The Press., 1920-05-13

! 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 calmly. After all, there was no great hurry. She knew where the man could be found, almost any day. It would be an easy matter to obtain an interview and present her claim to the ring in private-a better way than to risk being snubbed in public.
 The bus drew up beside the curb at the end of the line. The man alight- ed just ahead of Constance It was soon apparent that he had come for an identical reason, to stroll through the picturesque old square where children of the rich romp side by side with urchins from the slums. The man seated himself on a bench in the sun and proceeded to roll cigarette He glanced somewhat more than casu- ally at his late seat mate as she passed. But tailored linen suits, straight-brimmed sailor hats and flat heeled ONfOrds do not constitute the traditional garb of the "stenog" on her day off; it didn't occur to him that he had ever seen her before.
 Constance had walked for perhaps fifty feet when there flashed before her minds eye that motto which graces twenty-fOur out of twenty-five business offices, "Do it now!" On a sudden impulse she turned and re- traced her steps till she stood before the man on the bench.
 You wear ring" Constance be- gan without preamble, (which belongs to me. I think I can convince you of that fact in five minutes if you will permit me to try"
 As the girl spoke various expres- siOns passed successively over the cUuntrnance of the man-SurpriSe, eager delight, perpleXity, doubt. He arose, and when he replied it was with an interest bordering closely on ex- citeIn2nt. Lets sit down and talk it over,'' he suggested. Il confess that this rrg doesn't belong to me. But have searched months for it's rightful Owner-and dreamed of her for two years You'll pardon me if I say I can't believe if belongs to you, either. But you evidently know something about it, and you have q haunting re- Sclnbl:nce-"
 Tt was dark on the pier that night and you stood in the shadow when I offered YOU the rnl-ac-,don't you re- member? Those white veils and aprons were good diSguises, too" Constance Haven's tone held a hint of amusement.
 But the vo:cc-I couldn't mistake that. It Was younycr-iiul!ier--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 spankcd!' she so!iloquized. Then she let her eyes wander to where the Fla ther 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.
 T know this: The ring was made by my father. He was a goldsmith. There is not another one just like it any where. He gave it to my mother to bind their engagement. The initials inside are s. H. to c. V. The date is 1885,"
 The man nodded in acquiescence. Constance resumed: After she died I wore it constantly, until, washing tin cups at the canteen kitchen one night, l took it off and handed it to Dolly to keep for me. When we arrived home