On the
pIlers Of the gr at coal and iron distr ct
:" Sou'h Staffordshire, in the neighbour
Ho. of Isl m ngham is The town of Wal