Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-04-06
The Amethyst Ring.

u~ ENERALLY speaking" re-
w marked Kingsley Holmes,
Y stroking his cropped gray
Inustache in the complacent
way that simply infuriated
his neighbor, IT believe marriage Is I'M
successful Not to speak Of the family
skeletons exhibited daily in our courts,
take our personal friends. You cannot
name one pair that don't jangie at
times like cracked bells"
THE Drury Paynes--" began MISS
Sally.
"Fim-I ran into them on the club
veranda Saturday night fairly splitting
at one another"
ssusie Ailerton says that Bob has
never spoken an unkind word TO her
during their married life"
"Hm-Bob's henpecked. He never
has a chance to say unkind words.
susie says them all first and then re-
fuses to listen to him"
WELL" snapped Miss Sally, its cer-
tainly fortunate that you forgot to send
that amethyst. for it's as plain as the
nose on your face that
II did send that damned amethyst"
Mr. Holmes shouted rudely.
Miss Sally smiled. You're perfectly
sure it was an amethyst and not Jewel
from q royal CROWN"
This remark, nicely calculated 70
bring the eholeric Mr.. Holmes to state
bordering upon apoplexy. was as the
first gun Aired in battle. The argument
You sse-it all happened in the SUM
mer of 1902. Young Kingsley Holmes,
although madly in love with red-haired
sally Pritchard, his next-door neighbor,
was obliged to leave her to the tender
advances OF many ri'als. Having
finished Yale. he was to travel abroad
for a year, stopping In London for the
coronation of King Edward. Not that
he wanted to 60. He did not what
he wanted to do was to marry sally at
once and 50 eliminate from her life the
many others who wanted to do the
same thing. His father thought dill
ferently, however. He believed that the
broadening influence OF q years travel
would fit his son for the junior partner
ship In his business much more salts
factorily than would immediate mar
rage with member of the gay set TO
which young Kingsley belonged.
Sally's parents had not taken the al
fair seriously at all, for all Sally's Inn
partial favors to the hordes of young
men who overran the house at all hours
meant. they thought, that she was not
ready to choose the lucky man.
sally, however, knew differently, al
though when Kingsley left she refused
to be bound.
"Send me a jewel from the Kings
crown and I'll wear 1t there" she said
gayiy, poking her dainty ring finger at
him, -,
you wear 1t there?" asked Kingsley,
eagerly.
crown" she leased.
But--just as he was saying good-by--
she whispered:
Send me my birthstone, King, and
I'll surely wear 1t for you.
Mischievous again In a moment. she
added. s'but If you don't send 1t to me
from London, mind. I'll never, never
be your bride"
An amethyst, In wonderful antique
setting. was mailed with all precau-
tions In London on August 10, 1902. But
lit failed 10 reach Sally.
That was rs years ago. and now In
1927 Miss Sally, her eyes still gay and
defiant and her red hair sprinkled with
gray, stood In her garden arguing with
the portly Mr.. Holmes as to whether
he had or had not sent her an anne
thyst ring from London. Still next
door neighhors, they met daily and
daily for years. Kingsley had argued
with her about her foolish wfinl--for
Sally had kept her word, made half in
fun and half in earnest--she had not
received the ring from London; she
would not marry him., She had been
really hurt at first by his apparent for
gstfulness. Letter. although she felt