I'm going after it to-morrow morning--no, I mean this
morning. It's after three o'clock now."
"Oh, I'm sure Cora was only too glad to be able to get you the
chance."
"And thank you, also. I know the part you had in it."
"Oh, I didn't do anything. It was all Cora. Though of course Bess
Robinson would deny me nothing," added Jack and laughed. "She thinks
I'm simply perfect. I heard her tell Cora so," and Jack walked up
and down in pretended self-admiration, while the others threatened
to pick him up and toss him out into the cold moonlight, where they
said he belonged in that particular state of lunacy.
"Ida's ring," mused Jack, after he had calmed down. "Just plain
Ida. Now if it had only been Bess, Belle or--Hazel."
"No, no!" protested Paul.
"Well, all right," assented Jack. "Ida's it is." He wrapped the
ring carefully in paper and put it in his pocket. "I'll take the
best of care of it, Paul, of course, and I'll also collect the
reward for you, and hand it over personally. You can trust me for
that. But I wonder why we haven't had some inquiries from Ida before
this?"
"Maybe she is so unused to it that she hasn't missed it," suggested
Ed.
"No girl is ever unused to her first engagement ring," declared
Paul.
Pages:
165
166
167
168
169
170
171
172
173
174
175
176
177
178
179
180
181
182
183
184
185
186
187
188
189