Emmons County record. [volume] (Williamsport, D.T. [i.e. N.D.]) 1884-current, 1917-12-27
TIE OPAL RING
BY EFF.E STEVENS.

ASItoI ueclusu tiIiit he Wuutu XIV HIM
self of his ili-omencd opal ut the ear.
lest possible moment.
He had had nothing but III luck
since he owned the thing, the crown.
Ing piece being his quarrel With his
llancee. Marion Hubert. Size had de.
clarad that the great gem IN its unique
setting was too shOwy an article Of
| iewery for Il man OF good taste to
wear. He had thouglit III differently, and
the outcome had been his final dis.
missal.
Yet how to dispose OF the ring was
something of Il puzzle TO the unimagi.
native Ashton.
Finally he decided that the thing TO
Go would be to lose 1t. But the simple
| and obvious methods of Kidding him.
self OF II, by casting 1t from Il rap
| idly moving train, or hurting ii into the
ocean from the deck of steamboat,
never so much Us entered his head.
Later In The dny Ashton dropped
into his friend jim Bcnton's Office for
II chat, and the sight of the trim-lools-
ing young woman, industriously pound
Ing away upon the typewriting ma
chine, put Il new idea into his head.
Miss Brown" he asked, shave you
time to address an envelope for me?"
Certainly" replied Miss Brown, fin
Ishing the letter she WAS ut work upon
md inserting an envelope in her ma
chine.
Ashton walked over to her side and
told her the address in low tone.
After thanking Miss Brown. Ashton
hurried from the Office, with the enve-
!ope safe in his pocket. and back to
the scclusicn OF his own room, where
he gave himself up to the pleasant
task Of packing the opal up prepura-
tory 10 losing it.
He did the ring up in a small box,
upon which he pasted the address
| which he cut from the envelope.
When Ashton had showed his box
through the slit labeled parcels ri
the post Office. he felt more like him.
self than he had done for some time
The next morning. drawn by that
Irresistible influence which is supposed
to draw murderers to the scenes Of
their former crimes, often to their own
undoing, Ashton was sauntering past
Packard's jewelry store, when one Of
the clerks hailed him with: "Mr. Pack.
ard wishes to see you moment"
With sinking heart Ashton meekly
followed the clerk into the store.
Mr.. Packard looked ut Ashton sharp.
~ through his spectacles. rs he In.
CURED: This Is your ring, isn't itY'
Ashton's face grew very red under
the keen scrutiny of the old man.
'Yes," he stammered, pretending to
examine the too-familiar ring which
Mr.. Packard held out to him. Ill
lost it."
Huh" calculated the jeweler.
Looks more like theft. It came to us
by mail. 1 knew in n minute it was
yours, for we never made another one
like it," and he pointed to the Pc
culinr setting.
At two o'clock that afternoon he
made his way to the Shirley theater,
where there was to be q pOpular-priced
matinee for children. AS he had ex-
pected, there was n large crowd COL
lectcd before the entrance. Into this
secthing, pushing mass Of humanity
Ashton forced his way.
1t seemed IN ideal place to lose any
thing, whether one wanted to or not
When he could advance no farther,
Ashton slipped the ring from his fin
ger, and without SO much as glancing
ut those about him, slyly let it fall {;
then he backed out of the crowd as
rapidly as he could, and hurried from
the scene.
Early that evening, as he was smok-
Ing lonely pipe, and congratulnting
himself upon the fact of his having ut
last lost his unlucky opal, the door was
flung open and Ted, the curly headed
young brother Of Marion Hubert, en-.
tered.
door was open downstairs so just
came right up" said Ted, nonchalant-
ly. "Got note from SIS" and, max.
ing sudden dive into the depths of
his trousers pocket, he drew forth u
crumpled note, which he tossed to
Ashton.
Ashton opened it with trembling fin.
gers and read:
"Please come to me this evening.
wish to restore to you something OF
value which you have lost. MARION"
He got rid Of Ted in short order, and
then struggled into evening clothes.
poor little girl" he thought. com.
miseratinglv. as he FASTENED his prep.
arutions, "she's ID as hard time
of 1t rs I have had and now she's
given in and sent for me to tell me
that she wishes to make up and restore
herself to me-"
So. when he entered the Hulberts'
parlor, Ashton sprang forward and
clasped her unresisting form in his
arms.
1t was not until a triumphant Ash.
ton was bidding n blushing Marion
good night that that young person re.
membered to say: "There. came near
forgetting to return your lost prop.