The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1919-11-07
THE DAILY
SHORT STORY
The Talisnnan.
BY DORA NOLAN.
copyright, 1919, by the Mcclure
Newsna ner Syndicate


window with arms folded gazing cut
He didn't look at her now.
1t being the afternoon OF til sew
enth day the crosstown trafi% wa
sAaght and the numbering veh!Il- pur-
sued an almost uninterrupted course
down the wide thcrougbfare. 10" l.
passed small second floor shop
whose show window display per
petual proclamation: Amy Garment In
This Window $25.' 4 .o5e Eegl!ge+
caught ConGtdhe 8 ate. on G.. .e-I
IT as long as the Limitation Of vision
would allow. The maa beside her
passed from her mind, being Of ho
more importance than any occasions.
seat mate to regular patron o. IN"
various means of transportation j.. q
large city--which is none at all.
The man remained in that class n9
til the girl, deep in calculation as Z
whether by nook or by crook she cod."
afford that rose CONNECTION, suddenly
awakened to the fact that she was
staring straight at what she had ever.
reason to believe was her own moth
er's engagement ring And it eacE-
cled the lille finger OF the right hand
of the man who sat besido(ncr
y Tho wave OF indignation tha' sw pi
over Constance was N rely the recur-
renee of an emotion she had expert
enced every time she had thought OF
that ring in the last two years When
il had partially passed and she hai
mastered a wild desire TO snatch al he
ring she surveyed the situation calm
ly. After all, there was no great hur-
ry. She knew where the man couia
Ave found, almost any day II would
be an easy matter to obtain an inter
view and present her claim 10 the ring
in priyate-a better way than to risk
being snubbed in public.
The bus drew up beside the curb al
fhe end OF the line. The man aAgnted
INST ahead of Constance. j. was soon
apparent that they hid care foG an
identical reason to stroll through the
picturesque old square whore children
OF the rich romp side by SIDE with
urchins from the Sums. The man
seated himself on n bench Ia the sun
and proceeded to roll cigarette lie
glanced somewhat more than casually
at his late seat MAJ as she passed.
,Eut. tailored liuel suits, straight
Srimmed sailor hats aud flat h3aiea
oxfords DO not constitute the radi-
tional garb of that 'steRag' on her day
off; it didn't occur to him that he lad
n ever seen her before.
Constance had walked on for per-
haps fifty feet when there flashed be-
fore her minds eye that motto which
graces twenty four out of every TWEEN
ty-five business offices, DO ii now! -
ON a sudden impulse she turned and
retraced her a5eps till she stood before
the man on the bench.
You wear ring" Constance began
without preamble, which belongs to
me. think can convince you OF that
fact in five minutes il you will permit
me to try"
AS the girl spoke various express
sions passed successfully over the
cour.enance of the man surprise,
eager delight, perp.eX 3, GcGbt. lie
arose. and when he replied il was with
an interest bordering closely on e%-
citement. Lets sit down ana talk 1t
over" he suggested. - confess that
this ring doesn't belong to me, But ]
have searched months for its rightfuL
owner-and dreamed Of her for two
wears. You'll pardon me il | say |
can't believe it belongs to you, either.
But you evidently know something
about it, and you have a haunting re-
sSemblance-
at was dark on the pier that night,
and YOU stood in the shadow when Of
fered YOU the coffee-dOn't YOU re-
member? Those white wells and APP
rons were good disguises too Con-
stance Ravens tone held hint OF
amusement.
"But the voice. couldn't mistake
that. 1t was younger-fluffier-if YOU
understand" Then abruptly. Tell
me what you know about the ring"
Constance looked into the kind
brown eyes of the man and nerved
herself for the hurt she knew she was
about to give him. Dolly ought to be
spanked" she soliloQuized, Then she
Set her eyes wander to where til fath-
or Of his country stands over the plot
OF ground named in his honor She
didn't want to see how the man would
take what she was about to tell him.
81 know this: The ring was made
by my father. He was goldsmith.
There is not another one just like it
anywhere. He gave it to my mother
to bind their engagement. The IN
initials inside are S. II, to c. " The
date is 1885,"
~ The man nodded in acquiescence.
Constance resumed: After she died
/ wore 1t constantly, until, washing tin
cups at the cantgen kitchen one night,
/ took it of and handed it TO Dolly to
Keep for me. When we arrived home
that evening she didn't have it drew
the confession from her. She had Civ
en- 1t to an officer, who, whHo she
served him, said she might be NE last
s girl in Gods country he would ever
speak to, and begged her to give him
q talisman to take with him overseas.
Dolly intended to give him an iaeI-
pelsiyo little ring Of her own, but in the
excitement slipped the wrong one from
her finger"
Constance paused, then continued in
as matter of fact tone as she could
muster: "She promised to write to the
man, OF course, and no gave her his
name written on a notebook leaf, bul
in hnr needless way she lost it. Not
that Ralph would have allowed her TO
write, anyway; he said the officer had
! probably asked the same thing OF q
dozen girls"