Charlevoix county herald. (East Jordan, Mich.) 189?-1953, 1913-06-28
The LUCKY OLD RING

BY JOSEPH e. SMITH.

ueen Sucu dWiuiiy eoou lTituus ABOUT
everything that thought i would tell
you how II happened.
or course it's Jim's sister You re-
member Jim. He was one of the
boys In the old frat back at Yale.
You know we were both on the elev.
en- for old Eli, and II made IT no end
jolly that when | got IL for coach
hero he should get il for trainer toe.
At first | liked Edith because she
was Jim's sister. l took her to things
and tried to give her good time.
Pretty soon, ! got TO like her for her
pened-only after had made thou.
sand fools of myself.
You see. since Jim and ! were sucn
chums, l got to know Edith pretty
well, and we became great friends.
If it hadn't been for the ring, It
might never have happened. 1t was
a heavy Egyptian scarab, with an en-.
graved setting. 1t was a particular
thing in the frat. and you know you
couldn't let girl wear it unless you
We're engaged. A scarab is supposed
to bring luck, and mine certainly did.
One night I had come back homo
from taking Edith to a reception. I
glanced down at my hand and saw
that my ring was gone from my lit
tie finger. 1t upset me considerably.
Not that the ring was valuable, only
fellow hates 10 lose anything like
that. / could not see any way that
could possibly have lost il. After /
had hunted everywhere / gave it up.
| was out OF town for week or so,
but the next time I saw Edith, you
can imagine what / felt when saw
my ring on her finger. 1t knocked me
fiat with surprise. At first / couldn't
think of any way that she could have
gotten il. until at last it came to me,
that the night of the reception she
had asked me to hold her muff for a
moment. My ring must have slipped
Off in ii then, and the next day she
probably found it,
1t was the fact that she wore il
that gave me courage to speak at
last. AS long as she was Jims sister.
/ knew that she must know what it
meant for a girl to wear that ring,
and so | was in fools heaven Of
happiness.
IL was good weather for sleighing
and so / took Edith out the first
chance l got Nothing seemed to
come right to bring up. the subject
until she took her glove off, for some
reason or other. Ii happened to be
on the hand that had the ring on.
looked at ii and said:
don't you, Edith
She looked rather surprised.
"Of course
We were way out In the country
and l guess my happiness went to my
head and made me all kinds of a
presumptuous fool. She pulled her
hand away with jerk. The air had
brought the color to her face, but it
was not the air which made il deepen
She did not say word, but just
looked at me.
But the ring" i stammered.
What has the ring got to 10
with"
why, you know what II means
and l thought you understood"
She stared at me incredulously.
Jack. what do you mean? l don't
understand at ALL"
IL was my turn to stare at her.
why, didn't you find my ring In
your muff?'
Your ring in my nun! How
should 1t come there?"
Il lost my ring the night Of the re-
ception, and when i saw you with
that on, thought you had found It.
Your wearing it gave me hope for
something | had never dared dream
OF. You must know that /"
Edith looked at me a moment and
then she laughed.
This ring? It has always had q
fascination for me. i have tried tc
persuade Jim to let me wear II and
he never would So when / found II
on his dresser last night I appropriate.
ed It,"
Then ell of sudden II came over
me what a fool Id been. l nigh;
have known IL was Jim's, but ! was
so ready in my conceit to think II
was mine that never stopped to con
slider anything else.
Il don't suppose there's anything !
can say. am sorry to have made a
fool OF myself and have spoiled every.
thing"
There was long silence after ]
had headed the horse around. ]
thought of all the things l might say,
and didn't.
It must have been the courage oil
despair that made me ask:
Cant we keep on being friends
only In another way
And then it happened | could hard
" believe that Edith could care for q
fellow like me.
But, Dad, here's whore | come tc
the. Joke OF the thing. The next time
| had on my evening coat, II was cold
and I dug my hands deep into my
pockpts 10 keen them warm. Down