The Bottineau courant. (Bottineau, Bottineau County, N.D.) 1895-1929, 1913-07-18
STRANGE
COINCIDENCE
Of a Wedding Ring
By HELOlsE BRAYTON

room every afternoon on his return
from business and having to drag him.
self out for company in the evening.
Mr.. Smith lived at a family hotel,
and the room opposite to his was &C.
cupied by a Miss Isabel Jones, 4
spinster a few years younger than he.
When Mr.. Smith would come to his
room in the evening Miss Jones could
hear him heave a deep sigh. She knew
what it meant, for she often lamented
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. ...~ ~~n-
zone 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 or in the dining room
they exchanged greetings. Mr.. Smith
0ChCO uIAlSClI, WY CuouIu LII tuuy
and myself live alone in the world
when We al 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 "a.
/ The marriage took place when be
was nineteen years old. He was a
clerk in q store. A girl barely sixteen
came In one day to look at some rib
bons: She we pIsttZ, and the clerk
was afable. He 1nrolled a great many
rihbQpe and got them al in q tang1s.
Perhaps this had something to do with
that other tangie into which he and
the girl insensibly drifted. How easy
lovemaking was when they we're in
their teens-far easier than at forty!
The irst thing they knew they were
married. It did not seem Of much
more Importance then than drinking a
glass of soda water together. Now
wedlock appeared like jumping Of 4
clif in the dark, not knowing whether
there was rock Of water beneath.
They had gone b drive together and
1D16entally called upon . parson, who
hid married them. Then they drove
back to town, pulled up before q con-
fecdoner'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
ten 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
where-but she contrived to get a let
ter to him telling him that she was In
New York. He had q 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 a foreign country. The
young husband, learning that q ship
was about to sail for Rio de Janeiro,
sngagsd passage for himself and his
wife. and. meeting her by appoint
ment, they agreed that they would 60
70 the steamer separately and not meet
Ill after 1t had left port and was well
cut 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 60 mp the
gangway and hid himself. II was not
until the ship had passed beyond the
bay and was standing out at Yea that
he left his hiding place and began to
hook about him for his wife. She wa
nowhere to be found.
It w1s 1ome time before he made up
his mind that she had been left behind.
Then be wondered that he had not
thought Of such a contingency and laid
his plans to prevent it. His wife wa
at home and he on his way to South
America, With no stop till he arr, ed
there. But was this last move any
more inconsiderate than the MARRIAGE
When young Smith reached Rio de
Janeiro he had $12 in his pocket and
no more A new problem stared him
IN the face. He must sleep some.
where and eat. He could md places to
sleep and buy things to eat till hid
money wal gone, and 80 long 40 1t last.
Cd be was troubled about his bride
but when It was all gone and he began
to get hungry his attention was drawn
from sentiment to stomach. When b
got very hungry he me an American
coffee merchant. who gave him q job Il
his once. From this time romance FOL
Edward Smith retired and reality tool
IT. place.
Hs xrots hls vi6e.s bit without muel
Appe = hsr pscGtsin66 III lsttIrg 4 M
a she. ShS cenISas6d her tnts6boG(
] 1ieht to her parents. and tbey took ~
~ pesca106k sAb 49, ~ t4i16s4S
haGnAnl. TAsy ~ ~ kp1W 49,
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