IT WAS THE SUMMER OF 1950 AND UNCLE JIM AND UNCLE FRANK AND OUR FAMILIES WERE VACATIONING FAR FROM TRENTON AND KANSAS CITY. WE WERE IN THE HEART OF THE MISSOURI OZARKS. MY UNCLE JIM WAS WEARING HIS STRAW HAT; UNCLE FRANK WAS SITTING IN HIS HUDSON WATCHING, NEVER HAVING LEARNED TO SWIM, HE WAS FEARFUL OF DEEP WATER. HOWEVER, FRANK'S OLDEST SON, JIMMY, A WORLD WAR TWO VET WITH A PURPLE HEART, WAS WITH UNCLE AND ME ON THE PIER. SEVERAL OF FRANK'S DAUGHTERS WERE THERE. SUDDENLY, UNCLE JIM SHOUTED, "HOT DOG, LOOK AT THIS BIG CRITTER." IT WAS A MONSTER CHANNEL CAT. TO MAKE A LONG FISH STORY SHORT, AS UNCLE JIM WAS HOLDING THE FISH AND TRYING TO RELEASE THE HOOK, THE FISH WRIGGLED ABOUT AND CLOSED ITS MOUTH ON HIS FINGER. IT JUST SO HAPPENED IT WAS HIS RING FINGER, THE FINGER THAT HE WORE THE DIAMOND RING ALMOST AS BIG AS THE RITZ ON WITH PRIDE. AS FATE WOULD HAVE IT, THE FISH GOT AWAY. UNCLE JIM KEPT HIS FINGER, THOUGH BLOODY AND WOUNDED SOMEWHAT. AS UNCLE CALMED DOWN, HE SENSED SOMETHING WAS WRONG. HIS RING WAS MISSING. THE FISH HAD MANAGED TO SLIDE HIS RING OFF DURING THE ESCAPE. IT WAS A BEAUTIFUL RING, REALLY PURE DIAMOND, A RING HE HAD PURCHASED AT HELZBERGS IN THE LATE 1920S. BUT IT WAS GONE. AFTER SOME DELIBERATION, HE FINALLY PAID TWO DIVERS A FEW DOLLARS TO FIND HIS RING. THEIR DIVE LASTED NEARLY AN HOUR, BUT NO RING, ACCORDING TO THE DIVERS, WAS FOUND. JIM EVENTUALLY BOUGHT ANOTHER RING, BUT IT NEVER HAD THE TWINKLE OR THE SPARKLE AS THE ONE THE FISH MANAGED TO SLIDE OFF OF HIS FINGER THAT FATEFULL SUMMER OF 1950.
ON THE PIER: UNCLE JIM, AUNT DOROTHY, MARGIE AND JIMMY. THE AREA WAS NEAR BAGNELL DAM AROUND CAMDENTON, MISSOURI
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