One evening several tourists who were staying at a hotel in Manchester
were having dinner in the hotel restaurant. Fish was brought and while
they were eating it, some of them told interesting stories about finding
rings and other things inside fish. An old man who had only listened to
their stories and never spoken a word, suddenly said that he would like
to tell them an interesting story, too. And this is what he told them:
“When
I was a young man, I lived in New York and was going to marry a
beautiful young girl whose name was Alice. About two months before our
marriage I was sent to England for a fortnight. I went to say goodbye to
Alice and gave her a ring. She gave me hers and said that she would be
waiting for me. But I had to stay in England six months, and not a
fortnight as I had planned. Late in September my work was done at fast
and 1 was able to leave for New York.
Next morning, when I was
already aboard the steamer, I was looking through the morning newspaper,
and what do you think I saw? Alice was going to marry another man! I
couldn't believe my eyes, but it was true. I was so angry that I threw
her ring into the sea.