Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1913-03-08

preference for me was very plain. ] .
remember that on one occasion at q !
meeting of our assembly, an associa- !
ton formed for dancing. when. having /
been absent from the city. l had not /
secured partners, Marjorie deliberate |
ly turned down two men on her list
and gave their places to me. Neither
of them grumbled. for she was conSid-
cred as my best girl.
When Lent came and all gayety
ceased took Marjorie to theaters and
other amusements, and the only rea
son | didn't propose to her was that
/ didn't quite see my way clear to sup
port Il wife. | thought l would best
let the matter run on as long as |
could manage to do so without mis-
understanding or danger of losing her.
for | had made start in my profeS-
sion and expected my clientele and
my fees to steadily increase.
One of our set. Ed Darby. invited a
dozen of us to spend the week end. in
/ Guiding Easter Sunday. at his fathers
place in the, suburb of Enfield, Mario
RE and | to be of the party. Easter is
n favorite season with me. as it is
I with most persons, especially when
/ the spring opens, as it usually does at
! Easter, for after long winter. when
/ the days are very short and the sun
stands small and low in the south, the
/ opening OF spring is delicious. | love
it best when certain green things, like
the Crocuses, break through the last
snow left on the ground. as though
they couldn't wait for it TO get out OF
the way. So we all anticipated joy
full three days at Darby's.
| arrived about o'clock-too late to
dress for dinner. Ed sent me to my
room, where | tidied up a bit. and,
passing lavatory on my way down
stairs. concluded to go in and get the
dirt off my hands. While standing by
the bowl / saw on the slab a diamond
ring.
How many are there of us who have
not at some time or times done some
thing that afterward made US won
der how H. the world we could have
been so foolish: | was or believed
myself on the threshold OF a delightful
visit | had just made very large
fee-enouc!t 20 furnish a house-and
had decided 10 propose to Marjorie.
who. | did not doubt. would accept me
for Il life partner, and I was Drumming
over with happiness. Some girl had
left her diamond ring in the lavatnry,
and. l would take it. keep her on the
anxious seat for a time. thinking it had
been stolen. then spring a surprise on
her 10y producing her ring.
admit that in nine cases in ten. or.
if you like. ninety-nine in a hundred,
such an innocent joke would come to
40 harm But it is 10 be remembered
that during the time of taking the
property ana producing it something
may happen to place the joker in the
position Of Il thief. One wouldn't think
of taking Il thousand dollar bill at ii
bank for sport. and he should no more
take Il diamond ring in the same spirit
| slipped my find in my vest pocket
and went dawn 10 dinner 4 jolly com
pauy was assembled. and after salut.
ing and being SaIuted hy them waited
for some .-irl 10 suddenly start and ex-
claim. Coed gracious. where's my
ring: Pat the dinner proceeded with
out any intimatiOn that the property
WIS n-lSSt a. and after awhile the mat.
. ter Slipped my mind DARN. the even
ing it Occurred to me several times
that ] would better not wait for the
ring to he missed before producing il.
but on each occasion something 0c-
CURED ia distract my attention The
consequence WAS that when we sep.
aratpd f0r the night and ! went to my
room | found it in nay vest pocket.
where ! had placed It before going
down to dinner
Then for the 'irst time il occurred to
me that perhaps the loser of the ring
, might have gone 10 the avatory for
it, had not found il and. suppOsinG
some one had appropriated it, without
publishing the fact had taken steps to
detect the thief | have never since
ceased to wonder why did not 20 AT
once to Darby's room. hand him the
ring and tell him how ! had found it
I would surely have done so. bat
didn't know where his room was
D.. What has since surprised me is why |
[ didn't rouse the whole household rath.
J er than 20 to sleep with n piece of
property in my possession that | was
liable to tie accused of having stolen
Had | known what had occurred
r would have been in terror. Miss Ash
] ton. the owner Of the ring. rememb her.
} ed while at the table Of having taken
5 1t off her finger in the layatOry while
] she washed her hands. and il occurred
TO her that she had not put II on again
Feeling for il. she found IT not in Its
place on her finger; but. being one o.
= those girls who are timid about doinc
anything uDuSunl. she refrained from
leaving the table to go for her property
ill after dinner. when she did so and
n found II gone.
After thinking the matter over she
reported the loss to Darby. He. sus
pecting that the ring had been appro
a p:iatcd br = servant and not caring Il
n 1--WE the thief time to get away witt
Il the property. telephOned for dptec
:, tive 10 come AT once. While we wer
ryDDF- = =,