Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1901-10-23
thing that would attract the attention
of the least ObSeryant

of the least Observant.
A large gold split ring, elegantly chas-
ed and evidently of antique manufac-
ture, to which was suspended a COM
mon copper English penny piece. The
combination was so homogeneous, so lu-
dicrous, that l could not refrain from
taking it in my hand to examine.
"Oh, please don't touch that" ex-
claimed the dying girl. 'It is all
have"
Then there was story to 1t!
When | had prescribed a simple pal
liative for the racking cough and had
given Instructions for other simple
treatment, | went down stairs again
with the mother
You saw the penny and the ring,
doctor" she said, land you wondered.
Is it not so?"
| confessed that | had felt a little
curious to know its history, and here
is what the old woman told me:
The old gold ring had belonged to
Elsie's great grandmother. 1t had once
been thumb ring. Elsie looked upon
1t as sort of heirloom and had car
ried it with her as a sort of talisman
since childhood. One day, after she
had known Mr. Wellington a few
months before they We're engaged to
be married, the young man had laugh
ingly pulled from his pocket a penny
through which some foolish person
had bored hole. Elsie was just about
to appear in a new character, so Hor-
ace, in fun, remarked: "Take this pen
ny and keep it for luck. You will new
er fail in part. SO long as you keep
it,"
Elsie entered into the spirit of the
thing and said, "Now, if | could only
get my own talisman split l would
hang the penny on to it,"
THAT is easily DONE" said Horace,
as he took. the ring in his hand and
admired its chasing. II will take it 70
Evans, in Sheffield, and have it split"
Accordingly he took the ring and In
a few days returned it with the penny
hanging to it. Elsie fastened a ribbon
to it and wore it around her neck.
Alas, that ring and that penny were
two persons to whom they had belong
ed! The one pure gold, refined and
chased by a master hand, destined to
be broken by the owner of the baser
metal which entered the golden heart
and broke it in two and left it.
When she went to London, Willing
ton followed Elsie. and there, amid the
81 al 90 no
Babylon, he came out in his true col
ors, constituencies, loveless scoun-
drel 1t seems unnatural and untrue
that man could deliberately lay plans
and take years to mature them for the
ruin of a young girls life, but so it
was with Wellington and Elsie Under
hill.
Plenty of people there are living yet
who remember the success of the
young actress on the Princess boards
and who remember with sorrow her
sudden departure and death.
Wellington succeeded in his designs,
then left her. as it was afterward
known he had left others, to droop and
die or to go from bad to worse. He
cared nothing.
Elsie's sensitive nature was too high
strung She could not survive the dis
grace even though it was apparent only
to herself Her heart broke, and in
the early weeks of December, when
the narrow little Church street and
the roofs of the neighboring cottages
We're covered with snow when the
timid robin had become so tame as to
fly to the windows of human habita-
lions for the food of charity, when the
world was beginning to prepare its an
nual festival of peace and good will
toward men," the poor little actress.
who was a delicate flower in the midst
of life of nettles and brambles, with
cred and passed away, to be trans
planted in the garden that is kept for
ever beautiful by those angels whose
duty it is to soothe and comfort those
poor waits of humanity who are not
strong enough to overcome humanity's
blows and buffets.
What became of wellington? l have
never heard of him since. Somewhere,
probably, he holds an honored position
on earth. for he was rich, and wealth
on earth covers innumerable sins; but
surely when his time comes to so to
that bourn from which no traveller ever
returns he will be met by the dark re-
cording angel with page not yet blot
ted out. on which he will be shown
A penny suspended from pure gold
| ring.