Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1905-09-14


that, and everything turned black be-
fore me. for it was my Lord Robert
EaIing's great ring Of exceeding value
/ for the theft of which had been trans
ported.
Straightway Catherine saw that 1t
was too much for me. for she knelt
down beside me and called John to give
her flask Of sweet waters which stood
on the table. and began bathing my
forehead. the while my brother looked
on with something Of jealous frown.
Twas thoughtless Of me. Harry, >
she whispered. but they say joy does
not kill. and and-dost thou know the
ring?"
| nodded. 1t seemed to me that no
| jewels could ever be mined which l
would know as knew that green star
of emerald and those encircling bril-
liants. That ring knew to my cost
My Lord Ealing is dead" she said.
"and thou knowest that he was a kins-
man of the Chelmsfords, and after his
| funeral came this ring and a letter,
| nd-and-thou art cleared. Harry. And
-and-now | know why thou didst
what thou did, Harry, twas was--to
shield me-" With that she burst into
a great flood of tears. even throwing
! herself upon the floor of my cell in
all her slim length and not letting my
brother John raise her. though he
] strove to do SO.
| 1t is here that | shall stop the course
of my story to explain the whole mat
ter of the ring, which at the time
was too weak and spent with pain to
comprehend fully as Catherine Caven-
| dish related Ii. 1t was a curious and
at the same time simple tale, as such
| tales are wont to be- and its very sim
plicity made it seem then. and seem
now, well nigh incredible
! My Lord Robert Ealing, who had
tsme to the ball at Cavendish Court
| that long last year, was distant kins-
man Of our family and unwedded. but
4 man who went through the world
with a silly leer of willingness toward
| all womankind And twas this very
trait perhaps which accounted for his
remaining unwedded, although lord,
| though the fact that his estates were
encountered may have had somewhat
to do with it Be that as it may, he
lived alone. except for a few old SER
| wants, and was turned sixty when,
| long after my transportation, he
welded his cook, who gave him three
daughters and one son, to whom the
estate went, but the ring and the letter
came to the Chelmsfords. The letter,
which | afterward saw, was most
curious thing, both as to composition
and spelling and chirography, for his
| lordship was no scholar And since the
letter is but short | may perhaps as
well give it entire. Afternthis wise it
ran, being addressed to Colonel John
Chelmsford. who was his cousin,
/ though considerably younger:
Dear Cousin $50 wrote my Lord EALING.
When this reaches you / shall be laid
/ in silent tomb, where. perchance, shall
/ be more at peace than l have ever ben In
/ wurld. which either fitted me not, or ]
/ did not fit. At all odds there was a sore
nisfit betwixt US in some way. If 1t was
/ the biam of the world, good ridance and
! pardon If it was my blam, let them which
/ made me come to account fort. l send
| herewith my great emruld ringg. with
! dimends which I suspect hath been the
means of sending an inosent man Into
slavery. I had a mind some years agone to
| wed with Caterin Cavendish. and she bein
| hard made to approche. having ever a
stiff turn of the sholder toward me.
| though ] knew not why was not willin
to resk my suite by word of mouth. nor
| having never gift in writin by letter.
1 things, I bethought me of my emruld ring.
| and on the night of the ball, 1 being up-
| stair in to lay off my hiatt and cloak,
stole privily into Catherins chamber, she
| being a-dancin below. and / laid the ring
4 on her dressing table. thinl1in that she
would see it when she entered and know
| it for a love token
And then 1 went myself below, and
Caterfn, she would have none of me, and
| made up such a face of ice when I APP
/ preached that methought I had maybe
1 wasted my emruld ring. So after a little
up the stare / stole, and the ring was not
/ where l had put it. Then thinkin that the
| ring had been stole. and l had neither
/ that nor the made, raised a great hue
and cry, and demanded that a search be
| maid, and the ring was found on Master
/ Wingield, and he was therefor transport
4 ed, and had my ring again. and myself
| knew not the true fact of the case until
4 a year agone.
Then feeling that 1 had not much longer
| to live, | writ this. thinking that Master
Wingt1eld was in a rich country. and not
in sufferin. and a few months more would
| make not much odds to him. The facs of
| the case cousin. knew from Madam
| Cavendishs old servant woman Char
! lotte, who came to my sister when the
Cavendishs left for Virginia, having a
fear of the sea. and later when my sister
died. to my wife and died but year
agone. and in her deathbed told me what
she knew. She told me truly. that she
| did see Madam Cavendish on the night of
the ball go into Caterin's chamber. and
| espying my emruld ring on her dressing
table. take it up and look at it with ex-
! ceeding establishment, and then lay 1t
4 down not on the spot wherein / had left
it, but on the prayer book on the little
stand beside her bed, and then go down
! stairs frowning
Then this same Charlotte, having little
interest in life as to her own affairs, and
/ forced to suck others, if she would keep
her wits nourished. being watchful, saw