Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1891-05-13
"Ton't you gtue me one of the fo,cers9n


was, at least to me and one other, an i'm
portant affair; and nothing is more try
ing than waiting for a crisis. / was Il
student at German university. Not Il
German student or an English student
an American. l sat idly tapping my
boot with my stick; before me the lake
the boats skimming its surface, the pa
CODA, carriages passing and repassing
all flashing in the sunlight.
On grass plot not far from where
lounged couple of French bonnes were
gossiping, while the children they
watched chased each other over the
green sward. Icould occasionally catch
words as the little ones shouted to each
other, and knew they were English
at least they spoke the English tongue.
One of them, little girl of perhaps or
z years, had dashed by me several times,
with flying ringlets. In her sash was
that which plainly showed she had dis
regarded the instructions posted every
where: les list NIGHT erlaubt Blumen
abzupfucken. 1T is not permitted to
pluck the flowers" In one of her flights
stopped her.
Don't you see," said, pointing with
my stick to one of those notices; ''they
won't let any one pick the fowers?"
She looked from me to the notice, then
at her flowers; then fixed her eyes
straight on mine. But her mind was
not easily made up to such an informal
introduction, and she soon dropped her
eyes again to the flowers.
Suppose a policeman should come
along" l went on, land find these flow
ers in your girdle:"
Her brow knit in a frown, but still
she did not deign to answer.
''Never mind; I'll try to get him to
let you off if he comes
But if You can't?" said little voice.
1t was so little and so timid that l
scarcely heard it.
Il can try. Won't you give me one of
the flowers
In a twinkling she forgot her fears. \
new question came up to drive the first
right out of her little brain. She began
to pick over the flowers, hunting for one
worthy of a gift.
On the roadway at the foot of the
slope one Of the guardians of the park
was lettering in the sun, his hands
clasped behind him. his saber swinging
like the pendulum of a clock as he walk
ed with his head thrown back, that he
might see from under his helmet. He
would move to the extremity of his beat.
stop and look a while at the picture of
park scenery before him, then turn and
walk idly back. His eyes were evidently
on the maids with the group of children.
Presently, instead of stopping when he
came to the end of his beat, he kept on
and around a curve in the road, disap-
pearing for few moments behind a
clump of trees.
1.-The policeman l exclaimed to the
child. He's coming"
Where Her cheek whitened.
Down there, behind the trees"
She looked anxiously in the direction
1 pointed.
Give me the flowers said He'll
think took them
No"
Yes, quick
mo, no." she cried. impatiently
stamping her diminutive foot.
why not?"
y GU dldn take them"
"Well, come and sit by me- l won't
let him hurt YOU"
She came and climbed upon the seat
beside me. The policeman came on.
professedly looking at the flower beds
or the trees, or up at the sky, but really
at the maids AS he came near where
we We're sitting l could hear my pro-
drumstick. When he came opposite us
what was my establishment to see her
take the flowers from. her girdle and
hold them toward him, and call out:
Il took your flowers, Mr.. P'hceman
Are you going to take me to PRISON."
Fortunately she spoke in English, and
not till a moment after he had passed
He kept on without noticing us, around
the road, which bent in an ellipse about
the sward.
Then my little girl buried her face
against my shoulder and burst into tears.
This conflict between physical timid-
ity and moral strength was novelty to
me. My only idea of courage thus far
was that which is attended by brute
force. There was something to me very
touching in the child's conquest of her
self; her subsection of her fear of pun
ishment to her sense of right. For
few minutes to passerby there would
have been presented the singular spec
tacle of a young man with sprouting
beard, in tasseled high top boots,
tight fitting jacket, and a students cap,
playing the uncouth part of masculine
nurse in comforting child
Never mind, little one; he shouldn't
have troubled you; I'd have spitted him
on his own steel first"