Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1916-04-14
The Daily Story
Misapprehension-By William Chandler.

Being delayed In the town OF Acland,
where l had gone on business, on &C
count Of the absence Of the man ] had
gone there to see, I asked the clerk Of
the hotel where stopped IL there was
a free library in the place. He direct
ed NE to one Of the most attractive
little buildings ever saw, in the CEN
ter of a grove. l went there and nosed
over the fiction shelves for awhile and
finally took down a novel.
On turning the leaves bit OF paper
fitted to the floor. picked it up and,
seeing some words written on it In
pencil, read them:
Ten years today since Frank left US
and 1 am no more reconciled to his alb
sence than the day after his departure.
Oh. the long, long, weary dayi
ALICE.
Now, there was something In this
that fitted me- My name Is Frank
Tisdale. Twelve years before l had
accepted a position in commission
house in Hongkong and gone out there
to make my fortune. l returned on
visit after eight years sojourn In Chi
ma and never went back. I was TWEEN
ty years old when 1 left home, and
among the girls to whom I said good
by was one Alice Ringold. But I was
not aware that I was any more to her
than any other young man.
l took the book and the paper to the
librarian, telling her that L had found
the one In the other. She said that re-
turned books were apt to have varie-
ty of articles in them, usually put there
in lieu Of a book mark l asked her
if such articles were returned, and her
reply was, Sometimes" | requested
that If she returned the paper l had
left with her to the person who had
written 1t she would let me know. /
left with her q postage stamp and my
address.
Not very long after my return to
my home / received letter from the
librarian announcing that she had
found the Alice whose name was ap-
pended to the writing on the paper l
had discovered. The lady had dropped
it into the book which was lying open
on a table, some one else had closed
the book, and 1t had been returned to
the library with the slip in It. The
librarian gave the name. Alice Rim
gold.
Now, l had passed the age of thirty,
supposing that no woman had shown
any predisposition toward me. l was
on the verge Of middle age, with nc
one to care for me. and now accident
ally l had discovered that a girl from
whom | had parted a dozen years be
fore had been mine for the asking dur.
ing the whole of that period remem
bered Alice Ringold. a shy little thing
so young that l would not have be
lieyed she could love any man. She
could not at the time have been more
than fifteen.
Here was a chance to break away
from the bachelorhood into which
fate seemed 10 have thrown me-
would renew my acquaintance with
Alice Rlngold. and If she was of the
same mind-and from the recent date
of what she had written it was likely
that she was-l might settle myself In
home under the same advantages as
pertained to youth. But | must con
trive TO make the meeting appear &C.
cidental.
She had removed from the town
where she had lived to Acland. and
there | weRt Having learned where
her home was situated, set out 10 fine
her. proposing to make up story as
10 how had come TO know of her
being In Acland. Just before reaching
the house a young woman came out OF
the front door and In another moment
met me face TO face.