The Marshall republican., 1913-07-11
THE LUCKY OLD RING
Ithaca. N. Y. Ian. 27. 1eo-
BY JOSEPH e. smiTH.

you how II happened.
or course it's inns 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 1t made It no enc
jolly that when l got Il for coach
here he should get II for trainer, too
At brst I liked Edith because she
was Jim's sister. / took her to things
and tried to give her a good time
Pretty soon. I got 20 like her for her
own sake. and then finally II hap
pened-only after ! had made a thou
sand fools OF myself.
You see, since Jim and I we're such
chuma, I got to know Edith pretty
well. and we became great friends.
II IL hadn't been for the ring. Il
might have happened. II was
n heavy Egyptian scarab. with ar en-.
graved setting. II was a particular
thing in tho frat. and you know yor,
couldn't let q girl wear II unless you
were engaged. A scarab 10 supposed
to bring luck, and mine certainly did.
One night | had come back home
from taxing Edith to a reception I
glanced down d: my hand and saw
that my ring was gone from my III.
tie finger II upset me considerably
Not that the ring was valuable, only n
Fellow hates to lose anything like
that. | could not sec any way that |
could possibly have lost II. After
had hunted everywhere I gave Il up
! vas out OF town for n week or no.
but tho ext time ] saw Edith. you
can imagine what | felt when 7 saw
my ring on her finger. IL knocked me
fiat with surprise. At first I couldn't
think OF any way that she could have
gotten Il. until at last 1t camo to me.
that the night OF the reception she
had asked me to hold her nun for n
moment. My ring must have slipped
or In Il then, and the next day she
probably found Il.
II was tho fact that she wore Il
that gave me courage TO speak at
last. Aa long as she was Jim's sister.
| knew that sho must know what II
meant for a girl TO wear that ring,
and 80 l a In n FOOLS heaven of
happiness.
IL was good weather for sleighing
and SO took Edith out the first
chance / got. Nothing seemed to
come right TO bring up the subject
until she took her glove OF. for some
reason or other. It happened to be
on the hand that had the ring on. /
looked nj Il and said: I
You know what that ring means,
don't you. Edith"
She looked rather surprised.
"Of course" '
We were way out in the country
and | guess my happiness went to my
head and made me all kinds OF n
presumptuous fool. She pulled her
hand away with n Jerk. Tho air had
brought the. color 10 her face, but Il
was not the afr which made II deepen.
She did not say u word. but Just
looked at me.
But the ring" / stammered.
What has tho ring got TO do
with Ly.4I
Why. you know what II means,
ana thought you understood" ,
She stared at me incredulously.
Jack. what do you mean? / don't
understand at all"
II was my turn to- stare ut her.
why. didn't you find my ring In
your muf?'
Your ring In my mum! How
should Il come there?"
II lost my ring the night Of the TO
ception. and when l saw you with
that on, l thought sou had found It.
Your wearing Il gave me hope for
something l had never dared dream
Of, You must know that l."
Edith looked at me q moment and
then she laughed.
This ring? Ii has always had a
fascination for me. I have tried to
persuade Jim to let me yea It and
he never would. So when ! found II
on his dresser last night l a%ppropriat.
cd It."
Then all OF a sudden II came over
me what q fool I'd been. might
have known II was Jim's. but ! was
w itatJ ih my NoutOib " tniih ~
was mine that ! stopped to con.
slider anything else,
IL don't suppose there's anything !
car say. am sorry to have made a
fool Of myself and have spoiled every.
thing"
There was n long silence after ]
had headed the horse around. ]
thought OF all tho things I might say,
and didn't lc 500 ,tfti
1t must have been the courage OF
despair that made me ask:
Cant we keep on being friends,
only In another way?"
And then 1t happened. I could hard.
ly believe that Edith could care for q
fellow Ike me.
But, Dad, here's where I come to
the.joke OF the thing. The next time
! had on my evening coat. II was cold
and 1 dug my hands deep into my
pockets to keep them warm. Down
in a corner l felt something cold and
hard. I fished Il out, and what do
you think3 That lucky old scarab
ring! It had slipped on in my pocket