THE STORY OF A RING.

Oamaru Mail, Volume I, Issue 313, 25 April 1877, Page 4

THE STORY OF A RING.

A writer in Chninb-'r* Jtufntxl gives the following anecdote of a lost ring :—"The : night before my eldest son was bom, I : undressed in my big bedroom upstairs. i and put my rings in a little china plate (which contained swite oatmeal used for washing my hamta) on niy dr«Msing-tni>!c. '■ I had only two- orthr«o at thi? thus-, and amongst them was this little !>W.Istotte, which had been given me by a school friend before my marriage. My boy '. James was bora the nest morning : and so it came about that for the next fortnight or three weeks I neither wore nor ■ thought of my rings'. However, when I . was convalescent and dressed for the first time, I naturally looked for my rings, and found all there except the bloodstone. Search was made for it through the whole room, and afterwards through the whole house, but with no success; it was not to be found. 1 never thought for a moment that it Etad been stolen, for it is of little value ; and the tonjitoise hoop which had lain with it wouht have beeu much more attractive to a thief. Years passed, and James was a sturdy boy »f ten, whvii some alterations b&ing made in the house, the flooring of my bedroom was removed. Under one of the planks was found the skeleton of a mouse with my bloodstone ring round its neck. It had evidently ventured upon my toilet-table in search of the oatmeal, had nnwittingly pushed its head through tho riflf, and had re- [ turned to its hole to die—an unintentional thief strangled by its useless prize.' '