Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1891-05-13


Are you going to leave me:' asked
Yes
$50 soon?"
Maybe I'll come back again if
''f the policeman comes, you little
coward-no, you little heroine. Won't
You give me a kiss before you go?"
She looked down on the walk, neither
asserting to nor dissenting from my
proposition. / drew her toward me, and
taking her head between my two HANGS
looked into her face. There was strange
contrast in the picture of innocence be-
fore me and picture of another kind
which thrust its ugliness upon my mind
"a picture of the day before.
had quarreled with my chum, an
Englishman. The quarrel arose fro
nothing. "All progressive thought"
said, ''emanates from Germany"
From England" he supplemented.
Germans are full of idealism-poetry
romance"
And cheese and beer: Englishmen
can write much better stuff" he sneered.
And fill themselves much fuller with
beef and porter"
higher"
You are full of English arrogance
and conceit." l was becoming angry.
And you are full of American assur-
ance," he retorted.
English, cowardly brutH -
He stopped me- His manner, which
had been cool, changed, but to steadier
vein even than before. Only coward
would use such words to a friend
His words and his steadineSs threw me
into a passion. l was very quick or l
couldn't have done what / did. l sent
him sprawhng on the floor Several
students heed the noise and rushed in.
For moment they stood staring near
the door, then came and raised him.
But | am gazing into the face of inno-
| cence. The curves are so beautiful, so
delicate, blending the cheek into the
fullness of the throat. The thin nostril.
the sensitive lip, the ear tinged with YER
million. / smoothed back the tresses of
fine hair.
Presently she asked, Have you got a
girl?"
mo, haven't a girl"
"Have you got boy?"
Nor boy"
Haven't got any children at all?'
Not one. And l haven't father or
mother"
She pitied me.
Brothers."
"No brothers."
Sisters
mot one"
Il don't like that"
/ Her big blue eyes were full of SYM
patty. l wound my arm about her.
! How frail the 1.-THE figure felt in nv
strong clasp!
"Deedier' called one of the maids.
Il must go now. Emile is calling me. -
Go and ask Emile if you may come
back and stay with me a little longer"
'Win You wait here till conner
Certainly"
l leaned back on the wooden settee
and watched an animated conversation
between the bonnie and the child, the
! former throwing occasional suspicious
glances in my direction. The tiny plead
er argued briskly. She bent her little
| face near to that of the maid land snapped
her eyes and made excited Mkle gestures.
| speaking so fast from what could hear.
| IN French) that she must have quite con-
| founded her guardian; for presently she
came running back al out of breath.
with the information that she might
stay little longer.
sat for some time trying to keep he1
! with me, for at sight of butterfly or a
humming bird she would be off like the
wind. When she came back from one
| of these flights l drew her to me to caress
| her. l wound her curls around my fin
| gers; / slnoothed the tumbled hair from
| her forehead. l made excuses to turn
her pliable figure this way and that way,
that l might grasp the soft arms or PLAY
! with the tiny fingers. l asked her about
q bead necklace she wore, and who gave
| it to her; and took hold of it to examine
| IL, that my hand might touch her warm
neck. And all the time she prattled and
asked me questions, and told me about
people whose identity she didn't trouble
herself to explain, as though / had al
| ways known them.
What a funny capr' She reached Ut
and took the diminutive covering worn
| by students in Germany from my head.
and putting 1t on her own broke away
and capered about like little witch.
Then she came back and put the cap on
my head, and when l tilted it on one side
she objected, and insisted on my wearing
it straight.
do you live here always" she asked.
mo, When I'm at home live where
the sun gets up in the morning long after
1t does here. When you are eating your
breakfast it is dark there
Her eyes were full of wonder. Where
is that country"
America"
why, we live in America"
''Indeed!''
1t isn't dark there when we eat GU,
breakfast"
I laughed Why trouble myself to ex-
! plain? She would not understand
asl-a1 bar boIu no r,or,ll lie -, - -