Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1913-08-15
+(ltEILY r.. pg ! gl!g!5

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It was not until the ferryboat was near
ing the Desbrosses street landing that
Cicely bethought her to look up Grace
Frederick's address.
She had 1t on a slip Of paper somewhere
either in her handbag or her chatelaine
purse. 1t was characteristic of Cicely
that she never worried until she had TO.
She went through life In that careless.
confident way Familiarity termed easy-go-
ing
Even on this. her first trip to New York
she experienced few. If any, of the trem-
ors natural to the inexperienced traveller.
She had undertaken the Journey with
her usual buoyaMt faith, foreseeing
I neither dangers nor difficulties.
Perhaps that Is why she had made no
particular effort to impress the Freder-
icks' new address definitely upon her
. mind. A~nticipations of the welcome at
their home had occupied her thoughts
most pleasurably.
How completely by surprise she would
take them all! How enjoyed Grace would
be-dear Grace, who had been begging
her for months to make this visit.
Just jump on the train and come. no
matter whether you're fixed up or not"
her last letter ran. Don't bother about
new dresses you can ave them made
here. We are ready for you at any lime
So please come-there's a dear!"
And Cicely had obeyed.
IN She smiled m~editatively as she began
a liesurely search for the address. No, it
was not in her chatelaine purse, after all.
oh. yes! She remembered now definitely.
ShA had slipped it in the handbag with
her cards.
People were beginning to cave their
seats and crowd outside. Cicely soon per-
ceived why. There was a rafting and
clanking of chains and then she felt the
shock of the boat as 1t bumped against
the pier.
Following the crowd that poured from
the ferryboat she found herself upon New
York soil. So this was the great metrop-
oils! She wondered
Her reflections were cut short by the
imperative yells of wildly gesticulating
cabmen. The most importunate of these
drove q hanson cab. Cicely got into 1t.
Then she remembered.
I'LL have tho address in a moment she
said in answer to the drivers question.
He waited while she put the hand
stachel down on the cushions and rum
mayed in it's depths.
Surely she was making a most pro-
longed search! He coughed and stamped
a little. Cicely was thinking rapidly.
| She was determined not to show her
alarm. There was no need to let him
know the truth He could drive to the
Fredericks' former address. Perhaps the
people there could tell her where the fam
lily had moved. Meanwhile she would
look thoroughly for the missing slip Of
paper.
She called out the old number with q
cheerful assumption Of finality. The
driver climbed to his box and they were
! of.
Then Cicely began a systematic investi-
cation. She emptied the contents OF the
bag on the seat and attacked every crew
ice that could possibly contain the lurk-
ing address. She even u~nwrapped q paper
of hairpins, in the unreasoning anxiety of
the moment. hoping to see the desired
number flash to meet her gaze. But no.
such welcome sight rewarded her. Over
and over she searched, with the same
result.
We'll, it's gone-that's ALL"
She closed the bag, sat erect on the
cushions and tried to breathe naturally.
No matter. what the possibilities were. she
must maintain her usual composure.
There was no need to be frightened. No
doubt she would be able to obtain the
address at the place where they were
now going.
She forced an interest In the passing
panorama: the imposing buildings. the,
shops, the streets crowded with surging
humanity. What q rumbling and clatter-
ing and rushing there was always, with
out an %instant's cessation!
A sense Of the city's magnitude n Of
her own solitartnes came upon her u
denly. 1t was Cicely turn now to expert
ence the timorous sensations which she
had heretofore ridiculed in others. A
horde OF suppositions attacked her.
Just suppose that those people could not
give her the address after all! Just sup
| pose
Nonsense" cicely Strengthened up
resolutely and tried to laugh.
The ride wa q long one. There was
more than sufficient time to reflect and
than she planned. Somehow she could
not steady her thoughtsEcould not hitch
them to any definite purpose.
The experience. fraught with strange
probabilities - Il was. appeared to her
somehow a. = bit Of. fiction. It did not
1 seem at all . reality. And yet 1t certain
IL was most unmistakably real.
She. the young woman In the cab, was
undeniably Cice!y Bronson, and she had
lost her friends address-nor could she
remember Il if she tried until nightfali.
She had q vague notion that Il wa Nine
ty-third, street. Her memory suggested
that much n then baked altogether.
Yes. It was she. Cicely Bronson-Mrs.
Cicely Bronson. h had almost forgot
ten the prefix. She smiled whimsical.
aeeting s~lnile-and then sighed.
Mre. Willis B-ronson-that was her true
identity. How the tendency was growing
upon her to disconnect herSelf from the
idea! For eight months now-ever sincS
the Misunderstanding IND the separation
-she had tried to forget entirely the BIT
ter-sweet period Of her life In which VIII
lis Bronson figured. She was gradually
coming to him Of herself - Just CiceIy.
With all that unfortunate experienced blot
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