THE RING.

Golden Bay Argus, Volume XIII, Issue 50, 12 May 1910, Page 2

THE RING.

RAILWAY CARRIAGE PHILOSOPHY. There were eight of us travelling in a close third-class carriage from the City to the suburbs. When the train stopped at a certain station, a large, heavy woman entered. She was gaudily dressed, her fat, dirty hands were gloveless, and her nails were in deep morning. She drew my attention, and the attention of everybody else in the carriage, when she observed to her neighbour, a poorlyclad woman, whose face denoted trouble, that "Rings is 'ot, this weather." At. the next station she

Jeft, but her rings and*her remarks gave rise to a discussion, A man sitting in one corner, whose appearance betokened the artisan, said, with feeling—"lf I were to see my missus decked art like that bloomin' peacock, I'd let 'er know it."

A quiet-looking individual opposite replied. '"My friend," he said, "you are quite right. Such gauds lead to damnation."

"I don't know about that," rejoined the artisan. " Wot I do

know is that if my missus wore 'em they'd soon go to the pawnshop." An elderly man, who had been buried in his paper, looked up, and said—'"Rings is the curse of the country. What's the result ? Meat 'as gone up, so 'as bread ; and for why ? 'Cos of the cursed American ringsfirst copper, then iron, and now meat."

'"I quite agree with you, sir, and should like to see a law passed," said the troubled-looking woman, "doing away with such things. There's my Liz, as is in service with as nice a lady as one could wish for. Wot does she do, but as soon as she gets her first month's wages, she goes and buys a brass ring with three glass stones in is for three shillings and sixpence, not but wot it's right for a girl to like to look nice. I know before I was married, on the day I went to see my brother Tom, as was in the 'orspital with a broken leg thro' falling down a gratin' outside a jeweler's shop, as gave way when he was looking' in the* window, my sister Ann wot was married six weeks before lent me her ring 'cos she said she didn't want people to think we were paupers. But would you believe it, I hadn't had that ring 'arf an hour before it slipped off my finger and goes down a drain as we was passin'. But as I was sayin', my poor Liz wore her ring for three days, and' couldn't get it orf, so 'ad to have it saw'd off, she did, and wos laid up with a bad finger for three weeks. In my opinion, ill-luck foilers those that wear 'em." £

I noticed that a youth in the far corner slowly moved his hand, adorned with what was supposed to be a massive diamond ring, towards his pocket, and kept it there. A sailor said he'd "be blessed if he (jlidn't see why women, and, if it comes to that, men as well, shouldn't blooming Well wear them if they wanted to, and could afford it. They should just see some of the niggers, who wore rings not only on their fingers, but also on their arms, legs, ears, and noses, and they never came to no 'arm, they didn't." An angular lady, of uncertain age, informed her fellow-travellers that rings were a a sign of 5 servitude. Why should women who married be obliged to wear them and not the men? Because men were deceitful. The laws were made by them, and they took care ' women shouldn't have their privileges. Until it became law that men should be subject to the same conditions as women, no woman was safe."

At the junction a general rising taok olace.—ChArles Noett ■ ■;■-?.