Middletown transcript., 1903-06-13

| so soon. I prize it too highly T
wear it, and usually carry it il
my pocketbook. l must hav
dropped it when getting on
change for paper.
| The owner of the ring has al
ready claimed it, I said as | agall
glanced at the young lady. Sh'
now appeared more composed
| but her cheeks were flushed ant
her breath still came very fast
1 am sure that could one so re
fined have expressed so gross
passion, she would have looked
very angry.
By this time l had found thu
ring and stood with it in my
hand.
Nv name is Bland, said the
gentleman, as if he thought the
name possessed some magic
power. And I say the ring is
mine.
And he again turned toward
the young lady, as if expecting
her to forego her claim to the
ring.
But without meeting his eye,
she said to me, if you will kindly
restore my ring I will go.
She spoke calmly, but in a sup
pressed tone as if she was chok-
ing back some almost over-mas-
tering emotion.
I glanced from one to the other
of the claimants, undecided what
to do, but Bland stepping round
the office table to where Miss
Pembroke set, said something in
a low tone while his eyes spar
kled angrily. She shrank from
him with what / interpreted as
fear and aversion, while I extend
ed the ring towards her. She
reached her hand towards it, but
just then he, leaning over her,
hissed in a tone audible to me-
Beware! You know me.
You may have the ring, she
said, rising and moving towards
the door.
He extended his hand eagerly,
while his face lighted up with an
evil triumph. I pretended not
to see him, hoping she would re
tract her permission, for some
how it came to me as a revelation
that the ownership of the ring
implied a power or at least an
influence over her destiny.
There is a friendly rivalry be-
tween Miss Pembroke and my
self concerning this ring, he said,
trying to smile blandly, while his
beetling brows contracted omin-
ously as he noted my unwarrant-
able partisanship. Is it not so,
Miss Pembroke?
And he glanced at her.
Yes, she replied, with the res
ignation of a martyr struggled
with a look of heroic determina-
tion on her lovely face.
I at once gave him the ring.
Thanks, he said, as he placed
it in a large pocketbook. Then
to the lady he said
/ hope to see you again in a
fortnight; till then, au revoir.
She bowed slightly without
speaking, and we were alone.
After a moment, during which
she stood looking at the floor, she
raised her eyes is mine, and said,
I hope you will not mention the
unpleasant scene you have wit
messed to anyone.
1gave my unqualified promise,
and was rewarded by a grateful
glance from those soul stirring
eyes. Then I was alone-more
utterly alone than l had ever
been before in my life. Should
| ever see her again? [ asked N.Y.
self. And with the query came
the thought of the detested man
who possessed such power over
her, but whatever the nature of
the mastery he had over her, I
felt assured that she was as an
innocent dove in the coils of a
serpent. And I then and there
resolved to see her again and if
possible rescue her from the dis
ENHANCEMENT Of that
man, Bland. 1t must be a mort
gage, thought; but with it came
the thought that she might be his
wife, and it was such extreme
torture that I found it impossible
to attend to my work, and clos
ing my office I ram bled off in the
direction in which I had seen
Miss Pembroke disappear. This
was my chief occupation for
many weeks thereafter, for her
face haunted me day and night,
or awake.
Some weeks later l was by in
yitation at the housa of a fr;ond