Show 0 P P P P THE HEIRLOOM RING by J K WARD it was a great disappointment to frank lloyd to be obliged to leave alln 1 vine with his love lore for amy baker undeclared out but the summons home was imperative your father Is seriously ill come at once it said i so on the afternoon of franks departure from linville miss baker received elved by mail n letter find and a regis 1 package both wore were in the same handwriting and after considering for a moment ae opened the letter first my ily ilear benr little amy it began the sudden and serious illness of my father lins has called mp me away from linville for reasons which I 1 nm nin sure you must guess I 1 hate to go but ab the e call Is it urgent for my rather father has bus been until recently nearest to my heart I 1 nin am sending I 1 ng by tills this mall mail my ring n family heirloom heiri i it if the love which you must murt know I 1 feel for you Is returned will you wear the ring until I 1 can replace it with another when I 1 return which will be as speedily as po possible ille if I 1 find the th ring rina on your hand I 1 sla shall know that my iny dearest hopes tire are to b be realized your tour devoted lover over amrik 1 prank mrik shyly and reverently amy drew the lie curious and valuable rin ring from its box for scarcely a moment did she cou zIl er before slipping it on oil her finger arver since prank frank had arrived at the file home hoine of her friends ill the deans to spend the summer with ills his college chum Ocol Genf Try rry lie he lind occupied first place in her heart arld and slip she had hoped that her love was reciprocated into tills this perfect bliss came trouble swift tind and unexpected the blow fell on n day when harold amys younger brother burt burst into her room willi will a I 1 race on which horror and despair were jointly pictured it was the old story of a young man tempted to gamble borrowing tile lie funds of the in w which ach employed and trusted him until the sm small ill speculations peculations could be no longer con coaled amy listened white faced to the piteous recital it will kill hill father and mother if you are arrested for stealing she said so amys few good jewels were taken from their hiding place and harold chastened chasteney chast ened and subdued set out to raise money on thorn them to make good his deficiency elency before it should be discovered but the most lie could raise fell far short of the sum total he needed and with despair at his heart hearl he wended bended ills his way back to where his sister tremblingly awaited him its no use little sister lie he said 1 I shall have to pay the penalty I 1 F cant get near enough on your little trinkets aroy amy bowed her hend head on her hands and as she did so her brow touched the betrothal ring on her aln ingar ger for only a second she hesitated then drawing the ring from her finger she handed it to harold take it she said it Is worth a n gre great at deal of money then bursting into tears she turned away from harolds grateful thanks and sought refuge alone liere here she could weep out olit her heart at the loss of her treasure frank returned unannounced to lin ville and went straight to amys house lights shone from the windows and as he drew near he could see amy at the piano startled he gazed tit at her one of ills his closest rivals was bending over her in an attitude of devotion ind and franks ring was not on her hand seeing but unseen he decided a that his cause was vas hopeless and went as quietly as he had come six months month later frank was called to a city a short distance from linville seeking shelter from a sudden shower in a pawnbrokers pawn brokers doorway he g lanced glanced carelessly at tile the window display to his unbounded astonishment he be saw his own ring lie ile rushed into the shop and asked to see tile the ring ills judicious questioning q aes brought out the fact that a 1 young man had find brought in the ring ind and other jewelry front from his description frank had bad no doubt that harold had pawned the ring although examination of tile the pawnbrokers pawn brokers records gave an entirely oll different name without ao loss 9 of time frank hastened to linville ne he would see harold and demand the truth perhaps and I 1 nt at the thought tits his p pulses u isea houll hounded ded there was some reason besides indifference for amys failure to wear his ring ne ile reached the small town at noon and almost the first farst person he met was harold hastening to lunch frank went straight to the point and harold after being convinced that there was vas p vital reason for the ae searching arching question broke down and admitted flint amy had pawned her jewels to raise money for him then in an answer aner er to franks eager questions he said sailly amy has fins changed greatly whether it was because of rny my wrongdoing or not I 1 dont know but from the day she knew of it her health and spirits failed so it happened that when frank pager eager find and tir dont entered the ill baker drawing room it was a frail shadow of the former blooming girl that turned a languid head bond to see sec who was coming A few minutes liter later however the palo pale chepka hild and on a hue of health the languidness had disappeared an and a new and more beautiful amy received franks frank betrothal RIBS so long delayed and no ardently desired deml red 1916 by the th mcclur per Brod loftt |