The Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1885-1886, 1886-08-14

,ipaar;ne, ovar his ,ork ME or sandwich: and
,,bo, AZ, ,r.;,s u,a,, ont be resumed his
,,,aca nut ono olboy on the counter. and
talked and o.vad-oereraIly pazed. as his
Mowers of conversation were limited. and
Miss DAILY did not care for the subject on
which no was disposed to grow eloquent
billiards and bull terriers
So regular lounger at the counter, 50
good a customer so wel-known an inhabi
tant of Battleton, was obliged to be received
with fair amount of courtesy, and he was
received in quite sisterly-possibly more
than sisterly-manner by all but Miss DAILY.
Miss DAILY said good morning and good
evening"" especially good evening" very
graciously to him. but she did not initiate
the style Of the rest of the young ladies' or
put herself out in anyway for Mr. Todd.
Conscious of the power she welded over MS
susceptible breast, she did not hasten 10
meet his requirements at the par; dia not
lean over the counter al" taik 10 nun ~
tween the sandwich STANDS ana the uisiies Oh
buns; did not regard him ianguishingy
while an irate passenger was hammerlng
away with the mtitd edge oil smiling 10
attract her attention; dii not Whisper OF
laugh or sl"p MN IN kit'enish impulse;
ana pe1fayed not even jealous symptom
when ne taiSea To MISS pare or MISS i>aehe'
OF ahynody else
cant make hsr out he soiiloquized IN
The quie'ud' OF hi' bedroom, three months
a.'ef miss LAZY nau ue7h III fae'ietoh' anu
after she hal said' NO. thank you, 10 nan
dozen pairs OF tourvois'efs gloves, OF
which he had rggea her aeceptance' she
ISN'T hke aiiyb"uy tfse ever hhe" at .he
Junction fohy Racket would make six OF
her for tun, but shes an awfuily nice
gH1, somehow. She isht SHY, elmer, OF
she'd fancy was going 10 ask her TO marry.
Shes sharp, clever little woman, pom my
soul, but | can't make her out And that's
deuced odd, too, seeing what lot of girls
have been always running after me"
1t was not odd, tut young Todd was be-
yond the discovery of the solution TO the
mystery; his sell-complaIsance stood in the
way, and the girls who ran after him were
of the ordinary class of high steppers, whose
mission in life was to be always running
after somebody. Even IN his own sphere,
and where the exact amount OF MS income
and his expectations were known, young
Todd was sought and battered by some of
the sleek and shining creatures OF the
chase" but young Todd never proposed, and
had been always happier and moro at his
ease at the station buffet, or in The streets
when the shop girls were going home Hap
pier till Miss DAILY appeared; then it was all
over with him and his nonchalant airs and
crins and grimacos. He strolled in and out
no more in his old patronizinS way; he came
in early, and stopped as a rule all day; he
was the slave of the refreshment counter,
the ghost of his former self. the talk of the
little town where everybody talked
His mother condesceudei to ask a few
questions Of him at last, AMI to tell him
what the world was saying; he laughed at
her questions as Irrelevant, and the shocking
expression he used as regarded the world
needs no repetition in these virtuous pages
His sisters satirize1 him and his tastes. and
he gave it them hot, as he afterward ex-
pressed himself 10 friend, for meddling
with his affairs and what didn't concern
them He never interfered between them
and their larks with the curates, did he?
ct him alone. and he'd let them alone: no
bo,iy mood I've afraid he was going To mako =.
fool of himself. or throw himself away. he
knew what he was about well enough
Trnst him.
Rut nobody trusted him any more for this
declaration, and the home of the Toids be-
came yhadow-land, in the midst of which
much suspicion and unuharity and con
spiracy were broodiug. They affected to
let him alone, and he let them alone accord
iur to his usual way-which was very much
alone indeed-but they wrote long letters
and urgent letters to Uncle john the main
STAY of the family. trustee. executor, man of
the world, and man of war III the Indian
service, and they begged very earnestly for
Uncle john 10 take the matter up. as the
whole affair was becoming very serious in
deed. They had no influence over Edwin
Young Todd was Edwin; he was his own
master, and they were desperately afraid of
what would come of it. They had been
afraid also to tell Uncle John before; they
dill rot like intruding upon his studies, his
new work ON Qualifications and Fireworks,