The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1913-08-15
STRANGE
COINCIDENCE Nc
OF a Wedding Ring
BY HELOIsH BRAYrON


old and widower. At least he passed
for a widower. because he had reason
to believe that marriage he had made
years before had been annulled- He
had since lived a single life and be-
came very tired Of going to his lonely
room every afternoon on his return
from business and having to drag him.
self out for company In the evening.
Mr.. Smith lived at family hotel.
and the room opposite to his was &C.
cupied by Miss Isabel Jones, q
spinster few years younger than he.
When Mr.. Smith would come to his
room In the evening Miss Jones could
hear him heave deep sigh. She knew
what It meant. for she often lameuted
her own loneliness. She often met Mr..
Smith in the corridor and was much
pleased with his appearance. There
was something In his figure, his walk.
his face, that reminded her Of some
one she had known. but who this per
son was she could not for her life re-
call. .t'
One evening Mr.. Smith was asked to
take a hand at bridge whist in the
hotel drawing room. Miss Jones was
one Of the players and Mr.. Smiths
partner. After that when the two met
in the corridor orsin the dining room
they exchanged greetings. Mr.. Smith
asked himself. "Why should this lady
and myself live alone In the world
when we can as we'll be companionsT
Then he would think Of the uncertain
ty overhanging him with regard to his
previous marriage How inconsiderate
Is youth! Instead of making an effort
to learn the exact truth he had drifted
on from day to day, month to month.
year to year, without doing so.
The marriage took place when he
was nineteen years old. He was a
clerk in a store. girl barely sixteen
came in one day to look at some rib
bons. She was pretty, and the clerk
was affable. He unrOlled great many
ribbons and got them all in a tangle.
Perhaps this had something to do with
that other tangle into which he and
the girl insensibly drifted. How easy
lovemaking was when they were in
their teens-far easier than at forty!
The first thing they knew they were
married. 1t did not seem of much
more Importance then than drinking a
glass of soda water together. Now
wedlock appeared like jumping off
cliff in the dark, not knowing whether
there was rock or water beneath.
They had gone to drive together and
incidentally called upon a parson, who
had married them. Then they drove
back to town, pulled up before a con-
fectioner's, where they partook Of ice
cream, and after that separated, the
girl going home, the boy back to his
place Of business. The secret was not
long kept. The two were seen too Of
ter together. The girls parents grew
suspicious. They forbade her to see
her boy lover, whereupon she confess
ed her marriage.
THEY took her away-he knew not
wliere-but she contrived to get let
ter to him telling him that she was in
New York. He had few hundred
dollars, which he got together and
started for that city. Despite the
watchfulness Of her parents they COM
municated and laid a plan to sail to-
gether for foreign country. The
young husband. learning that a ship
was about to sail for Rio de Janeiro,
engaged passage for himself and his
wife. and, meeting her by appoint
ment. they agreed that they would go
to the steamer separately and not meet
till after it had left port and was well
out at sea- This would facilitate their
eluding the brides parents.
On the day the vessel sailed the
brides mother caught her doing some
packing and. becoming suspicious,
locked her daughter In her room. The
groom boarded the vessel before the
other passengers began to go up the
gangway and hid himself. 1t was not
until the ship had passed beyond the
bay and was standing out at sea that
he left his hiding place and began to
look about him for his wife. She was
nowhere to be found.
II was some time before he made up
his mind that she had been left behind
Then he wondered that he had not
thought of such contingency and laid
his plans to prevent it. His wife was
at home and he on his way to South
America, with no stop till he arrived
there. But was this last move any
more inconsiderate than the marriage
When young Smith reached Rio de
Janeiro he had SIP in his pocket and
no more. A new problem stared hin
in the face. He must sleep some
where and eat. He could find places tc
sleep and buy things to eat till his
money was gone, and so long as 1t last
ed he was troubled about his bride
but when II was all gone and he began
to get hungry his attention was drawn
from sentiment to stomach When he
got very hungry he met an American
coffee merchant. who gave him a job II
his office. Frem this time romance FOL
Edward Smith retired and reality took
its place.
He wrote his wife, but without much
hope OF her receiving his letters. MOI
did she. she confessed her intended
flight to her parents, and they took ev
cry precaution to keep her from hei