Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1906-12-13
Che 6ei$ba'$ Hmetby$t Ring
Florence Critchlow in the.san Francisco Argonaut.

The day that Evelyn Brandt prom
Used 10 marry Rolfe Savage, sailed
on a purposed voyage around the
world. When we sighted Fugi,
thought to remain a week beneath its
shadow The week became a month,
the month stretched to a year, and
the years doubled and trebled. had
forgotten my native land, my native
tongue, even my native love. had
eaten, in spirit, of the lotus.
Among all the dainty maidens OF
the lotus-land, none seemed to me
more maidenly, more dainty, more de-
Hcious, than she who was called the
Amethyst
She has no honorable name," said
the mistress Of the geisha. "She is
waif. stray pebble from the road"
My last day in Nagasaki had been
reserved for the famous tea garden of
the Almond Bloom. With keen dis
appointment / watched the tawdry
creatures, who danced like wooden
jumping jacks pulled by strings.
Reading my face with the shrewdness
of professional dependents, the group.
bowling and smiling, toddled away. In
the same instant, there materialized,
for she was not seen to enter, vision
in diaphanous blue, the exact color Of
the sky behind filmy veil of summer
cloud The features, unmarried by pro-
fessional paint, rose from the drapery
like starry jasmine from tangle of
foliage. Face and form were ethereal
in contour, and she moved with the
harmony and serenity of pure spirit,
unhampered by the clumsy limitations
OF the material body.
Her ransom was moderate. She
was not profitable geisha.
The others resent her mystery
said the mistress, who had spent con.
siderable sums on her training. "She
Is. besides, capricious, refusing to en-
terrain those whose appearance she
disikes. Her name is for the ring
she wears. That would have paid her
ransom many times over. II would
have bought her a comfortable estab.
lishment. She will not be parted from
II. She Is out of her mind"
Now to ransom an attractive geisha
Is not uncommon. The act implies no
bond. save the intangible letters OF
gratitude. How the Amethyst, once
free, was woed and won, is not tale
to be lightly narrated.
Forgetful of the world and forgotten
by the world, we dwelt, far from the
haunts of the traveller, in the secluded
Garden Of the Golden Lilies. IL the
supposed treachery of one woman had
given me glimpses through the gates
of Hades, the truth and purity of en-.
other had set wide the portals of Para.
disc. With one trifiing exception, the
character of Amethyst was as trans.
parent as her name-stone. But on
the subject Of that stone--a great,
perfect gem, set In tomoya, or Bud.
dhist luck symbol--she maintained
the most absolute reticence. She
wore 1t on her right hand, caught In a
ring of twisted silver wires. No per.
suasion could entice It from its place
No cajolery. nor serious question
could lure from her any admission con
corning Its history.
1T is my SOUL she would respond
with the most coQuettish and provok
ing assumption of mystic wisdom
Truth to tell. the ring had no interes;
for me. save this pleasure in teasing
its owner. One day. when we sat idle
among the blooms of May, | made q
pretended effort to remove the tails
man by force. At the very instant, a
hideous face peered through the
screening hedge. causing my wife to
draw back In real fright which Left
the ring In my possession. lnstinc
lively | dropped Il carelessly In my
robe as | sprang at the intruder. The
hedge was light. a mere shelter, from
the highway. | pushed 1t aside with.
one difficulty, but the vagabond had
vanished. 1t seemed as though the
earth must have swallowed him
Turning back. found my wife dead
among the golden lilies.
When the maidens, Primrose and
Narcissa. had made all ready for the
burial | was left alone with my dead
As | gazed on the face so lately glow.
ing with vital joy, wondered where.
according to the teachings of her ie-
ligion. :. lairer temple could be found
for the reincarnation OF that fair soul
The word recalled the bauble which
she had carefully called her soul
Dear child" whispered, the
shining soul shall light the darkness
OF the grave"
AS slipped the silver wire over the
unresisting finger she did not seem
10 me like one dead. I fancled that |
could feel faint throbbing Of the
pulse. that the bosom rose and fell
with faint breath. The lips, as kiss
ed them in passionatel farewell. were
devfy with life, The lashes. TO my
teardimmed eyes. seemed TO lift. and
her living eyes looked into mine Yet
knew these things could not be. I
was craxed with grief and these were