MODERN “ENOCH ARDEN”

Dominion, Volume 20, Issue 46, 18 November 1926, Page 11

MODERN “ENOCH ARDEN”

WAR VETERANS RETURN RESTORED MEMORY A romantic story reminiscent of Tennyson’s famous poem, "Enoch Arden,” has, says the Central News Agency correspondent at New York, just been unfolded at Petoskey (Michigan). It centres on a girl, now in her early twenties, who married a second time because she thought her first husband was dead. But the man, after a lapse of years, turned up to claim the two children, one of whom was born after he left home, and whom he had never seen. The girl was formerly Miss Dorothy Schiedel, and when 14 years of age, fired by a spirit of patriotism, she took her brother’s old Boy Scout uniform after ho had enlisted, and went off to Grand Rapids, where she tried to enlist. She was, however, sent home to her mother, but subsequently was. allowed to help in canteen work in New York. s°me time afterwards she met Sergeant William E. Davis, who had returned from France suffering from severe shrapnel wounds in the abdomen and from shell shock and gas. He had been in flic hospital six times, but bad recovered sufficiently so as to bo able after his marriage to find Dorothy civil employment. and for a lime seemed well. But not Jong after the birth of the nrst babv the ex-soldier was obliged to go to hospital for another operation, and thp second child was born three weeks after he left Petoskey. Later, according to the *Ncw A ork World.” when the young mother endeavoured to find her husband at the hospital, she was informed that there were three William E. Davises enrolled there. One had died, one had walked cut when no guard v-fis watching, and the third was not her husband. The two who had not died were reported to have blank minds, and it was thought the Davis whom Dorothy wanted was the one who had died. •■ By this time the new baby.-.was.seven months old. The : young wife went to Flint and worked"to. support her little children... For a long time she believed their father was alive and wandering from place to jilace with no reinenibrance of her or of their little ones, She tried broadcasting appeals bj wireless, and had her story and his pieturo'printed in many newspapers, but three years after she had last seen him . she'filed a. petition in Flint for a divorce.aud, obtained it, and was awarded the Tttflody of the children. That was two years ago. but not long after obtaining the .divorce Dorothy was married to Paul Pringle, of Flilit. Pringle had an adopted son of nine, and now he and Dorothy have a baby of their own. Last winter Dorothy’s mother, Mrs. Schiedel, passed the winter with her at her Flint home, and when she came back to Petoskey early this summer she brought the two children'by'the first marriage with her. to the Beaubien Avenue for an outing. Davis was not dead. He was the man who had eluded the guards and had quietly walked away from the hospital in Washington. He had lost all remembrance Hint lie had ever seen a girl named Dorothy, or that he was the father of one or possibly two children. He obtained an assignment at the Arsenal at Rock Island. Illinois, and went from there to Cheyenne. Wyoming, Then be re-enlisted in New York, and. after a while there, was assigned to duty in Detroit. , , It was in Detroit that the miracle happened. Tie was struck hard on the head by a golf ball while out on the course and rendered unconscious. M heu be camo to ho remembered Dorothy and wanted her and tho child or children, and so he. wrote to Mrs. Schiedel for information. Mrs. Schiedel replied that the children were with her in Petoskey, but did not mention that Dorothy was in Elint and was married to another man. She needed time to think matters over and to confer with her daughter. The other day the soldior-fatbcr drove up to Peto-kev s/nd encountered his little son. He'asked where his mummy was. and the youngster replied. “Ob I she lives in Flint, and is married/ Then the soldier saw the little one lie never had seen before. He was at first determined to take both of the children aavay with him. He felt that Dorothy had a husband am] another child, and that be had nobodv. but Mrs. Schiedel was firm in her refusal. The Court had granted their custody to Dorothy, and they were hers, she said. Davis then called up his rnrmer wife on the telephone. It was the first- 'nuc she had hoard his voice, and the fil’d time in those years that she became positive that he was alive. As a result the girl came to Petoskey <o talk things over. Ho told Dorothy ho would send her monev each week for the children s board ami buv them clothes besides, nnd he was fold they could come to visit him nnv time. nnd ’lioj’ ’>o could cyme to visit them. Dari« ett , lear« but he somethin’'Jn look foiward to. he will see his children frequently. -