The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1912-10-15
Changing a
Bill
By HARRY c. AsHMoRE

tresS Monroe, Wnere nau taken
spring vacation, | was attracted by q
family who were bidding goodby to one
Of their number, a young lady. Just
| before the boat left a gentleman, whom
took TO be the lady's father. hur.
riedly took some bills from his wallet
and showed them into her hands. Then
all except she went ashore and we
left them on the dock waving TO her.
There was that about her appear
ance which interested me, and | would
have been glad to make her acquaint-
| ance, but there was no one to introduce
me, and while In the west the scraping
of aequaintances between the sexes is
] not considered improper, eastern girls
do not usually permit 1t. However,
on reaching New York, just before
landing, had an opportunity to do
her favor. She was trying to find a
quarter" IN her portemonnaie to pay a
porter
She took out a bill and looked
about helplessly for some one TO
change it for her. she held it In her
hand folded so that figure 8 was
visible, From roll of bills | gave
her four zones" and the rest in change.
She thanked me very graciously and
handed me the bill she held, which l
put in my pocket without looking at 1t.
On reaching home and looking over
my cash pulled open bill and was
very much startled to see that 1t was
Of $500 denomination. Knowing that
! had not in my possession any such
note when / started from Fortress
Monroe at once concluded that some
one had given it to me in change by
mistake.
A little hard thinking brought back
the young lady for whom ! had chang
ed q So bill and / concluded she had
given It to me for So. In endeavoring to
such an amount In her pocket | con-
cluded that her father in the hurry of |
her departure had given IL to her by |
mistake.
Be this as it may, / found myself
with S495 in my possession that didn't
belong to me- Moreover, l had taken
1t from a very pretty girl whom I adj
mired immensely. But how was to
return this balance? She had gone
from me TO mingle with millions of
people. not leaving me any trace by
which to find her. knew that she had
left relatives at Fortress Monroe, but
not their names, what hotel they stop
ped at, or whether they were still
there.
/ wrote at once to the proprietor of
the principal hotel at Fortress Monroe.
describing the persons had seen with
the young lady and asked him If he
could give me any information to
guide me in finding them He replied
hat since 1t was at the height of the
season and persons were coming and
soing all the while he could not pos
IDLY know to whom | referred with
ut names. ! kept watch of the per-
onals in the principal New York news
,apers, but saw no advertisement in
ended for me.
was puzzled what to do further.
vay of returning the money. thought
+ going back to Fortress Monroe, but
. was quite journey, and l feared
he persons l wished to find had gone y
lsewhere. A month passed and l
card nothing from any one connected {
18th the adventure. Ny only hope-a
light one--was that some day / might |
leet the young lady and thus be able D
, return what belonged to her. So '
inned the note in my inside vest
ocket, intending to keep 1t there that h
case over crossed her path might U
ave it ready. I fancied she lived in s.
lie same place as /, New York, and Il
Tough New York is big city, it was
,ssible that l might meet her. [
A year passed, and the note had been 81
from one vest to another q
hen an idea struck me. There was a
lost Of chance that the family had "
ct at Fortress Monroe might go there te
.ain at the same season as before. l a.
emit there and looked through the ho- lt
Is. II
Vain hope. The day after l ar bt
red strolled into the fort to witness
ess parade. Who should see seated DC
one of the benches on the parade 81
ound with other young persons but ia
= young lady l was looking for. 4
took out the note and, approaching 10
r, handed it to her, saying: Sc