The Topeka state journal., 1919-11-08
EVENING STORY
The T'aIisnan.
BY DORA NOLAN

man the moment he took the empty
seat beside her on the Fifth avenue
bus She had taken dictation from
him once, when Miss Carey was alb
sent. He had barely glanced at her
on that occasion-stood by the win
dow with arms folded, gazing out he
didn't look att her now.
1t being the afternoon of the sew
enth day, the -crosstown traffic was
Hight and the numbering vehicle pur-
sued an almost uninterrupted course
down the wide thorofare. Now 1t
passed a small second floor shop whose
show window displays a perpetual
proclamation: ANY Garment in This
/ Window $35." A rose negligee caught
Constance's attention and held it as
long as the limitation of vision would
allow. The man beside her passed
portance than any occasional seat
mate to a regular patron of the va
rious means of transportation in
large city-which is none at all.
The man remained in that class un-
til the girl. deep in calculation as to
whether by hook or crook she could
afford that rose confectioa. suddenly
awakened to the fact that she was
staring straight at what she had every
reason to believe was her own moth
erS~ engagement ring. And it encir-
eled the little finger of the right hand
of the man who sat beside her1
The wave of indignation that swept
over Constance was merely the recur-
renee of an emotion she had expert
enced every time she had thought of
that ring in the last two years. When
it had partially passed and she had
mastered a wild desire to snatch at the
ring, she surveyed the situation calm
ly. After all, there was no great hurry.
She knew where the man could be
found, almost any day. 1t would be
an easy matter to obtain an interview
and present her claim to the ring in
private-a better way than to risk be-
ing snubbed in public.
The bus drew up beside the curb at
the end of the line. The man aIighted
just ahead of Constance. 1t was soon
apparent that-they had come for an
identical reason, to stroll thru the pic
turesque old square where children
or the rich romp side by side with
urchins frcm the slums. The man
seated himself on bench in the sun
and proceeded to roll a cigaret. He
glanced somewhat more than casually
at his late seat mate as she passed.
But tailored linen suits. straight
brimmed sailor hats and flat heeled
oXfords do not constitute the tradi-
tional gerb of the ''stenog'' on her day
off; it didn't occur to him that he had
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
twenty-five business offices. do it
now!' On a sudden impulse she
turned and retraced her steps till she
stood before the man on the bench.
You wear a ring" Constance began
without preamble, which belongs to
me. I think I can convince you of
that fact in five minutes if you will
Iermit me to try"
al
sions passed successfully over the
countenance of the man surprise.
eager delight, perplexity, doubt. He
arose, and when he replied it was with
an interest bordering closely on ex-
element Lets sit down and talk it
over" he suggested. 81 confess that
this ring doesn't belong to me. But
have searched months for its right
full owner-and dreamed of her for
two years. You'll pardon me if I say
either. But you evidently know
something about it, and you have
haunting resemblance-"
1T was dark on the pier that night
and you stool in the shadow when
offered you the coffee-don't you re-
aprons were good disguises too" Con-
stance Havens'S tone held a hint of
amusement.
But the voice. couldn't mistake
that. 1t was younger-fluffier- 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.sh was
about to give him. Dolly ought to
be spanked!' she soliloquized. Then
she let her eyes wander to where the
father 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.
''I know this: The ring was made by
my father. He was goldsmith.
There is Eot apother one just like it
anywhere. He gave it to my mother
tials inside are S. H. to- c. V. The
date is 1885,
The man nodded in acquiescence.
Constance resumed: After she died
wore it constantly. until. washing tin
cups at the canteen kitchen one night
I took it off and handed it to Dolly to
keep for me-, When we arrived home
that evening she didn't have it. I drew
the confession from her. She had
given it to an officer. who. while she
served him, said she might be the last
girl in Gods country he would ever
speak to, and begged her to give him
a talisman to take with him overseas
Dolly intended to give him an mex
pensive little ring of her own, but in
the excitement slipped the wrong one
from her finger"
Constance paused. then continued in
bas matter of fact tone as she could
muster: "She promised to write to the
man, of course, and he gave her his
nanre written on a notebook leaf, but
that Ralph would have allowed her