Smyrna times., 1901-11-06
hing that would attract the attention

thing that would attract the attention
Of the least observant.
= 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 incongruous, so lu-
dicrous, that 1 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 it!
When 1 had prescribed a simple pal
liative for the racking cough and had
given instructions for other simple
treatment, l went down stairs again
with the mother.
You saw the penny and the ring,
DOCTOR" she said, "and you wondered.
Is it not so?'
confessed that l 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 eat-grandmOther 1t had once
been thumb ring. Elsie looked upon
it as a 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 were engaged to
be married, the young man had laugh
ingly pulled from his pocket a penny
through which some foolish person
| ho1 n holo -
to appear in a new character, so Hor-
ace, in fun, remarked: "Take this pen
ny and keep it for luck. You will nev-
er fail in a part so long as you keep
it,"
Elsie entered into the spirit of the
thing and said, "Now, if l 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. Il will take it &c
Evans, in Sheffield, and have it split
Accordingly he took the ring and IL
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 wer'
the parallels of the characters of th
two persons to whom they had belong
ed! The one pure gold, refined ant
chased by a master hand, destined t
be froken by the owner of the base
: metal which entered the golden hear
, and broke it in two and left it.
i When she went to London, Willing
ton followed Elsie, and there, amid tn
u follies and eXcitements of the grea
> Babylon, he came out in his true co
/ ors, a conscienceless, lOveless scouI
drel 1t seems unnatural and untru
y that man could deliberately lay plan
/ and take years to mature them for til
5 ruin of a ysung girls life, but so
was with Wellington and Elsie Unde
l. hill.
Plenty of people there are living "
u who remember the success of I'll
n young actress on the Princess boart
u and who remember with sorrow hC
Il sudden departure and death.
le Wellington succeeded in his design
D. then left her, as it was afterwal
III known he had left others, to droOp an
l. die or to go from bad to worse. E
= cared nothing.
l. Elsie's sensitive nature was too hig
II strung. She could not survive the di
t grace even though it was apparent on
T. to herself. Her heart broke, and
e the early weeks of December, whC
IT. the narrow little Church street al
er the roofs of the neighboring cOttag
l. were covered with snow, when Il
sc timid robin had become so tame as
fly to the windows of human habit
10 tions for the food of charity, when t
" world was beginning to prepare its a
Vi nual festival of peace and good W
I'll toward men," the poor little actre'
re who was a delicate flower in the mid
o. of a life of nettles and brambles. wit
Is cred and passed away, to be tra1
en planted in the garden that is kept fl
ever beautiful by those angels who
II duty it is to sOothe and comfort tho
ie. poor waits of humanity who are I
ot strong enough to overcome humanit,
blows and buffets.
au What became of Wellington? l ha
eu never heard of him since. Somewhe
10 probably, he holds an hOnOred positi
ice on earth, for he was rich. and wea
ic- on earth covers innumerable sins;
'iu surely when his time comes to go
10 that bourn from which no traveller e7
,ch returns he will be met by the dark
les cording angel with a page not yet bl
Is ted out, on which he will be shown
III A penny suspended from pure g
oh' ring.
ms, --
of The Judas Tree.
tie Tie IudaS tree is q native of