The Ward County independent. [volume] (Minot, Ward County, N.D.) 1902-1965, 1916-03-23
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Misapprehensiion
BY WILLIAM CHANDLER

the hotel where I stopped if there was
a free library in the place. He direct
ed me to one of the most attractive
little buildings I ever saw, in the cen
ter Of grove. went there and nosed
over the fiction shelves for awhile and
finally took down a novel.
On turning the leaves a 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 l am no more reconciled to his alb
sence than the day after his departure.
Oh, the long. long, weary day!
ALICE.
Now, there was something In this
that fitted me. My name is Frank
Tisdale. Twelve years before had
accepted position in a commission
house in Hongkong and gone out there
to make my fortune. l returned on a
visit after eight years sojourn in Chi
ma and never went back. l was TWEEN
ty years old when l left home, and
among the girls to whom said good
by was one Alice Ringold. But I was
not aware that 1 was any more to her
than any other young man.
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 a varie-
ty OF articles in them, usually put there
In lieu Of book mark l asked her
If such articles We're returned, and her
reply was, sometimes" l requested
that if she returned the paper had
left with her to the person who had
written it she would let me know. I
left with her postage stamp and my
address.
Not very long after my return to
my home l received a letter from the
librarian announcing that she had
found the Alice whose name was ap-
pended to the writing on the paper
had discovered. The lady had dropped
it into the book which was lying open
on table, some one else had closed
the book, and it had been returned to
the library with the slip in it. The
librarian gave the name. Alice Rim
gold.
Now, 1 had passed the age of thirty,
surprising that no woman had shown
any predisposition toward me. l wa
on the verge Of middle age, with no
one to care for me, and now accident
ally had discovered that girl from
whom | had parted a dozen years be-
ho1 ham min bo ell 1y1r
ing the whole of that period l remem-
bered Alice Ringold shy little thing.
so young that l would not have be.
lieved she could love any man. She
could not at the time have been more
than fifteen.
Here was chance to break away
from the bachelorhood into which
fate seemed to have thrown me-
would renew my acquaintance with
Alice Ringold, and if she was Of the
same mind-and from the recent date
Of what she had written it was likely
that she was-I might settle myself in
a home under the same advantages as
pertained to youth. But 1 must con-
trive to make the meeting appear &C
cidental.
She had removed from the town
where she had lived to Acland, and
there l went. Having learned where
her home was situated, set out to find
her, proposing to make up story as
to how / had come to know Of her
being in Acland. Just before reaching
the house young woman came out Of
the front door and in another moment
met me face to face.
She was Alice Ringold. Between six
teen and twenty-six there is not so
great difference in ones appearance
as between twenty-six and thirty -six
At any rate, there was enough left of
the girl had known for me to recog-
nize her. l stopped, lifted my hat and
spoke to her. She looked at me, and
saw at once that she knew me.
Alice Ringold?" l asked
Yes; and you are Frank Tisdale"
singular that you should know me
after SO many years Absence
mo more singular than that you
should know me-"
II have been wondering what had
become Of you since my return to
America. I have been hunting you for
months
She cast her eyes down just as she
did when she was little more than a
child She was going to the village,
end I walked beside her. told her Of
the many times had thought Of her
during my absence in the east and how
! had longed that fate should have
brought us together again. ~
With that slip of paper in my DOS
session had all the holiness Of
grenadier. / made rapid progress,
speaking more and more plainly in my
lovemaking as advanced. When l
parted with her told her would see
her In the evening, and when the
evening came, having gone through the
preliminaries, proposed to her.
She said it was very sudden and a
great surprise to her. smiled inward
" at this, thinking Of the paper had
found. However, after little coyness
she yielded and accepted me. Just be-